J Korean Neuropsychiatr Assoc.  2016 May;55(2):114-121. 10.4306/jknpa.2016.55.2.114.

A Study on Sociodemographic and Psychological Factors Affecting the Quality of Life in Urban-Dwelling Single Mothers

• Kim GE
• Choi HY
• Kim EJ

• KMID: 2165001
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4306/jknpa.2016.55.2.114

Abstract

OBJECTIVES
The aim of this study was to examine socio-demographic and psychological variables and the correlation of their factors with quality of life (QOL) in urban-dwelling single mothers.
METHODS
Participants were 195 single mothers living in an urban community in South Korea. Participants completed self-report questionnaires examining socio-demographic characteristics and including the following self-rating scales : the global assessment of recent stress, the center for epidemiologic studies depression scale, the scale for suicidal ideation, the Korean version of the alcohol use disorder identification test, and the World Health Organization QOL assessment instrument.
RESULTS
Regarding socio-demographic variables, high educational level (p=0.009), high monthly income (p<0.001), living in own house (p<0.001), and divorced or separated on economic grounds (p<0.001) showed significantly high QOL in single mothers. Age (r=0.208, p=0.004) showed significant positive correlation with QOL ; stress (r=-0.254, p<0.001), depressive symptoms (r=-0.314, p<0.001), suicidal ideation (r=-0.217, p<0.001), and alcohol-related problems (r=-0.363, p<0.001) showed significant negative correlation with QOL. In multiple regression analysis, alcohol-related problems, financial cause of single motherhood, depressive symptoms, and income explained 37.7% of variance in total QOL.
CONCLUSION
Interventions to promote QOL of single mothers should reduce the social burden and psychological problems on single mothers. Specifically, interventions providing psychological support should target new single mothers in order to reduce distress in single-mother families.

Keyword

Quality of life; Single-parent family; Mothers; Socioeconomic factors; Depression; Alcoholism

MeSH Terms

Alcoholism
Depression
Divorce
Epidemiologic Studies
Humans
Korea
Mothers*
Psychology*
Quality of Life*
Single-Parent Family
Socioeconomic Factors
Suicidal Ideation
Weights and Measures
World Health Organization

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