The moderating effect of coping strategies and social support in relation to quality of life, psychological symptoms and parenting styles of women heads of households.

Dissertation for Master's Degree in Clinical Psychology

Abstract

In this research, the moderating role of coping strategies and social support in the relationship between quality of life, psychological symptoms, and parenting styles was investigated, and 120 female heads of households in Alborz province were selected as the research sample. Research evidence and the results of hierarchical regression analysis showed that coping strategies were able to moderate the relationship between parenting styles and quality of life (14%) and social support also moderated the relationship between parenting styles and quality of life (0.3%). Also, coping strategies were able to moderate the relationship between parenting styles and psychological symptoms (15%), and social supports moderated the relationship between parenting styles and psychological symptoms (0.3%), and the analysis of the data from the research indicated that coping strategies moderated the relationship between quality of life and psychological symptoms (0.7%), and finally, social supports moderated the relationship between quality of life and psychological symptoms. (30.0%) to adjust. Based on the findings of this research, it can be concluded that the relationship between quality of life, psychological symptoms, and parenting styles is not a simple linear relationship, and coping strategies and social support can moderate this relationship.

Key words: coping strategies, social support, quality of life, psychological symptoms, parenting styles, female heads of household

Introduction

Nowadays, in addition to increasing life expectancy, another important factor such as How to live or the quality of life is important, according to the definition of the quality group of the World Health Organization, the quality of life refers to a person's perception of his own place in life, according to the cultural context of the society and the goals, standards and concerns of the person, and it comes from variables such as physical health, psychological state, independence and social relations (Stener, Cooper and Squington, 2003).  The quality of life is related to the mental health of people and it expresses the states, changes and abilities of people and the level of satisfaction of people with life functions. The meaning of quality of life is to pay attention to that aspect of life that represents the best life situation for a person (Nejat[1], 2008). Most researchers believe that the quality of life has physical, psychological, social and spiritual dimensions and is related to factors such as age, culture, gender, education, social class, disease and social environment (King and Hinds[2], 2011).  One of these components is the social support of people around. The evidence obtained from various studies shows that social support plays an important role in people's health. Also, social support reduces the negative effects of many stresses that are acquired from the environment and society, and as a result, it will have a direct and positive effect on the quality of life (Janger, 2002). Lazarus and Flockman (2003) found that active coping strategies predict both academic success and personal and emotional adjustment. Also, the long-term effects of incompatible strategies and the overall loss of personal confidence in coping abilities lead to issues such as fear, anxiety, physical diseases, and depression (Rabiei, Molvi, Kalantari, and Azimi, 2018).

In addition to individual and environmental variables that have a potential impact on people's health, family upbringing methods also affect the quality of life and consequently on people's health.

Family is considered as the smallest social unit and one of the main pillars of every society. The home environment is the first and most important factor that affects the growth of people's personality. The child inherits characteristics from the parents, but the role of the parents in the development of the child is not limited to the hereditary aspects. Parents' ideals and wishes, their level of satisfaction with marital relations and the parenting styles adopted by parents can all play a significant role in shaping the child's behavior and mental health (Rezaian, 2013).In these surveys, four aspects of parents' behavior with children were evaluated, including control, the level of expectation for wise behavior, clarity of communication between parents and children, and parental care. Finally, the way parents interact was divided into three groups. Authoritarian parents[4] who are characterized by features such as encouraging verbal relationships, giving up some autonomy along with the existence of specific boundaries for the child's behavior and performance. Dominant parents[5] consider unquestioning obedience of their children as a virtue and use violence and physical punishment to control their children. Permissive parents[6] do not set any boundaries and frameworks for their children and release themselves from parental responsibilities.

Researches conducted in this field show that each of these methods has certain effects and consequences. Taheri's research (1374) showed that the type of parenting style[7] of fathers affects the level of anxiety of children. Chenari's research (2014) also showed that there is a positive relationship between children's self-concept and parents' educational attitude. In addition to that, in foreign research, Willang[8] and his colleagues (2004) have determined that parenting styles directly affect children's personality traits and thereby affect their diseases and quality of life.  According to the issues raised, the current research examines the moderating effect of coping strategies and social support in relation to the quality of life, psychological symptoms and child-rearing styles of female heads of the household. (Kevin [9], 2003). In our country, according to the statistics provided by the head of the Statistics Research Institute, based on the census of 1990, out of 21 million households in the country, 2 million and 500 households are headed by women, and in other words, in 1990, the share of female-headed families increased from 9.5% to 12.5% ??compared to 1985 (Analytical Database of Family and Women News, 2013). And according to the head of Iran's Statistics Center, the number of female heads of households will increase to 15% in the next three years (Mehr News Agency, 2014). In Iranian families, the man (father) is often considered the head of the family. However, under certain conditions, this responsibility falls on women (mothers) (Habibi, Qanbari, Khodaei, Qanbari, 2013).

Based on the definition of the country's welfare organization, women head of the household include women who take care of the family due to death, divorce, imprisonment of their husbands, etc. 

It is worth mentioning that cases such as death, separation from spouse and other mentioned factors require readjustment (Kevin, 2003).

These women are among the vulnerable sections of the society due to the problems they have in the field of guardianship (Shabanzadeh, Bahramabadi, Hatami, Zahrakar, 2013). In current societies, the occurrence of social, economic and cultural developments has led to changes in the structure of the family and the formation of the phenomenon of "female headship" has become a normal thing (Badanjani, Birami, Hashemi, 2013). These women face another world at once after losing their husbands. A world where many of its coordinates are unfamiliar to them (Sidmirzaei, Abdulahi, Kamberbigi, 2018). In this new family structure, women need high resilience, and in the meantime, women face many problems in their daily lives that may cause them to have social and psychological problems. According to the report of Mehr News Agency and the statement of the head of the Iranian Statistical Research Institute, 30% of female heads of households are disabled due to specific physical or psychological problems.

In this regard, the findings show that the main problems of female heads of households are manifested in the form of social and economic problems, negative social attitudes towards them, concern for the future of their children, and the multiplicity and conflict of roles (Badanjani, Bairami, Hashemi, 2011).

Among the mentioned cases are economic problems and the problem of poverty is always more in female-headed families than in male-headed families, and this itself causes concern about the future of themselves and their children (Kevin, 2003).

The report of the head of the Iranian Statistics Research Institute also confirms this issue and states that the income of female-headed households is about 34% lower than that of male-headed households.

The poverty factor Economic, alone leaves its direct and indirect impact on the cultural and social status of the family (Habibi, Ghanbari, Khodayi, Ghanbari, 2012).