The relationships of hassles and uplifts to experience of health in working women

Swedish women are more ill than men are, often explained by women's heavier total workload. A balanced pattern of daily occupations is believed to promote health. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship of aspects of the pattern of daily occupations and lifestyle factors to working mothers' health and well-being, and whether control influenced any relationships. One hundred working, cohabiting mothers took part in semi-structured interviews targeting health and well-being, control, lifestyle variables, and hassles and uplifts in the pattern of daily occupations. All variables were dichotomised according to a median cut and subjected to logistic regression analyses. Working more and having a university diploma were found to be risk factors for experiencing more hassles. Risk factors for fewer uplifts were having more than two children and fewer leisure occupations. Experiencing less control constituted a risk of low self-rated health and with an additional high level of hassles impacted on the experience of well-being.