Journal
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF INDUSTRIAL MEDICINE
Volume 44, Issue 6, Pages 685-691Publisher
WILEY-LISS
DOI: 10.1002/ajim.10280
Keywords
housemaid; service workers; anxiety symptoms; depressive symptoms; gender and work
Categories
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Background Housemaid, the most common occupation in the female labor force in Brazil, is known to be targeted by, a generalized racial and job discrimination, which can generate mental suffering such as depressive and anxiety symptoms. In this cross-sectional study, the association between being a maid and having depressive and anxiety symptoms was evaluated. Methods Data for this study was taken from a former survey carried out in a random sample of 470 families living in a poor area of the city of Salvador, capital of the state of Bahia, Northeast Brazil. The study population comprised all women between the ages of 14 and 69, who reported having a paid occupation (n = 335). Data was collected by trained interviewers, using questionnaires. Psychological symptoms were identified using the Questionnaire for Psychiatric Morbidity among Adults, (QMPA), from which only those related to depression and anxiety (QMPA-SAD) were analyzed. Results Logistic regression showed that being a housemaid was positively associated with sadness/tiredness (adjusted prevalence ratio, PRadj = 1.64; 95% confidence interval, CI: 1.17-2.28), poor concentration (PRadj = 1.81; 95% CI: 1.13-2.90), palpitations (PRadj = 2.22; 95% CI: 1.28-3.84), and aggressive behavior (PRaj = 1.58; 95% CI: 1.01-2.46). Conclusions Although cross-sectional designs are limited by causal inference, these results are in accordance with those obtained in qualitative studies. Advances in the Brazilian labor legislation with respect to domestic service may help to reduce social discrimination and contribute towards minimizing a possible mental burden resulting from this occupation.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available