Does financial hardship account for elevated psychological distress in lone mothers?

Lone mothers have been shown to have higher levels of psychological distres s than married mothers, but it is not clear how this difference arises. Usi ng data from the 1958 British birth cohort followed to age 33, we investiga ted alternative explanations for the excess distress of lone mothers. Logis tic regression models were used to estimate odds ratios for distress (measu red using the Malaise Inventory) in lone vs married mothers. Odds ratios we re adjusted to assess the contribution of explanatory factors. At age 33, p sychological distress was greater among lone than married mothers (OR 2.59, 95% CI 1.97, 3.41). The odds ratio decreased to 1.43 (95% CI 1.02, 2.01) a fter adjustment for all explanatory factors (prior psychological distress, age of youngest child and number of children in the household, and contempo rary measures of financial hardship, employment, and social support). Atten uation of the odds ratio was most marked after taking account of financial hardship. Psychological distress was greater among divorced mothers than ne ver married mothers, though not significantly (OR = 1.70, 95% CI 0.88, 3.28 ). This difference was not explained by the factors examined, and was not d ue to the immediate distress associated with a recent divorce. Elevated psy chological distress of lone mothers appears to be related to financial hard ship, while other explanations, including social support and selection, hav e a more modest impact. Not all of the elevated psychological distress amon g lone mothers was accounted for, particularly among divorced lone mothers. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.