Social Determinants of Depression: Similarities and Differences Among Married Men and Married Women
Ulbrich, Patricia M.
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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/71001
Description
Title
Social Determinants of Depression: Similarities and Differences Among Married Men and Married Women
Author(s)
Ulbrich, Patricia M.
Issue Date
1984
Department of Study
Sociology
Discipline
Sociology
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Degree Level
Dissertation
Keyword(s)
Sociology, General
Abstract
Using data from a national probability sample of 613 married couples, this research attempts to link husbands' and wives' social status to the stress they experience by testing hypotheses concerning their levels of depression. I hypothesized that (1) women are more exposed to stress as a result of personal relations; men, as a result of their breadwinner responsibilities; (2) that having lower socioeconomic status increases vulnerability to depression but that the impact of status resources should vary by sex; (3) wives employed part-time should be less depressed than other wives; and (4) the lower the respondent's social status, the greater the impact of a given stressor on depression.
Regression analysis showed some support for these hypotheses but also revealed that some variables affect both husbands and wives. I found that (1) different stressors do affect husbands' and wives' depression. Spouse differences in the perceptions of the division of household labor increased the depression of fully-employed wives. Husband's risk of depression increased if they preferred that their employed wives not be employed. However, the perception of insufficient economic resources depressed both husbands and wives. (2) Although education was inversely related to wives' depression, husbands' earnings had no impact on their level of depression. (3) Women's level of employment or years of attachment to the labor force had no effect on their depression level. (4) Status resources only partially affect the impact of stressors. Husbands who oppose their wives' employment are more depressed if they have low earnings than high earnings. These findings indicate that the division of labor and social class interact in fundamental ways for men but not for women.
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