[Multiple roles and quality of life of mothers two years after the birth of the first child].
OBJECTIVE
We studied those characteristics of mothers that are related to occupational activity two years after the birth of the first child. Differences in the health-related quality of life between working mothers and mothers who are not working were also analysed, taking other parameters into account, in particular household income.


METHODS
311 mothers with a first child were given a questionnaire on the quality of life based on WHOQOL-BREF, on depression (also surveyed one year before for 139 mothers), on their work situation, socio-demography and other possible confounders. The probability of vocational activity was analysed using logistic regression and the influence of multiple roles on the quality of life was analysed using multiple linear regression.


RESULTS
About 60% of mothers were not working two years after the birth of their first child, 25% were working part-time and 11% full time, with 4% in training or education. Working mothers were more likely to have a higher level of education (60% vs. 31%) and less likely to have a household income below the poverty line (13% vs. 47%). The results of the logistic regression showed that the odds ratio for being employed was six times higher for mothers with higher education than mothers with a lower level of education [OR 5.99; 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.58-13.91], whereas the odds ratio for mothers with additional children against those with only one child was 0.14; (95% CI 0.05-0.40), and for mothers with German nationality against those of other ethnicities the odds ratio was 2.37 (95% CI 1.12-5.04). Working mothers give more positive ratings than non-working mothers for their physical and mental quality of life (both p<0.01), their social relationships (p<0.05), as well as their global quality of life and their depression score (p<0.10). Even after adjusting for the depression score one year before working mothers reported less depression (p<0.05). The influence of income on the quality of life was low, except for the assessment of the quality of the environment, and this explains only a small part of the positive effect of the vocational activity.


CONCLUSIONS
Vocational activity of mothers of two-year old children reduces the risk of poverty and additionally contributes to an improved physical and mental quality of life of the mother and also to improved social relationships.
Richter
R
R
Charité- Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Campus Virchow Klinikum, Klinik für Geburtsmedizin. rolf.richter@charite.de
Bergmann
R L
RL
Bergmann
K E
KE
Dudenhausen
J W
JW
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D004522:Educational Status; D004651:Employment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D009035:Mothers / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011203:Poverty / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011788:Quality of Life; D012380:Role; D012923:Social Class