Determinants of depressive symptoms in Jordanian working women

Abstract

Depressive symptoms are an epidemic problem affecting different subgroups of women in clinical and non-clinical settings. However, depressive symptoms experienced by working women have rarely been studied. This study aimed at identifying depressive symptoms and their determinants in a sample of 101 Jordanian working women recruited from a higher educational institution. Data about women's depressive symptoms, their educational level, presence of children, sharing a job with an intimate partner, health status, diagnosis with chronic illnesses, and complaints of spousal abuse were collected. Logistic regression analysis was used to test for the significance of the selected factors on women's experiences of depressive symptoms. Findings indicated that 51.2% (n = 42) women complained of moderate and severe levels of depressive symptoms. Factors identified as significant in predicting depressive symptoms were women's experiences of spousal abuse (odds ratio adjusted = 3.5, 95% confidence interval = 1.05-11.7) and being diagnosed with chronic illnesses (odds ratio adjusted = 7.09, 95% confidence interval = 1.2-42.2). It was concluded that causes of women's depressive symptoms were imbedded in their familial and social environment, rather than their job per se. Mental health nurses can change the practice of nursing to better standards. Being familiarized with causes of depressive symptoms can empower nurses to be active advocates for depressed women.