Inequalities in the psychological well-being of employed, single and partnered mothers: the role of psychosocial work quality and work-family conflict

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>A large body of international research reveals that single mothers experience poorer mental health than their partnered counterparts, with socioeconomic disadvantage identified as an important contributory factor in understanding this health disparity. Much less research, however, has focused specifically on the psychological well-being of single mothers who are employed, despite their growing presence in the labor force. Of the research which has considered employment, the focus has been on employment status <it>per se </it>rather than on other important work-related factors which may impact psychological health, such as psychosocial work quality and work-family conflict. The aim of this study was to: (1) compare employed single mothers and employed partnered mothers on measures of psychological distress, psychosocial work quality and work-family conflict; and (2) explore the potential role of work-family conflict and psychosocial work quality as explanations for any observed differences in psychological distress based on partner status.</p> <p>Method</p> <p>Analysis of data obtained from a cross-sectional telephone survey of employed parents in a mid-sized Western Canadian city. Analyses were based on 674 employed mothers (438 partnered and 236 single), who were 25-50 years old, with at least one child in the household.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Compared to employed single mothers, employed partnered mothers were older, had more education and reported fewer hours of paid work. Single mothers reported higher levels of psychological distress, financial hardship, work-family conflict and poor psychosocial work quality. Statistical adjustment for income adequacy, psychosocial work quality and work-family conflict each independently resulted in single motherhood no longer being associated with psychological distress.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>While single employed mothers did experience higher levels of psychological distress than their partnered counterparts, differences between these groups of women in income adequacy, psychosocial work quality, and work-family conflict were found to explain this relationship. Future research employing a longitudinal design and subject to lower selection biases is required to tease out the interrelationship of these three life strains and to point to the most appropriate economic and social policies to support single mothers in the workforce.</p

The Lipid Kinase PIP5K1C Regulates Pain Signaling and Sensitization

SummaryNumerous pain-producing (pronociceptive) receptors signal via phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2) hydrolysis. However, it is currently unknown which lipid kinases generate PIP2 in nociceptive dorsal root ganglia (DRG) neurons and if these kinases regulate pronociceptive receptor signaling. Here, we found that phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate 5 kinase type 1C (PIP5K1C) is expressed at higher levels than any other PIP5K and, based on experiments with Pip5k1c+/− mice, generates at least half of all PIP2 in DRG neurons. Additionally, Pip5k1c haploinsufficiency reduces pronociceptive receptor signaling and TRPV1 sensitization in DRG neurons as well as thermal and mechanical hypersensitivity in mouse models of chronic pain. We identified a small molecule inhibitor of PIP5K1C (UNC3230) in a high-throughput screen. UNC3230 lowered PIP2 levels in DRG neurons and attenuated hypersensitivity when administered intrathecally or into the hindpaw. Our studies reveal that PIP5K1C regulates PIP2-dependent nociceptive signaling and suggest that PIP5K1C is a therapeutic target for chronic pain

Work and family roles, gender, socioeconomic status and health : a study of employed Canadian men and women

Using data from Statistics Canada's National Population Health Survey, the present study investigated the psychosocial determinants of health status among employed Canadian adults. The results are presented in three interrelated papers. The first paper highlights the patterning of health among Canadians occupying different role configurations who also vary in terms of gender, socioeconomic status, and life stage. Results indicated that compared to triple role women, women occupying a single role or two roles in 1994/95 reported poorer health status in 1996/97. This relationship held true for women in varying life stage and economic circumstances. While family role occupancies in the present study were not as strongly related to the health status of men as women, one exception emerged: for older men, single and double role occupants reported significantly poorer self-rated and functional health status than triple role men. The second paper delved deeper into the quality of the role experience, examining how the demands and resources associated with one specific role configuration (i.e., paid worker, parent, and partner) influenced physical health outcomes over time, and whether gender and life stage influenced the nature of that relationship. Compared to Canadians with lower family demands, those with high levels of family demands in 1994/95 generally reported poorer health in 1996/97. Contrary to predictions however, few significant associations were found between work variables and health status. Associations between health status and family resources, operationalized as a combination of income adequacy and home ownership, were also weaker than previous research has suggested. The purpose of the third paper was to test the tenability of a psychosocial model of health status incorporating both proximate and distal health determinants. Using path analysis, the results suggest that qualitative aspects of triple-role Canadian women's work and family roles, along with a sense of mastery, are important intermediary links in the relationship between socioeconomic status and health. These findings highlight the need to address the broader economic factors which impinge on the well being of women through their everyday work and domestic experiences. The contribution of the three papers to current discourse on gender and health is discussed

Household Income and Psychological Distress: Exploring Women’s Paid and Unpaid Work as Mediators

Research suggests that a socioeconomic gradient in employed adults’ mental health may be partially mediated by their work conditions. Largely ignored in this body of research is the potential role of unpaid domestic labor. The objectives of this paper were to determine whether socioeconomic disparities in mental health were present in a sample of employed, partnered mothers, and if so, identify the intervening mechanisms which contributed to the disparity. Participants for this cross-sectional study were 512 women recruited from an online research panel of residents living in Saskatchewan, Canada. Household income was the primary exposure and psychological distress was the dependent variable. Potential mediators included material deprivation, job control, job demands, work–family conflict, and the conditions of domestic labor. Descriptive analyses followed by simple and multiple mediation analyses were performed. Lower income was associated with greater distress, with material deprivation, work–family conflict, and inequity in responsibility for domestic work acting as mediators. These results suggest that in addition to more well-established mechanisms, the conditions of unpaid domestic labor, particularly how that labor is shared within households, may play a role in the genesis of mental health inequities among employed partnered mothers. Limitations of the study are discussed as are implications for future research

Rural and Urban Canadians with Dementia: Use of Health Care Services

The purpose of this research was to examine the characteristics of older Canadians with dementia (compared to those without dementia), their use of health care services, and the impact of place (rural/urban) on use of services. Andersen and Newman\u27s Behavioural Model of Health Services Use (1973) guided the study. A cross-sectional design used data from the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) Cycle 1.1 (N = 49,995 older Canadians; those with dementia = 313). Results indicated that among Canadian females between the ages of 50 and 64, those with dementia were more likely than those without dementia to live in rural areas. Among females 80 years of age and over, those with dementia had higher levels of education and income than those without dementia. In addition, a higher proportion of white than of visible minority Canadians was afflicted with dementia. The results further suggest that Canadians with dementia primarily required support services and that they were more likely than persons without dementia to report that their health care needs were unmet. It is recommended that publicly funded national home care programs be expanded to ensure that the supportive services needed by this population are available