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Deepening Depression in Women Balancing Work-Life and Caregiving during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Findings of Gender-Specific Face-to-Face Street Interviews Conducted in Italy
Giusti, L.; Mammarella, S.; Del Vecchio, S.; Salza, A.; Casacchia, M.; Roncone, R. Deepening Depression in Women Balancing Work–Life Responsibilities and Caregiving during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Findings from Gender-Specific Face-to-Face Street Interviews Conducted in Italy. Behav. Sci.2023, 13, 892.
Giusti, L.; Mammarella, S.; Del Vecchio, S.; Salza, A.; Casacchia, M.; Roncone, R. Deepening Depression in Women Balancing Work–Life Responsibilities and Caregiving during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Findings from Gender-Specific Face-to-Face Street Interviews Conducted in Italy. Behav. Sci. 2023, 13, 892.
Giusti, L.; Mammarella, S.; Del Vecchio, S.; Salza, A.; Casacchia, M.; Roncone, R. Deepening Depression in Women Balancing Work–Life Responsibilities and Caregiving during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Findings from Gender-Specific Face-to-Face Street Interviews Conducted in Italy. Behav. Sci.2023, 13, 892.
Giusti, L.; Mammarella, S.; Del Vecchio, S.; Salza, A.; Casacchia, M.; Roncone, R. Deepening Depression in Women Balancing Work–Life Responsibilities and Caregiving during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Findings from Gender-Specific Face-to-Face Street Interviews Conducted in Italy. Behav. Sci. 2023, 13, 892.
Abstract
Purpose: This study investigated the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health, quality of life, and family functioning in a sample of the general female population, exploring difficulties encountered in managing family and work responsibilities and burden of care when taking care of a loved one. The study was moreover aimed at investigating factors capable of influencing severe depressive symptomatology in the context of socio-demographics, traumatic events, individual vulnerability, and family functioning.
Method: During a weekend devoted to Mental Health initiatives (October 8-10, 2021), 211 women were interviewed (47% exposed to the 2009 L’Aquila earthquake).
Results: More than 50% of the sample reported a higher complexity in managing their lives during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to their previous routine, with no statistically significant differences between working women and non-workers, although the latter obtained higher scores for depressive symptomatology and poorer quality of life. Compared to non-caregivers, women caregivers (22.3%) in charge of the care of loved ones affected by physical (10.9%) or psychiatric disabilities (11.4%) complained of a poorer quality of life, with those caring for people affected by mental disorders seeming to experience a more significant worsening.
Approximately 20% of the total sample reported severe depressive symptomatology. Previous access to mental health services (O.R. 10.923), low level of education (O.R. 5.410) and difficulties in management of their everyday lives during the COVID-19 pandemic (O.R. 3.598) were found to be the main variables predictive of severe depressive psychopathology. Old age, good problem-solving skills and ability to pursue personal goals were identified as protective factors.
Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic underlined the need for support for emotionally vulnerable women with pre-existing mental health conditions, partly reflecting the cumulative effects of traumas.
Keywords
Women; depression; family burden; family functioning; pandemic COVID-19; collective traumas
Subject
Medicine and Pharmacology, Psychiatry and Mental Health
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
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