Gendered work-family trajectories and depression at older age.
Miriam EngelsSimone WeyersSusanne MoebusKarl-Heinz JöckelRaimund ErbelBeate PeschThomas BehrensNico DraganoMorten WahrendorfPublished in: Aging & mental health (2019)
Objectives: The paper identifies types of work-family trajectories of men and women and investigates their links with depression at older age. Method: We use data from the Heinz Nixdorf Recall study, with retrospective information on employment histories and parenthood between age 20 and 50 (1482 men and 1537 women, born between 1925 and 1955). We apply sequence analysis and group trajectories into six clusters for each gender. We test their association with two alternative measures of depression: self-reported depressive symptoms and intake of antidepressant medication. Multivariate models exclude participants with early life depression and adjust for age, marital status, education, and income. Results: We find clear differences of work-family trajectories between men and women, where women's trajectories are generally more diverse, and include family leaves and returns into full or part-time work. For men, work-family trajectories are neither related to depressive symptoms nor to medication intake. In contrast, women who returned into full-time work after family leave show more depression than those who return part-time, both in terms of depressive symptoms and intake of antidepressant medication. Conclusion: Our findings show gender differences in terms of work-family trajectories and their health-related consequences. In particular, findings suggest that mothers who return to full-time work are a vulnerable group for depression at older age and should be the focus of further research attention.
Keyphrases
- depressive symptoms
- social support
- sleep quality
- healthcare
- early life
- physical activity
- mental health
- middle aged
- polycystic ovary syndrome
- metabolic syndrome
- magnetic resonance
- social media
- gene expression
- skeletal muscle
- quality improvement
- bipolar disorder
- adverse drug
- insulin resistance
- dna methylation
- pregnant women
- weight gain
- pregnancy outcomes
- electronic health record
- computed tomography
- mental illness
- preterm birth