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Study reveals Rural, unmarried women at
higher risk for Depression
Newswise — Mayo Clinic research suggests
unmarried women living in rural areas have
lower self-rated health status than their
married counterparts.
This lower health status often includes
greater instances of self-assessed feelings
of depression. The results of the study were
recently published in the Journal of
Evaluation in Clinical Practice. They
suggest that primary care physicians should
take a proactive role in addressing health
concerns of single women.
“We tend to focus on disease, but as the
World Health Organization notes, good health
includes physical, mental and social
well-being and not merely the absence of
disease,” says James Rohrer, Ph.D., of Mayo
Clinic’s Department of Family Medicine and
lead author of the study.
“Being single may be associated with a
greater degree of separation from usual
health care, as many women gain insurance
through a spouse or a former spouse. Lack of
social support also may contribute to poor
health among some single women.”
Researchers used a cross-functional survey
to gather self-ratings of overall health
among female primary care patients aged 18
years and older who live in cities with a
census of approximately 3,000.
The study analyzed marital status and
self-assessed mental health as potential
risk factors for poor overall self-rated
health among female primary care patients.
The analysis revealed that single or
divorced women are more prone to poor
self-rated health compared to married women.
Women who described themselves as being
depressed also had worse overall health.
Women aged 65 and older had an even higher
risk of poor self-rated health.
While the data were finalized in 2000, Dr.
Rohrer notes that current economic concerns
may exacerbate the risk.
“Economic problems increase feelings of
emotional stress. People today are worried
about, among other things, the mortgage
crisis and high gas prices.
"Many are left wondering how they are going
to pay for necessities. Statistically,
rural, unmarried women are more often
economically depressed than their married
counterparts,” says Dr. Rohrer.
“If the economy worsens, we will see a
significant impact on visits to primary care
physicians and nurses. Medical providers are
trained to focus on the biological and
psychological.
"But
economic causes of poor health? I don’t
think that receives a lot of air time in
medical school.”
Patients experiencing feelings of poor
self-rated mental health can address these
concerns with screening, health promotion
and treatment programs.
Screening can be followed-up with self-help
materials, support groups and medication if
deemed appropriate by the physician.
Referrals to financial counseling might have
indirect therapeutic value.
Other study authors are Matthew Bernard,
M.D., Department of Family Medicine; Norman
Rasmussen, psychologist, Departments of
Family Medicine and Psychiatry and
Psychology; Halina Woroncow, M.D., Kasson
Clinic, Department of Family Medicine, all
of Mayo Clinic Rochester; and Yan Zhang,
Ph.D., Department of Family Medicine, Texas
Tech University Health Sciences Center.
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