Citation
Finnigan-Fox, Grace (2018). Health at the Intersection of Work and Family for American Mothers.
Abstract
The combination of work and motherhood is increasingly common in the United States, with over half of mothers employed in some capacity. However, research to date has focused primarily on broad aspects of both work (eg, employed vs. unemployed), and family life (married vs. unmarried); the health implications of detailed combinations of employment and family circumstances have received less attention, both in respect to mental as well as behavioral and physiological well-being. Understanding the relationships among domains of psychological distress, behavior, and physiological functioning earlier in the life course may benefit disease prevention initiatives. This study aims to address these gaps by using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health) to explore 1) how detailed aspects of work-family circumstances relate to perceived stress and depression among young working mothers, 2) whether detailed work-family characteristics that bear upon stress and depression are similarly related to a vector of coping behaviors, and 3) whether any aspects of work-family circumstances found to be correlated with stress, depression and coping behaviors are also correlated with biomarkers gauging cardiometabolic health. Results from multivariable regression models show that certain work characteristics (such as repetitive work) are significantly associated with multiple dimensions of health, while others (such as decision-making latitude) are associated with just one dimension (eg, self-reported stress) but not another. Taken together, the results from this study illustrate the nuanced ways in which work and family life combine to influence physiological and mental well-being, as well as the health behaviors that often compound these health outcomes.
URL
http://libproxy.lib.unc.edu/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/2160956830?accountid=14244Keyword(s)
Social sciences
Notes
ProQuest document ID 2160956830
Reference Type
Thesis/Dissertation
Book Title
Sociology
Author(s)
Finnigan-Fox, Grace
Series Author(s)
Lippert, Adam M.
Year Published
2018
Pages
42
Publisher
University of Colorado at Denver
City of Publication
Ann Arbor, MI
ISSN/ISBN
9780438754478
DOI
9780438754478
Reference ID
7467