Abstract
Previous studies have shown poor working conditions and poor mental health among au pairs. However, there are limited longitudinal approaches to these conditions. Therefore, the main objectives of this study were to assess the occurrence of depressive symptoms longitudinally and to analyze the association between sociodemographic characteristics, working conditions and violence at work with depressive symptoms over time among Spanish-speaking au pairs living in Germany. A prospective cohort study was performed with three measurement intervals, which included 189 participants. Depressive symptoms were assessed by the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). Generalized Estimating Equation (GEE) models were implemented to estimate the association between predictors and depressive symptoms. Au pairs who worked >40 h per week were more than three times more likely to experience depression than those who did not (OR: 3.47; 95% CI: 1.46–8.28). In addition, those exposed to physical violence were almost five times more likely to suffer from depression (OR: 4.95; 95% CI: 2.16–9.75), and au pairs who had bad schedule adaptation to social and family commitments had twice the risk of depression than those who did not (OR: 2.24; 95% CI: 0.95–5.28). This knowledge could be of interest for future au pairs, host families, au pair agencies and policy makers. Together, they could improve awareness and monitoring of au pair working conditions.
Highlights
In the 1950s, the number of housewives in Europe decreased due to industrialization, women’s participation in the labor market and the enrichment of the middle class in the global North, among other causes [1]
We focus on the Spanish-speaking population because of the challenges already mentioned, such as educational mismatch, poor living and working conditions, violence at work and the conflict between High context (HC) and low context (LC) cultures
The prevalence of Major Depressive Syndrome (MDS) was higher in participants who dropped out the study during follow-ups than in those who remained in the study
Summary
In the 1950s, the number of housewives in Europe decreased due to industrialization, women’s participation in the labor market and the enrichment of the middle class in the global North, among other causes [1]. The number of paid domestic helpers, mainly female migrant workers, increased, and new migration forms such as au pairs emerged [1]. Of a host family and providing light domestic work and childcare for this family” [2]. The term au pair comes from the French ‘at par,’ ‘at equal shares’ or ‘on mutual terms.‘. It refers to the mutual benefit gained from au pairs and host families [3]. Middle class European families cannot afford paid domestic workers, there are limited public childcare centers and private centers are costly [4]. Au pair programs are the cheapest way for young foreigners to achieve personal
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