Relationship between Family Processes and Social Support through Mediating Marital Satisfaction: Structural Model of Social Support in Major Depression Women

Family and social support serves as a strong impediment against depression in those women suffering from Major Depression Disorder (MDD). The present study aims at determining the relationship found between family processes and social support through mediating marital satisfaction in MDD women. This cross-sectional study was conducted on 188 MDD women selected from among those patients referred to Bozorgmehr Psychiatry Clinic affiliated by Tabriz University of Medical Sciences. The MDD patients were recognized through structured clinical interviews for DSM-TV-TR using SCID. Index of Marital Satisfaction (IMS), Family Processes Scale (FPS), and Norbeck Social Support Questionnaire (NSSQ) were used to collect data. Also, statistical methods such as Multivariate Analysis of Variance, Mann-Whitney U-test, and Structural path analysis were used to data analysis. MDD women reported low educational level and less social support (P<0.05). In comparison with women having 2-3 children, childless MDD women reported higher mean considering social support (P<0.05). Structural path analysis demonstrated that marital satisfaction and family problem solving directly predict social support. There was an indirect relationship between family process (family coping strategies, family cohesion, family communication, and family religious beliefs) and mediating marital satisfaction (RMSEA=0.05, CFI=0.92, IFI=0.92). The findings emphasize on the significance of the relationship found between family processes and social support through mediating marital satisfaction in MDD women.

Keywords:

Major depression disorder , Social support , Marital satisfaction , Family processes , Women