The female population has high rates of depressive symptomatology. This increase is related to psychological and sociodemographic variables. The aim of this study is verify the relationship between depressive symptomatology, stress, social support and self-esteem as well as the relationship between these psychosocial variables and sociodemographic variables in the Portuguese women. The instruments used were: Socio-demographic questionnaire, Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), Conservation of Resources-Evaluation (COR-E), Social Provisions Scale: Relationship Questionnaire (SPS) and Self-Esteem Scale (SES) to evaluate 767 women registered in the family planning consultation, aged between 18 and 64 years. The results reveal that 30.8% of women experience depressive symptoms and 87.1% experience stress. Older women (40-64 years) have higher depressive symptomatology and lower social support. Stress is associated positively with depressive symptomatology. There were negative correlations between social support, stress and depressive symptoms and between self-esteem, stress and depressive symptoms. Women with more education have lower depressive symptomatology, greater stress, social support and self-esteem. The higher income is associated with higher stress in time and work, greater social support and self-esteem. Unemployed women show higher stress on domestic conditions, higher depressive symptoms and lower self-esteem. Divorced women have higher financial stress and depressive symptomatology and lower social support. And yet, religious women have higher depressive symptomatology and lower social support. It was concluded that older women are at higther risk of mental illness because they have highter levels of depressive symptomatology, less social support and less education. It emphasizes the importance of implementing intervention programs to mental health level that target women in primary health care and intervention programs in group at the primary and secondary prevention of depression and stress, and promoting self-esteem and social support.
Date of Award | 21 Jan 2016 |
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Original language | Portuguese |
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Awarding Institution | - Universidade Católica Portuguesa
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Supervisor | Eleonora C. V. Costa (Supervisor) |
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- Stress
- Depressive symptoms
- Social support
- Self-esteem
- Woman
- Age diferences
- Mestrado em Psicologia Clínica e da Saúde
Relação entre stresse, recursos psicossociais e sintomatologia depressiva nas mulheres portuguesas: diferenças etárias
Amorim, C. I. O. D. (Student). 21 Jan 2016
Student thesis: Master's Thesis