Gender, work-family conflict and depressive symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic among Quebec graduate students.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Bilodeau J
PROVIDER: S-EPMC8461224 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Project description:ImportanceThe COVID-19 pandemic has placed increased strain on health care workers and disrupted childcare and schooling arrangements in unprecedented ways. As substantial gender inequalities existed in medicine before the pandemic, physician mothers may be at particular risk for adverse professional and psychological consequences.ObjectiveTo assess gender differences in work-family factors and mental health among physician parents during the COVID-19 pandemic.Design, setting, and participantsThis prospective cohort study included 276 US physicians enrolled in the Intern Health Study since their first year of residency training. Physicians who had participated in the primary study as interns during the 2007 to 2008 and 2008 to 2009 academic years and opted into a secondary longitudinal follow-up study were invited to complete an online survey in August 2018 and August 2020.ExposuresWork-family experience included 3 single-item questions and the Work and Family Conflict Scale, and mental health symptoms included the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 scale.Main outcomes and measuresThe primary outcomes were work-to-family and family-to-work conflict and depressive symptoms and anxiety symptoms during August 2020. Depressive symptoms between 2018 (before the COVID-19 pandemic) and 2020 (during the COVID-19 pandemic) were compared by gender.ResultsAmong 215 physician parents who completed the August 2020 survey, 114 (53.0%) were female and the weighted mean (SD) age was 40.1 (3.57) years. Among physician parents, women were more likely to be responsible for childcare or schooling (24.6% [95% CI, 19.0%-30.2%] vs 0.8% [95% CI, 0.01%-2.1%]; P < .001) and household tasks (31.4% [95% CI, 25.4%-37.4%] vs 7.2% [95% CI, 3.5%-10.9%]; P < .001) during the pandemic compared with men. Women were also more likely than men to work primarily from home (40.9% [95% CI, 35.1%-46.8%] vs 22.0% [95% CI, 17.2%-26.8%]; P < .001) and reduce their work hours (19.4% [95% CI, 14.7%-24.1%] vs 9.4% [95% CI, 6.0%-12.8%]; P = .007). Women experienced greater work-to-family conflict (β = 2.79; 95% CI, 1.00 to 4.59; P = .03), family-to-work conflict (β = 3.09; 95% CI, 1.18-4.99; P = .02), and depressive (β = 1.76; 95% CI, 0.56-2.95; P = .046) and anxiety (β = 2.87; 95% CI, 1.49-4.26; P < .001) symptoms compared with men. We observed a difference between women and men in depressive symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic (mean [SD] PHQ-9 score: 5.05 [6.64] vs 3.52 [5.75]; P = .009) that was not present before the pandemic (mean [SD] PHQ-9 score: 3.69 [5.26] vs 3.60 [6.30]; P = .86).Conclusions and relevanceThis study found significant gender disparities in work and family experiences and mental health symptoms among physician parents during the COVID-19 pandemic, which may translate to increased risk for suicide, medical errors, and lower quality of patient care for physician mothers. Institutional and public policy solutions are needed to mitigate the potential adverse consequences for women's careers and well-being.
| S-EPMC8590168 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Many employers introduced or expanded working from home (WFH) in response to increasing infection rates after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Whether WFH enhances or depletes parents' resources for their children is still an open question. Drawing on contextual models of parenting and demands-resources approaches, we examine how WFH during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic was linked to changes in responsive and harsh parenting, particularly in light of pandemic-related increases in work-to-family conflicts (WFC). We further investigate gender differences in these associations. Our analyses draw on a sample of working parents from a large-scale German family survey conducted in 2019 and a COVID-19 follow-up from 2020. Results from first difference regression models in combination with Heckman's sample selection method revealed strongly gendered patterns of changes in parenting. Specifically, responsive parenting decreased and harsh parenting increased only among mothers who did not work from home. In addition, WFH buffered increased spillovers from WFC on declines in responsive parenting among mothers. In contrast, fathers' parenting remained largely unaffected by pandemic-related changes in their work situation. We conclude that WFH can be a resource gain because it seems to have relieved some pandemic-related parenting strain for mothers. Yet as a consequence, it may have reinforced gendered patterns of childcare. We discuss implications for policymakers and support services for families. We also place a special emphasis on those who are not able to work from home because this seems to have increased the risk that high work demands impaired their parenting during the early stages of the pandemic.
| S-EPMC9349714 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundWork-related stressors and work-family conflict are important social determinants of mental health. While the impact of these stressors on parents' mental health is well documented, we know comparatively less about their impact on children's mental health. Furthermore, though the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly altered these stressors, particularly with the increase in teleworking, major knowledge gaps persist regarding the association between parents' stressors and perceived parental concern for their children's mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on the stress contagion perspective, this study tests (1) the mediating role of parents' depressive symptoms with parental concern for their children's mental health, and (2) whether these associations vary depending on whether parents had the opportunity to engage in telework.MethodsA path analysis was performed from a cross-sectional analytic sample of 780 employed parents in the province of Quebec (Canada). The same model was then stratified by teleworking opportunity. The model's indirect associations were obtained by the bootstrap bias-corrected method with 1,000 replications.ResultsThe results show that the stressors of work-to-family conflict, increased difficulties in work-family balance since the COVID-19 pandemic, irregular schedules, low esteem derived from work, and job insecurity were all indirectly associated with an increase in parental concern for their children's mental health through increased parents' depressive symptoms. However, some associations differ depending on teleworking status. The indirect associations involving increased difficulties in work-family balance since the COVID-19 pandemic as well as irregular work schedules were observed only in the teleworking group.ConclusionsThis study fills a gap in research on the association between the work-family interface and parental concern for their children's mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. It highlights the importance of concerted and cohesive action between child health policies and those regarding work and work-family balance to prevent work-related psychosocial risks, particularly considering the post pandemic expanded and persistent reliance on teleworking.
| S-EPMC10629015 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Dairy farmers are more likely than nonfarmers to experience high demands and are at risk of mental health problems. However, there is scarce evidence on the current state of psychological health and related factors among dairy farmers, and the knowledge of potential gender differences is limited. This study aimed to examine the prevalence of depressive symptoms assessed using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) and its association with work environment characteristics and to identify gender differences. Data were collected from 273 dairy farmer participants (169 males and 104 females) in Japan. Females were more likely to be depressed, and young and middle-aged women appeared to be at risk of depression. For both genders, a demanding work environment was related to depression. There were some gender differences; for example, worries about the harmful effects of pesticides on health and the balancing of family roles and work roles were related to depression in men, while worries about one's financial situation and the health status of livestock were associated with depression in women. Females benefited from support through direct interaction, while males benefited from involvement in social activities. These findings will contribute to the development of a gender-specific approach to promote psychological health in the dairy farming community.
| S-EPMC7178212 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Schedule control and supervisor support for family and personal life are work resources that may help employees manage the work-family interface. However, existing data and designs have made it difficult to conclusively identify the effects of these work resources. This analysis utilizes a group-randomized trial in which some units in an information technology workplace were randomly assigned to participate in an initiative, called STAR, that targeted work practices, interactions, and expectations by (a) training supervisors on the value of demonstrating support for employees' personal lives and (b) prompting employees to reconsider when and where they work. We find statistically significant, though modest, improvements in employees' work-family conflict and family time adequacy and larger changes in schedule control and supervisor support for family and personal life. We find no evidence that this intervention increased work hours or perceived job demands, as might have happened with increased permeability of work across time and space. Subgroup analyses suggest the intervention brings greater benefits to employees more vulnerable to work-family conflict. This study advances our understanding of the impact of social structures on individual lives by investigating deliberate organizational changes and their effects on work resources and the work-family interface with a rigorous design.
| S-EPMC4208075 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Depressive syndrome and disorders increase substantially during adolescence. Little is known, however, about how individual symptoms of depression change over the course of this developmental period. The present study examined within-person changes in symptom severity of each individual symptom of depression, utilizing longitudinal data collected across 6 years of adolescence. Adolescent gender and family relationship variables were tested as predictors of the symptom trajectories (i.e., intercept and slope). Adolescents and their mothers (N = 240) were first evaluated when youth were in Grade 6 (M = 11.86 years old, SD = 0.56, 54% female) and then annually through Grade 12. Individual symptoms of depression were assessed by a clinical interviewer using the Children's Depression Rating Scale-Revised (CDRS-R). Mothers and youth also completed measures about their relationship on the Children's Report of Parent Behavior Inventory and the Family Environment Scale. Results showed that all depressive symptoms increased linearly over time except psychomotor disturbances and problems with concentration and decision making, which were best represented by a quadratic growth model. Sex differences were found such that significantly more rapid increases in worthlessness/guilt were found for girls than boys, and concentration/decision making problems significantly changed for boys, but not girls. Poor family relationship quality (mother-reported) predicted a significantly faster rate of increase in adolescents' symptoms of anhedonia, appetite/weight changes, and fatigue. High maternal psychological control (youth-reported) also predicted a faster rate of increase in anhedonia. Study limitations, future research directions, and clinical implications of the findings are discussed.
| S-EPMC4591045 | biostudies-literature
Project description:ObjectivesThis study investigated relationships between work-family conflict and routes of later-life work exit.MethodsWe used a cohort of British civil servants (5,157 men; 2,027 women) who participated in the Whitehall II study. Work interference with family (WIF) and family interference with work (FIW) were measured up to three times over 10 years. Cause-specific Cox models were used to assess the influence of WIF/FIW on particular routes ("retirement," "health-related exit," "unemployment," or "homemaker/other") of work exit in later career stage and all routes combined.ResultsWIF was not associated with any route of work exit in men or women, after adjusting for confounders. For perceived higher FIW, men were less likely to exit work through retirement, homemaker/other, or all routes combined. This was not attenuated by adding family factors or working conditions. Women with higher FIW were more likely to exit through the homemaker route. This was no longer significant after adjusting for family factors. Neither FIW nor WIF was associated with health-related exit or unemployment.DiscussionFIW makes women more likely to become a homemaker at later career stage but reduces the risk of leaving work for men, which may reinforce gender inequality in work participation.
| S-EPMC7768697 | biostudies-literature
Project description:We examine gender differences among the six PhD student cohorts 2004-2009 at the California Institute of Technology using a new dataset that includes information on trainees and their advisors and enables us to construct detailed measures of teams at the advisor level. We focus on the relationship between graduate student publications and: (1) their gender; (2) the gender of the advisor, (3) the gender pairing between the advisor and the student and (4) the gender composition of the team. We find that female graduate students co-author on average 8.5% fewer papers than men; that students writing with female advisors publish 7.7% more. Of particular note is that gender pairing matters: male students working with female advisors publish 10.0% more than male students working with male advisors; women students working with male advisors publish 8.5% less. There is no difference between the publishing patterns of male students working with male advisors and female students working with female advisors. The results persist and are magnified when we focus on the quality of the published articles, as measured by average Impact Factor, instead of number of articles. We find no evidence that the number of publications relates to the gender composition of the team. Although the gender effects are reasonably modest, past research on processes of positive feedback and cumulative advantage suggest that the difference will grow, not shrink, over the careers of these recent cohorts.
| S-EPMC4711938 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Poor mental health is a growing concern among young people during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The aim of this study was to assess the associations of Internet addiction with depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and stress in higher education students during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as to examine these mental health problems in the context of study-related characteristics. The research sample consisted of 3,099 participants from the Czech Republic (CZ: 1,422) and Slovak Republic (SK: 1,677). The Internet Addiction Test (IAT), the Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7) scale, the Patient Health Questionnaire for depressive symptoms (PHQ-9), and the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) were used to measure mental health problems. The analyses also included demographic data (gender and age) and study-related characteristics (form of study, degree of study, field of study, distance between college and home, and housing during the semester). Based on the results of frequency and descriptive analyses, the prevalence of mental health problems was high. The most serious levels of Internet addiction (IAT cut-off point ≥ 50), to which attention should be paid, were found in 3.5% of Czech and 6.2% of Slovak students. Using the standard cut-off point of GAD-7 ≥ 10, 14.1% of Czech and 11.6% of Slovak students were identified with anxiety symptoms. Regarding the PHQ-9 with the cut-off point ≥ 10, 23.4% of Czech and 19.1% of Slovak students had depressive symptoms, which should be addressed. Using the PSS cut-off point ≥ 27, 12.9% of Czech students and 9.1% of Slovak students perceived high stress. The quantile regression analysis showed that Internet addiction was positively associated with anxiety symptoms, depressive symptoms, and stress in all of the analyzed cases (p-value < 0.001). In terms of study-related characteristics, the binomial logistic regression analysis revealed that risk factors for mental health problems in Czech and Slovak students were mainly full-time form of study and living away from home during the semester. Internet addiction, anxiety symptoms, depressive symptoms, and stress are issues that require increased attention, and professionals and policy-makers should implement interventions to effectively prevent and help students with psychological problems.
| S-EPMC9237380 | biostudies-literature
Project description:ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to understand the experiences of historically underrepresented graduate students, more than half of whom were enrolled in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines, during the COVID-19 pandemic. This focus group study represents an initial stage in developing an intervention for historically underrepresented graduate students and their families.BackgroundUnderrepresentation of graduate students of color in STEM has been attributed to a myriad of factors, including a lack of support systems. Familial support is an endorsed reason for persisting in graduate school. It is unclear what historically underrepresented graduate students' experiences are during uncertain times, such as a pandemic.MethodFocus groups were conducted online using a videoconferencing platform during the COVID-19 pandemic. Five focus groups included: historically underrepresented doctoral students (n = 5), historically underrepresented master's students (n = 6), academic faculty (n = 7), administrator, administrative faculty, and academic faculty (n = 6), and families of historically underrepresented doctoral students (n = 6). Data were analyzed using thematic analysis.ResultsHistorically underrepresented graduate students experienced difficulties in accessing resources, adjustments to home and family life, amplification of existing nonfinancial issues, and expressed both fears of and hopes for the future.ConclusionThe COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated existing inequalities in access to resources as well as nonfinancial family support.ImplicationsThis study may help normalize historically underrepresented graduate students' experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings include ideas for informing families about graduate school that can enlighten family support efforts for historically underrepresented graduate students and their families.
| S-EPMC8444674 | biostudies-literature