The impact of parenting difficulties on the depressive mood of employed single mothers: An analysis of the moderating effect of employment status

Abstract

As the proportion of female single-parent families has increased in Korea, recent research results show that single mothers with unstable jobs experience additional psychological problems due to their employment instability. Thus, this study examined the effects of parenting difficulties and employment status of employed single mothers with school-age children on their depressive mood and the moderating effect of employment status. Data from the Study on the Status of Single-Parent Families in 2018 (N=988) was analyzed by SPSS PROCESS macro V.4 model 1. The results show that higher levels of parenting difficulties and temporary employment resulted in higher levels of depressive mood, and there was a moderating effect of employment status. That is, the depression level of employed single mothers who experience parenting difficulties was found to be more serious depending on unstable employment status. Based on the results, the relationship among parenting difficulties, depressive mood and unstable employment status of employed single mothers was discussed. Also, social welfare policies and programs to improve the mental health of employed single mothers were suggested.