Stressors and Perceived Social Support in Women/Mothers with Depression

Abstract Given the recognition of the influence of maternal depression on the family environment, this study aimed to compare and verify the possible associations between the sociodemographic profile, stressor events and social support perceived by women/mothers with recurrent depression (G1), compared to women/mothers without psychiatric disorders (G2). The participants were 100 women with biological school-age children. The women responded to the instruments: General Questionnaire, Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV, Adverse Events Scale, Chronic Adversity Scale and Semi-Structured Interview - Social Support. It was found that G1 presented significantly more stressor events and less perceived social support. In linear regression analysis, the depression was a significant condition for most of the stressful events, independent of the sociodemographic variables. However, schooling was the only condition that influenced the perceived social support. In mental health actions for women/mothers with depression, it is necessary to consider the coexistence of multiple stressor conditions and low perceived social support.