Centre for Clinical Research, Region Värmland, 651 85 Karlstad, Sweden.
Department of Public Health Sciences, Karlstad University, 651 88 Karlstad, Sweden.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Sep 16;18(18):9778. doi: 10.3390/ijerph18189778.
In contrast to paid work, few studies have investigated the association between unpaid domestic work and mental health. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between domestic work and self-reported diagnosed depression and to estimate related costs in a general population.
The study is based on women (N = 7981) and men (N = 6203) aged 30-69 years who responded to a survey questionnaire in Mid-Sweden in 2017 (overall response rate 43%). Multivariate logistic regression models, adjusting for age group, educational level, family status, employment status, economic difficulties, and social support, were used to study the association between domestic work and depression. The estimation of direct and indirect costs was based on the calculation of population attributable risks, the literature, and administrative data.
In total, 25% of the women and 14% of the men spent more than 20 h a week on domestic work, and 57% of the women and 39% of the men experienced domestic work sometimes or more often as burdensome. A strong independent association between experiencing domestic work as burdensome and depression was observed both in women and men. The total cost of depression possibly related to burdensome domestic work was estimated up to EUR 135.1 million (min EUR 20.7 million-max EUR 21.4 billion) of the total EUR 286.4 million per year in Mid-Sweden.
The association between experiencing domestic work as burdensome and depression was strong among both women and men and was not restricted to employed persons or to parents with children. Even though the cross-sectional design does not allow one to assess the direction of the association between domestic work and depression, and longitudinal studies are needed, the results imply that strain in domestic work should be taken into account when considering factors that contribute to the prevalence of depression in the general population and its high societal costs.
与有偿工作相比，很少有研究调查无偿家务劳动与心理健康之间的关系。本研究旨在调查家务劳动与自我报告诊断的抑郁症之间的关系，并估计在一般人群中相关的成本。
该研究基于 2017 年在瑞典中南部接受调查问卷调查的 30-69 岁女性（N=7981）和男性（N=6203）（总体回应率为 43%）。使用多变量逻辑回归模型，调整年龄组、教育水平、家庭状况、就业状况、经济困难和社会支持，研究家务劳动与抑郁之间的关系。直接和间接成本的估计基于人群归因风险的计算、文献和行政数据。
总共有 25%的女性和 14%的男性每周花费超过 20 小时做家务，57%的女性和 39%的男性有时或经常觉得家务劳动是一种负担。在女性和男性中，经历家务劳动的负担与抑郁之间存在强烈的独立关系。估计与繁重家务劳动相关的抑郁总费用高达 1.351 亿欧元（最低 2070 万欧元-最高 214 亿欧元），占瑞典中南部每年 2.864 亿欧元的 135.1%。
对于女性和男性来说，经历家务劳动的负担与抑郁之间存在强烈的关系，而且这种关系不仅限于有工作的人或有孩子的父母。尽管横断面设计不允许评估家务劳动与抑郁之间的关联方向，需要进行纵向研究，但结果表明，在考虑导致一般人群中抑郁流行及其高社会成本的因素时，应考虑家务劳动的压力。
