Shepherd-Banigan Megan, Bell Janice F, Basu Anirban, Booth-LaForce Cathryn, Harris Jeffrey R
Health Services Department, School of Public Health, University of Washington, 1959 NE Pacific Street, Magnuson Health Sciences Center, Box 357660, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA.
Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing, University of California Davis, Sacramento, CA, 95817, USA.
Int J Behav Med. 2016 Feb;23(1):102-11. doi: 10.1007/s12529-015-9482-2.
Poor balance between work and family can be a major stressor for women with young children and have a negative impact on emotional well-being. Family-friendly workplace attributes may reduce stress and depressive symptoms among this population. However, few studies have analyzed the role of specific workplace attributes on mental health outcomes among women with young children because available data are limited.
This study examines the impact of workplace attributes on changes in depressive symptoms among working women with young children between 6 and 24 months of age.
This study uses data from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (SECCYD) collected between 1991 and 1993 to examine the effects of work intensity, work schedule (night/day/variable), schedule flexibility, working from home, and work stress on changes in depressive symptoms among a national US sample of 570 women who returned to work within 6 months after childbirth. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the CES-D score. Treatment effects were estimated using fixed effects regression models.
Working from home and work stress predicted within-individual changes in depressive symptoms between 6 and 24 months postchildbirth. Women who worked from home reported a statistically significant decrease in depression scores over time (β = -1.36, SE = 0.51, p = 0.002). Women who reported a one-unit increase in job concerns experienced, on average, a 2-point increase in depression scores over time (β = 1.73, SE = 0.37, p < 0.01). Work intensity, work schedule, and schedule flexibility were not associated with changes in depressive symptoms.
This study is one of the few to use longitudinal data and causal-inference techniques to examine whether specific workplace attributes influence depressive symptoms among women with young children. Reducing stress in the workplace and allowing women to work from home may improve mental health among women who transition back to work soon after childbirth.
工作与家庭之间的平衡不佳可能是有年幼子女的女性面临的主要压力源，并对其情绪健康产生负面影响。家庭友好型工作场所特质可能会减轻这一人群的压力和抑郁症状。然而，由于现有数据有限，很少有研究分析特定工作场所特质对有年幼子女女性心理健康结果的作用。
本研究考察工作场所特质对有6至24个月大年幼子女的职业女性抑郁症状变化的影响。
本研究使用了1991年至1993年间美国国立儿童健康与人类发展研究所（NICHD）的早期儿童保育与青少年发展研究（SECCYD）的数据，以检验工作强度、工作时间表（夜班/白班/不定时）、时间表灵活性、在家工作以及工作压力对美国全国范围内570名产后6个月内重返工作岗位的女性抑郁症状变化的影响。使用CES-D评分评估抑郁症状。使用固定效应回归模型估计治疗效果。
在家工作和工作压力可预测产后6至24个月内个体抑郁症状的变化。随着时间的推移，在家工作的女性报告抑郁得分有统计学意义的下降（β = -1.36，标准误 = 0.51，p = 0.002）。报告工作担忧增加一个单位的女性，随着时间的推移，抑郁得分平均增加2分（β = 1.73，标准误 = 0.37，p < 0.01）。工作强度、工作时间表和时间表灵活性与抑郁症状的变化无关。
本研究是少数使用纵向数据和因果推断技术来考察特定工作场所特质是否会影响有年幼子女女性抑郁症状的研究之一。减轻工作场所的压力并允许女性在家工作可能会改善产后不久重返工作岗位的女性的心理健康。
