Impacto do stress e dos recursos psicossociais nos sintomas depressivos das mulheres portuguesas

Abstract

The present study analyzed the impact of stress and psychosocial resources in depressive symptoms of Portuguese women (N=1488), comparing pregnant women (n=197) and non-pregnant women (n=1291). Women participated in the study by completing self-report instruments and attended the primary health care units of ACES Alto Ave. This study examined differences between pregnant and non-pregnant women in terms of sociodemographic, psychological and clinical variables; and the relationship between the variables under study; and the depression predictors. In this study, 47.8% of women have clinically significant depressive symptoms. The results show that women with a higher number of stressful life events have higher depressive symptoms index. This study demonstrates that pregnant women have increased social support compared to non-pregnant women, who have a greater self-esteem and have more depressive symptoms. It was also found that the loss of resources is positively associated with depressive symptoms, while social support and self-esteem have an inverse relation with depressive symptoms. The general predictors of depressive symptoms were age, annual income, number of children, loss of resources, social support and self-esteem. In both groups, the predictors were the annual income, loss of resources and social support. The consideration of these results reveals the relevance of psychological intervention in reducing depressive symptoms in women, in order to promote a set of personal resources, as well as the implementation of intervention programs that encourage resources promotion.

Date of Award	11 Oct 2016
Original language	Portuguese
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Eleonora C. V. Costa (Supervisor)