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Depression and common mental disorders in lone parents: results of the 2000 National Psychiatric Morbidity Survey

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 September 2007

C. Cooper ,
P. E. Bebbington ,
H. Meltzer ,
D. Bhugra ,
T. Brugha ,
R. Jenkins ,
M. Farrell  and
M. King
C. Cooper
Affiliation:
UCL – Department of Mental Health Sciences, Charles Bell House, 67-73 Riding House Street, London, UK
P. E. Bebbington*
Affiliation:
UCL – Department of Mental Health Sciences, Charles Bell House, 67-73 Riding House Street, London, UK
H. Meltzer
Affiliation:
UCL – Department of Mental Health Sciences, Charles Bell House, 67-73 Riding House Street, London, UK
D. Bhugra
Affiliation:
UCL – Department of Mental Health Sciences, Charles Bell House, 67-73 Riding House Street, London, UK
T. Brugha
Affiliation:
UCL – Department of Mental Health Sciences, Charles Bell House, 67-73 Riding House Street, London, UK
R. Jenkins
Affiliation:
UCL – Department of Mental Health Sciences, Charles Bell House, 67-73 Riding House Street, London, UK
M. Farrell
Affiliation:
UCL – Department of Mental Health Sciences, Charles Bell House, 67-73 Riding House Street, London, UK
M. King
Affiliation:
UCL – Department of Mental Health Sciences, Charles Bell House, 67-73 Riding House Street, London, UK
*
*Address for correspondence: Professor P. Bebbington, Head of Department of Mental Health Sciences, Professor of Social and Community Psychiatry, UCL – Department of Mental Health Sciences, 2nd Floor, Charles Bell House, 67-73 Riding House Street, London W1W 7EY, UK. (Email: p.bebbington@ucl.ac.uk)
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Abstract

Background

Lone mothers experience higher rates of psychiatric morbidity, while rates in lone fathers have never been studied. We aimed to determine the relative contributions of financial strain and decreased social support to the excess of depression and common mental disorders (CMD) in lone parents.

Method

We investigated whether parent status (lone parent, partnered parent, others) was associated with psychiatric morbidity measured using the revised Clinical Interview Schedule, after controlling for self-reported financial strain (income and debt) and social support.

Results

Lone mothers were twice as likely to have a CMD (OR 1.8, 95% CI 1.4–2.3) as other women. This was not significant after controlling for financial strain or social support. Lone fathers were nearly four times more likely to have a CMD than other men (OR 3.9, 95% CI 2.3–6.8), and this risk remained undiminished by controlling for age, income, debt and levels of social support.

Conclusion

Debt management would be a rational strategy to reduce psychiatric morbidity in lone mothers. More studies are needed to inform prevention strategies in lone fathers.

Keywords

Depressionepidemiologylone parent
Type
Original Articles
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 38 , Issue 3 , March 2008 , pp. 335 - 342
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2007

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