Household income and depressive mood among single women in midlife: A nuanced approach across economic strata

• Main Author: Craig, Debra Lynde
• Format: Dissertation
• Language: English
• Published: ProQuest Dissertations & Theses 01-01-2005
• Subjects: Clinical psychology; Families & family life; Individual & family studies; Personal relationships; Psychotherapy; Sociology; Womens studies
• ISBN: 9780542499500; 0542499509

Using data from the 1999 wave of the National Longitudinal Survey of Young Women (NLS-YW), this study examined the relationship between income and self-reported depressive mood in a national sample of 772 unmarried women aged 45 to 58. ANCOVA was used to compare depressive mood among three U.S. Census-based income groups (lower, middle, and higher) net of the effects of race and self-rated health. Mean levels of depressive mood did not vary significantly between women in the lower and middle-income groups, but were significantly lower in the higher-income group. Additionally, a series of multiple regression analyses was used to predict depressive mood in the total sample and the three income groups from nine sources of income, net of the effects of race, health, and total income. In the total sample, women who had income from labor had significantly lower levels of depressive mood than those not in the work force. Women who received alimony and hardship payments had significantly higher levels of depressive mood than those without income from these sources. Similar but distinct patterns emerged for the three income groups.