Greater Depressive Symptomatology Research Articles

Elevated sexual activity in violent marriages: Hypersexuality or sexual extortion?

Couples have been observed to be more sexually active in marriages characterized by violence. Two alternative hypotheses are posed to account for this. The hypersexuality hypothesis is that a pre‐existing propensity for both aggression and violence characterizes both partners in selected marriages. The sexual extortion hypothesis is that male violence creates a climate of fear in which women are coerced into having sex more often they would otherwise assent to. Data on 2,435 couples from the National Survey of Families and Households 1987–88 are consistent only with the sexual extortion hypothesis. Holding constant other predictors of sexual frequency, only a husband's violence, but not a wife's, is associated with greater sexual activity in marriage. Moreover, when husbands have been violent, a greater frequency of sexual activity predicts greater depressive symptomatology among wives.

Social Support, Self-Worth, and Depression in Offending and Nonoffending Mothers of Maltreated Children

Offending mothers of maltreated children were compared twice, one year apart, with nonoffending mothers of maltreated children on measures of social support, self-worth, and depressive symptoms. Offending mothers generally did not differ from nonoffending mothers on perceived social support or self-worth. The two groups did not differ on depressive symptoms at the first interview (Time 1), but depressive symptoms decreased more over time for nonoffending mothers than for offending mothers. Perceptions of low social support from family and friends were the strongest predictors of more negative perceptions of self-worth and greater depressive symptomatology at Time 1. At Time 2, support from friends remained a significant independent predictor of self-worth and depressive symptoms, but support from family was no longer significant. Mothers whose children experienced a repetitive pattern of maltreatment and mothers who were not offenders had more depressive symptoms at Time 1. Single mothers experienced more depressive symptoms at Time 1, while lower education was associated with increased depressive symptoms at Time 2. The findings have important implications for planning interventions with maltreating families.

Self-concept and peer victimization among schoolchildren

The identification of children who are bullied at school is an issue of concern for developmental social psychologists. The aim of the present study was to replicate previous work in order to confirm the internal reliability and convergent validity of the Peer Victimization Scale. This is a 6-item scale which can be immersed within the Self-Perception Profile for Children thus reducing the saliency of the items and therefore minimising the effects of social desirability. For boys and girls, higher scores on the Peer Victimization Scale were associated with self- and peer-reports of victimization as well as with lower global self-worth, poorer perceptions of competence in a variety of domains, and greater depressive symptomatology.

Black, Single, Working Mothers in Poverty: Preferences for Employment, Well-being, and Perceptions of Preschool-Age Children

Poor, single, black mothers have been largely excluded from research on the impact of maternal employment. This study examined the relationship between employment preferences and well-being in a sample of 111 black, single, employed mothers with a threeor four-year-old child and low income. Two competing views of multiple role occupancy were explored, using data from structured interviews in which mothers completed a questionnaire about role strain, life satisfaction, depression, and perceptions of children. Findings revealed that mothers whose employment status was consistent with their preference were lower in role strain and higher in overall life satisfaction. Having no education beyond high school and a male child predicted significantly higher strain, greater depressive symptomatology, and the least favorable perceptions of children. Overall, results suggest that parenting boys may be especially stressful for black single mothers balancing work and family roles in poverty, particularly when low education is also a factor. Implications for policy are considered in light of the Family Support Act of 1988.

Caregiving: role engulfment and the loss of self.

"Loss of self" was examined in a sample of spouses and adult children caring for a relative with Alzheimer's disease. Defined as a loss of identity that comes about as a result of engulfment in the caregiver role, it was found to be more common among spouses, females, and younger caregivers. Limited social contact and lack of social roles outside that of caregiver were found to be related to greater loss of self. It is associated with lower self-esteem and mastery and with greater depressive symptomatology.

Depression in Children from Single-Parent Families

The study examined depression in 53 eldest children between six and ten years old who were living in mother-headed one-parent families. None of the children were involved in counseling or psychological treatment at the time of the study. Child report scores on the Children's Depression Inventory (CDI) were regressed on three variables, gender of the children, a self-report measure of the mother's depression, and the amount of time since the parents' separation. Analyses revealed that only gender of the child was a significant predictor of CDI scores, with boys reporting significantly greater depressive symptomatology. Contrary to expectation, neither time since separation nor depression in the mother added significantly to the prediction. Mother's ratings of the child on DSM-III criteria for depression were also regressed on the same three factors, revealing that only the mother's depression score was a significant predictor of her perceptions of the child's depressive symptoms. Results are discussed in t...

ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION AND PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS AMONG U.S. ANGLOS, HISPANICS AND BLACKS <xref ref-type="corresp" rid="cor1"><sup>*</sup></xref>

Data from the Health and Nutrition Examination Survey Augmentation Component of the U.S. National Center for Health Statistics were analysed to assess differences between Anglos (N=5546), Blacks (N=872), less-acculturated Hispanics (N=182), and more-acculturated Hispanics (N=58) with regard to alcohol use, psychological distress, and alcohol consumption-psychological distress relationships. Alcohol consumption differences were more notable for quantity rather than frequency, with Hispanics reporting significantly higher quantity than Anglos or Blacks. Drinkers were more depressed than non-drinkers among Anglos and Blacks; an opposite, though insignificant, pattern emerged among Hispanics. Higher quantity of alcohol use was generally associated with greater depressive symptomatology and lower well-being. More frequent drinking was generally associated with lower depressive symptoms and higher well-being. Additional findings that pointed to negative relationships between quantity and both reported nervous breakdowns and help-seeking for emotional problems among less-acculturated Hispanics suggest a greater use of alcohol as a coping mechanism in this group.

Symptoms of depression and recent life events in the community elderly.

Studied 188 elderly living in the community in terms of the relationship of recent life events to symptoms of depression. Three discriminators of depression were found among 12 events that occurred in the past year. Ss with greater depressive symptomatology had been involved in more arguments, experienced more deaths of relatives and friends, and among the white elderly, reported more accidents among relatives and friends. This group also reported experiencing a higher magnitude of stress. The relevance of these findings for clinical diagnosis and treatment planning is explored.