Depression Among Domestic Workers In Kangeyanallur Village of Tamilnadu, India

Abstract

Abstract- Domestic workers are part of a community who leave their primary living place or their families because of challenging life events that obligate them to search for other alternatives to survive or for a perceived better life. The specific tasks vary in each domestic worker’s standard, family size and each employer’s perception. Performing all those activities may lead them to stress and stress-related problems. This study mainly focuses on the causes and consequences of depression among domestic workers in selected villages in the Vellore District of Tamilnadu. A quantitative research approach was adopted to accomplish the objectives of the study. The study population comprises 85 domestic workers who met the inclusion criteria. The instruments used in this study were a structured questionnaire and a Four-point Depression scale; Which consists of 9 statements. The collected data were coded and entered in MS Excel for further analysis and interpretation. Out of 85 domestic workers, 40(47.06%) had moderately severe depression, 31(36.47%) had severe depression and 14(16.47%) had moderate depression. The demographic variables sex (χ2=8.810, p=0.012) and religion (χ2=10.994, p=0.027) had shown statistically significant association with the level of depression among domestic workers at p<0.05 level and the other demographic variables had not shown statistically significant association with the level of depression among domestic workers.