Presentation Information
[P-15-03]The Status of Hopelessness and Related Factors in Korean Female Full-Time Homemakers: A Community-Based Cross-Sectional Survey Study
*TAE-YOUNG HWANG (NATIONAL FORENSIC HOSPITAL, MINISTRY OF JUSTICE(Korea))
Keywords:
Full-Time Homemaker,Female,Mental Health,Hopelessness,Suicide
Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the status of hopelessness and related factors in community-dwelling female full-time homemakers, and to evaluate the necessity of policy approaches to the full-time homemakers as a high-risk group for mental health. Method: This survey study was sequentially and randomly conducted targeting community-dwelling full-time female homemakers aged 19 to 50, using structured questionnaires composed of general items as well as the Korean version of Beck Hopelessness Scale (K-BHS), the Korean version of the Glasgow Sleep Effort Scale (K-GSES), and Resenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES). The monetary values of the labor of individual full-time homemakers were measured through the willingness-to-pay (WTP) approach. Results: A total of 180 questionnaires were distributed, of which 154 were analyzed. In the frequency analysis, the total proportion of hopelessness group was 62.3%, of which 42.2% was for the mild level, 16.2% for moderate level, and 3.9% for the severe level. In between-group comparative analyses [Normal group (n = 58) vs. Hopelessness group (n = 96)], significant differences were manifested in the length of career (t = -2.667, p = 0.008), level of social activity (t = 2.762, p = 0.008), degree of emotional bond with husband (t = 2.339, p = 0.021), K-GSES (t = -2.459, p = 0.015), and RSES(t = 5.380, p < 0.001). Furthermore, in binary logistic regression analysis, significant negative factor for the transition to the hopelessness group was level of social activity (p = 0.021; odds ratio (OR), 0.694; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.508 - 0.946), and significant positive factor was the score on K-GSES (p = 0.041; OR, 1.155; 95% CI, 1.006 – 1.328). Conclusion: The findings of this study showed that a substantial number of female full-time homemakers might be in a state of hopelessness, implicating that full-time homemakers are at high-risk for mental health and suicide. Therefore, policy and psychiatric intervention to promote and recover mental health of full-time homemakers is essential.