Housework, paid work and psychiatric symptoms

Objective To evaluate the hypothesis that work burden, the simultaneous eng agement in paid work and unpaid family housework. is a potential risk facto r for psychiatric symptoms among women. Methods A cross-sectional study was carried out with 460 women randomly sel ected from a poor area of the city of Salvador. Brazil. Women between 18 to 70 years old. who reported having a paid occupation or were involved in un paid domestic activities for their families. were eligible. Work burden-rel ated variables were defined as: a) double work shift. i.e.. simultaneous en gagement in a paid job plus unpaid housework: and b) daily working time. Ps ychiatric symptoms were collected through a validated questionnaire. the QM PA. Results Positive. statistically significant associations between high (>7 s ymptoms) QMPA scores and either double work shift (prevalence ratio - PR=2. 04, 95% confidence interval CI: 1.16. 2.29) or more than 10 hours of daily work time (PR=2.29. 95% CI: 1.96, 3.43) were found after adjustment for age . marital status and number of pre-school children. Conclusions Major correlates of high QMPA scores are work burden variables. Being married or having pre-school children are also associated with high QMPA scores only when associated with work burden.