Common symptoms in middle aged women: their relation to employment status, psychosocial work conditions and social support in a Swedish setting

STUDY OBJECTIVE: Over the past few decades there has been a growing interest among researchers, in women's overall life circumstances and their relation to women's health status. For example, paid employment has been considered an important part of women's living conditions in Western societies as the number of women entering the labour market has grown constantly over the past decades. When comparing men's and women's health, one of the most consistent findings is a higher rate of symptoms among women. The most commonly reported symptoms in women are depressive symptoms, symptoms of bodily tension and chronic pain from muscles and joints. The aim of this study was to investigate whether socioeconomic factors, employment status, psychosocial work conditions and social network/support are associated with middle aged women's health status in terms of common symptoms. DESIGN: A mailed questionnaire was used in a cross sectional design assessing socioeconomic factors, employment status, psychosocial work conditions according to the demand/control model, social network/support and an index based on the 15 most frequent symptoms presented by middle aged women when seeking health care. SETTING: A rural community with 13,200 inhabitants in the western part of Sweden. PARTICIPANTS: Women were randomly selected from the general population in the study area, 40 to 50 years of age. The response rate was 81.7 per cent. MAIN RESULTS: Women who were non-employed had a significantly increased odds of a high level of common symptoms (OR = 2.82; 95% confidence intervals 1.69, 4.70), as well as women exposed to job strain (OR = 3.27; 1.92, 5.57), independently of the level of social network/support. Furthermore, exposure to low social support, low social anchorage or low social participation independently showed significantly increased odds of a high level of common symptoms (OR = 2.75; 1.71, 4.42; OR = 2.91; 1.81, 4.69 and OR = 1.69; 1.10, 2.61, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Work related factors, such as non-employment and job strain, and circumstances within the private sphere, such as social network/support, seem equally important for middle aged women's health status. These findings ought to have important policy implications and also to be of major importance in a primary health care setting when meeting women who seek health care because of common symptoms.     

From macro to micro: the health of Swedish lone mothers during changing economic and social circumstances

The deep recession in Sweden in the early 1990s led to high unemployment levels. In addition, policy changes and reductions in welfare benefits increased costs of living. These changes may have affected lone mothers to a greater extent than other groups. How have these changes in the social context and policy context impacted on the health of lone mothers in comparison with couple mothers in Sweden between 1983 and 2001?     

Household migration, social support, and psychosocial health: the perspective from migrant-sending areas

An extensive literature demonstrates various negative health consequences of family disruption in Western societies, which is largely due to marital dissolution. In developing settings, family disruption commonly arises in the context of labor out-migration. However, studies on household emigration often focus on the economic benefits from remittances, overlooking emigration as a source of stress and loss of social support. This research examines the psychosocial consequences of internal out-migration using longitudinal survey data collected in Indonesia between 1993 and 2007. Results demonstrate considerable psychosocial costs of out-migration, with adults left behind by migrants more susceptible to stress-related health impairments such as hypertension and to psychological distress such as depressive symptoms. These findings largely hold when specific relations are investigated, including spouses left behind and parents left behind by adult children. This study also finds some support for the stress-buffering role of social support from extended families and the differential psychosocial processes for men and women.     

Socioeconomic status, social support and self-rated health among lone mothers in South Korea

Objectives  

This study examined the association of socioeconomic status and social support with the differences in self-rated health between lone and partnered mothers in South Korea.     

A comparison of pregnancy and child health outcomes between teenage and adult mothers in the slums of Nairobi, Kenya

The study assessed and compared pregnancy and child health outcomes of teenage (aged less than 20 years) and adult (20-34 years of age) mothers. A total of 226 teenage and 205 adult mothers met the study criteria out of the 3,256 women in the reproductive age group (15-49 years) and 318 adolescent girls (12-14 years of age) covered by the Nairobi Cross-sectional Slums Survey (NCSS). The main comparison involved socio-demographic variables, events during pregnancy, obstetric outcome, child morbidity and mortality and care provided during an illness episode. Results showed that a significantly higher percentage of teenage mothers and their partners had lower educational achievement compared with adult mothers and their partners. They were more likely to be economically disadvantaged than the adult mothers. Teenage mothers and their parents were also less likely to have ever been married. The two groups of mothers were comparable in terms of the rate and timing of antenatal care visits, place of delivery, rate of operative deliveries, reported size of the baby at birth, child vaccination status and reported morbidity and health care practice during an illness episode. The index child was alive during the survey period for 89.4% of the teenage and 96.6% of the adult mothers (OR = 3.36; 95% CI = 1.34, 8.79; P = 0.004). Child survival rates in the two groups of mothers were found to be quite similar after controlled analysis for the influence of socio-economic factors. The study concluded that bad obstetric outcomes were not associated with maternal age. Although teenage and adult mothers were not significantly different on child health practices, children born to the former group died most frequently probably due to their poor socioeconomic achievements.     

Time in the United States, social support and health behaviors during pregnancy among women of Mexican descent

Among women of Mexican descent, increased acculturation in the US has been associated with poorer health behaviors during pregnancy. This study examined a population of low-income women of Mexican descent in an agricultural community to determine: whether social support patterns were associated with age at arrival in the US; whether social support was associated with pregnancy behaviors; and whether increased social support could prevent some of the negative pregnancy behaviors that accompany acculturation. Participants were 568 pregnant women enrolled in prenatal care in the Salinas Valley, California. Participants were predominantly Spanish speaking, born in Mexico, and from farmworker families. Information on social networks, social support, age at arrival in the US, and pregnancy health behaviors was gathered during interviews conducted during pregnancy and immediately after delivery. Poorer health behaviors were observed among women who had come to the US at a younger age. Social support during pregnancy was lowest among women who had come to the US at an older age. High parity, low education, and low income were also associated with low social support. Higher social support was associated with better quality of diet, increased likelihood of using prenatal vitamins, and decreased likelihood of smoking during pregnancy. High social support also appeared to prevent the negative impact of life in the US on diet quality. Women with intermediate or low levels of social support who had spent their childhoods in the US had significantly poorer diet quality than women who had spent their childhoods in Mexico. However, among women with high social support, there was no difference in diet quality according to country of childhood. Thus, in the case of diet quality, increased social support appears to prevent some of the negative pregnancy behaviors that accompany time in the US among women of Mexican descent.     

Effects of social support on the mental health of mothers with infants

OBJECTIVE: We surmised that increase in stress in mothers having infants might be due to decline of social support under circumstances where nuclear family households now predominate. The present study was therefore conducted to analyze relations between stress reactions of mothers having infants, their recognition of social support, and negative feelings toward their baby and child care, a major factor in the burden of childcare. METHODS: The subject were 909 mothers having infants in nuclear families who lived in I city in Osaka Prefecture. Health examinations of infants at the ages of 4 months, 1 year and 6 months, and 3 years and 6 months were utilized. Questionnaires titled "Survey on Childcare" were distributed in advance by mail to parents of the infants included in the health examinations and collected at the health examinations. The survey period was August to September 2000. Personal background variables and, psychological investigation items, including mental health in terms of stress reactions, negative feelings toward childcare as a factor in the burden of childcare, and a support network scale were surveyed and analyzed. RESULTS: The mothers with infants were judged to be in a stressful state from the average mental health scores in all groups. Multiparas had significantly higher negative feelings toward childcare scores. Regarding the age groups of children, a significantly decreasing recognition of a support network as well as significantly increasing negative feelings toward childcare were observed with the growth of children. There was a positive correlation between negative feelings toward childcare and stress reactions. The recognition of social support was negatively correlated with stress reactions and negative feelings toward childcare. CONCLUSION: The study revealed that mothers having infants are in a stressful state and that the recognition of stress is related to negative feelings toward childcare and the recognition of a support network. The feeling of sufficient support lowers the level of stress arising from childcare, and facilitates avoiding or coping with problems, thereby promoting mothers' physical and mental health. This is important for continuation and fulfillment of childcare.     

Teaching interactions of black and Cuban teenage mothers and their infants

Possible factors related to maternal teaching styles are socioeconomic status, ethnic group membership, maternal age, maternal locus of control, and the mother's “hidden agenda” or goals for her child. In this study, 32 lower income, Black and Cuban, teenage and adult mothers and their 12 month old infants participated in a simple task teaching their infant how to operate a “Jack‐in‐the‐box”. The mothers were also interviewed on questionnaires designed to tap locus of control, “hidden agendas”, and demographic characteristics. The results showed that Cuban mothers demonstrated the task to their infant with verbalization significantly more often than the Black mothers. The groups did not differ on maternal “hidden agendas”. Adult mothers showed a more internal locus of control than teenage mothers. Infants of Black, teenage mothers vocalized significantly less often than infants of the other groups. Results of this study provide additional support for existing literature in which maternal age and cultural differences were reported for the amount of maternal verbalization during early teaching interactions.     

Socioeconomic status,social support,oral health beliefs,psychosocial factors,health behaviours and health-related quality of life in adolescents

Quality of Life Research - This study assessed the relationships between socioecononic status (SES), social support, oral health beliefs, psychosocial factors, health-related behaviours and...     

Teaching interactions of black and Cuban teenage mothers and their infants

Possible factors related to maternal teaching styles are socioeconomic status, ethnic group membership, maternal age, maternal locus of control, and the mother's “hidden agenda” or goals for her child. In this study, 32 lower income, Black and Cuban, teenage and adult mothers and their 12 month old infants participated in a simple task teaching their infant how to operate a “Jack-in-the-box”. The mothers were also interviewed on questionnaires designed to tap locus of control, “hidden agendas”, and demographic characteristics. The results showed that Cuban mothers demonstrated the task to their infant with verbalization significantly more often than the Black mothers. The groups did not differ on maternal “hidden agendas”. Adult mothers showed a more internal locus of control than teenage mothers. Infants of Black, teenage mothers vocalized significantly less often than infants of the other groups. Results of this study provide additional support for existing literature in which maternal age and cultural differences were reported for the amount of maternal verbalization during early teaching interactions.     

Support during childbirth: perception of health care providers and companions chosen by women

OBJECTIVE: To understand health care providers' perception on managing laboring women in the presence of a labor companion of their choice, and the labor companion's perception of this experience. METHODS: A qualitative study was conducted based on a controlled randomized clinical trial. Sampling was intentional and determined through information saturation. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with 11 health care providers and 16 laboring companions in the obstetric unit of a maternity facility at the hospital complex, in Campinas, Southern Brazil, between October 2004 and March 2005. The thematic analysis of discourse was applied using the following methodological figures: central idea, key expressions and discourse of the collective subject. RESULTS: The most remarkable central ideas of health care providers were: no difference was observed in managing laboring women with a labor companion; positive changes were noted in labor management when a labor companion was present; the companion provided emotional support to laboring women who were more pleased, and felt safer and peaceful; many positive aspects were seen in the behavior and involvement of laboring women with a labor companion; the companion caused no problems and encouraged health providers to engage in a more humane and less routine attitude. The main central ideas of labor companions were: positive feelings, emotions, a sense of satisfaction with the experience; being with the laboring woman was a great opportunity to provide her emotional support; and they felt welcome by health care providers. CONCLUSIONS: Health providers considered positive the support provided by a labor companion and had no problems in managing laboring women in the presence of their companions. Labor companions were pleased and happy with this experience. There was no conflicting opinions.     

Perceived health as related to income, socio-economic status, lifestyle, and social support factors in a middle-aged Japanese

BACKGROUND: Few studies have examined the association of perceived health with socio-economic status, especially income, and social isolation and support in Japan. The purpose of this study is to clarify the associations among perceived health, lifestyle, and socio-economic status, as well as social isolation and support factors, in middle-aged and elderly Japanese. METHODS: Subjects were 9,650 participants aged 47-77 years who completed a self-administered questionnaire in 2000 in the second survey of a population-based cohort (the Komo-Ise study). The questionnaire included items on sociodemographic and socio-economic factors, social isolation and support, lifestyle, past history of chronic disease and perceived health. Perceived health was dichotomized into excellent or good health and fair or poor health. A logistic regression analysis was used to determine the odds ratios of socio-economic status, social characteristics and lifestyle in relation to self-reported fair or poor health. RESULTS: We found that household income, physical activity, sleeping, smoking habit, and BMI had a strong association with self-reported fair or poor health in middle-aged and elderly Japanese men and women. Male subjects tended to report fair or poor health as household income decreased. The results for women differed in that social isolation and low social support had a stronger association for self-reported fair or poor health than low household income. CONCLUSIONS: The results indicated that perceived health was associated with socio-economic and social characteristics among middle-aged and elderly residents in Japan.     

Coping abilities and social support of Myanmar teenage refugees in Malaysia

A high number of Myanmar refugees in Malaysia fled their home countries due to political turmoil. Officially, more than 33,000 of them are children below the age of 18. Psychological distress for teenage refugees was reported, but the study of coping abilities and social support employed by teenage refugees is lacking. We have used a concurrent mixed method approach to collect data from 115 Myanmar adolescent refugees from six different education centres around Klang Valley in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The Adolescent Coping Scale and the Social Support Measure were used to measure coping abilities and social support of the teenage refugees. Two open-ended questions and a focus group interview were designed to collect qualitative data from the research participants. Results showed that subscales Non-Productive Coping were significantly correlated with Social Support Measure at p < .01. Findings from the qualitative analysis revealed that financial, social and academic were the three main challenges. The coping strategies used by the participants were problem-focused, avoidance and social support. Our participants also utilized personal conviction such as religion and cultural values as coping strategies. Social support is a much needed aspect which could further enhance their coping abilities.