MARITAL ADJUSTMENT AND DEPRESSION ANXIETY AND STRESS AMONG HIV INFECTED WORKING AND NON-WORKING WOMEN

MARITAL ADJUSTMENT AND DEPRESSION ANXIETY AND STRESS AMONG HIV INFECTED WORKING AND NON-WORKING WOMEN

Dr.Chandrakanth Jamadar

ABSTRACT

In present research investigated relationship between marital adjustment and depression anxiety and stress among HIV infected working and non-working women. Marriage and family are not optional : they are necessary. They meet man's deepest needs. Marriage provides a person an opportunity for a secure and protected satisfaction of his /her needs for companionship , affection and sexual expression. It involves the most intimate type of emotional relationship between two individuals( Landis,1954 ).In this context researcher tried to identify the significant differences between HIV infected working and non-working women and their marital adjustment and levels of depression anxiety and stress  in working and non-working women. The result shows that, there is no significant differences between the marital adjustment but, significant difference shown in depression, anxiety and stress in HIV infected working and non-working women.

Key words: Immune system , Marriage , depression and stress.

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Assistant Professor of Psychology, Maharani's Arts College, J.L. B. Road, Mysore. KARNATAKA

INTRODUCTION

           The person with HIV infection suffering often begins long before the pain, the debility, and the dementia.  On that account, it is all the more anguished, because for an extended time life seems the same and yet is not, nor can it ever be the same again, with a confirmed diagnosis of HIV infection, an existential barrier is crossed.  If the caregivers are to help they must somehow cross this barrier, too, to “enter into” suffering as Nouwen suggests. If they do not, or cannot, they may “do” many things for the person. But they cannot really help, because suffering engages the human spirit beyond the micro circuitry of the brain or the micro physiology of the body.  The pain and symptoms of the troubled body must be mitigated, but this is not enough.  To do this is only to stand on the threshold, but not to “enter” the individuals experience.

To “enter” the experience is exquisitely difficult. Each persons experience of suffering is unique.  It is shaped by all those particularities of individual existence that give humans their personal identity.  We can never completely enter into another’s experience of illness.  Paradoxically, however, compassion literally means “co-suffering”.  Compassion cannot exist unless we do enter to some discernible degree.  In this research, now to elaborate a little about the concept of SES, life stress, locus of control   and adjustment.

METHODS

Methodology is more important of any research which guides the researcher to take the right steps in completing the research endeavour. In this section researcher defines the research method, sample, tools used, objectives of research, data collected, analyzed and interpreted and statistics used is presented

When we see the history of marriage in India , particular factors which affect it such as personal maturity , bonding, rituals understanding between the couple, responsibilities,  manage family and social life, respect the tradition and elders interests follow the social rules. as marriages are necessary for humans, marital adjustment and manage the depression anxiety and stress in same time life satisfaction also play a important role in every individuals.

Successful marital life gives satisfaction of every person, but question is, after the HIV infection its gives the better adjustment and satisfaction of each person? every infected person make his/her marital life successful? In this study is an effort to find out that HIV infected men and women. how they face the depression anxiety and stress, and responsible factors of better marital adjustment.

Research Problem : To study the marital adjustment depression anxiety and stress among HIV infected women in Mysore district.

Hypothesis of the study :H1. There would be a significant differences between working and non-working HIV infected women.

Participants :The present study was included a sample 640 working and non-working women, working (n-320) non-working women (n-320) from primary health centre and NGOs in Mysore district (KARNATAKA).

Sampling technique :Purposive sampling technique was used to select the samples.

Operational definitions of variables

Marital adjustment :Marriage and family are not optional : they are necessary. They meet man's deepest needs. Marriage provides a person an opportunity for a secure and protected satisfaction of his /her needs for companionship , affection and sexual expression. It involves the most intimate type of emotional relationship between two individuals( Landis,1954 ).

Depression: Depression is a mood disorder. It is more or grief. That is more intense and lost longer than it should. It has various causes like, events in your life, chemical changes in brain, side effected of medications and several physical disorder ( JAAC-2014 ).

Research Instruments :Following instruments were used to test the hypotheses ;Marital adjustment Questionnaire (MAQ) by Dr.Pramod kumar and Dr. Kanchana Rohatagi (1999). This questionnaire consists of 25 highly discriminating 'yes-NO' type item and three dimensions like, sexual , social and emotional , and DASS-21

Scoring Procedure: A 'yes' response is assigned a score of 1 except for items 4,10 and 19 in which case reverse is applicable. The sum of these values gives the marital adjustment score for the husband or wife, since the responses contributing towards marital adjustment are given a score , the higher the total score, the higher would be the marital adjustment of the husband or wife percentile norms.

Percentile norms: The percentile norms have been separately prepared to help interpret the marital adjustment scores for the husband , for wife , and for the two as a couple (bellow).

 Showing percentile norms

Percentiles	Husband	Wife	categories
80-90	23-24	22-23	Very good
70-75	21-22	20-21	Good
40-60	18-20	18-20	Average
25-30	16-17	16-17	Poor
10-20	13-15	13-15	Very poor

Reliability of the test : The split - half reliability , correlating odd-even items , applying the spearman -Brown formula for doubling the test length , was found to be .49 with an index of reliability of.70 .

Validity of the test : The face ; content validity of the test appeared to be fairly high ( .84 ).

Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale DASS-21( 2001). By Fernando Gomez scale consists of 21 item The DASS 21 is a 21 item self report questionnaire designed to measure the severity of a range of symptoms common to both Depression and Anxiety. In completing the DASS, the individual is required to indicate the presence of a symptom over the previous week. Each item is scored from 0 (did not apply to me at all over the last week) to 3 (applied to me very much or most of the time over the past week). 

  The essential function of the DASS is to assess the severity of the core symptoms of Depression, Anxiety and Stress. Accordingly, the DASS allows not only a way to measure the severity of a patient’s symptoms but a means by which a patient’s response to treatment can also be measured. 

 The DASS and Diagnosis :Although the DASS may contribute to the diagnosis of Anxiety or Depression, it is not designed as a diagnostic tool. Indeed, a number of symptoms typical of Depression such as sleep, appetite and sexual disturbances, are not covered by the DASS and will need to be assessed independently. The DASS is not meant to replace a comprehensive clinical interview. 

  Suicide: Suicidality is not assessed by the DASS.  Accordingly, the clinician will need to address directly this important symptom of Depression in their clinical interview. 

Although the DASS can provide a comparison of symptoms from week to week, it is best given on first presentation and again after a period of time has lapsed long enough for the chosen treatment to have effect. In the case of antidepressant medication, the second administration should be between the 2-4 week period after the individual has commenced taking the medication. This period is long enough for most antidepressants to be expected to show some change in the patient. 

Scoring the DASS :  The scale to which each item belongs is indicated by the letters D (Depression), A (Anxiety) and S (Stress). For each scale (D, A & S) sum the scores for identified items. Because the DASS 21 is a short form version of the DASS (the Long Form has 42 items), the final score of each item groups (Depression, Anxiety and Stress) needs to be multiplied by two (x2). 

Procedure of the study: In order to accomplish the requirement of the current research, 640 single and double career couple were selected by purposive sampling technique. Then informed the consent was designed according to ethics of the research . The ethical standards of the research and instructions regarding research and questionnaire , marital adjustment questionnaires by Pramod Kumar and Kanchana Rohatgi (1999) and DASS-21 by Fernando Gomez (2001) were used to measure the marital adjustment and depression anxiety and stress among HIV infected people.

Statistical techniques used for analysis : The researcher after collecting the data, the data were edited and coded. The data were then analyzed using various statistical tools like mean, standard deviation, t-test, and ANOVA.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

This research was undertaken to investigate the marital adjustment and depression, anxiety and stress among working and Non-working women. The results interpreted and analyzed bellow.

Table.No.1.Results of working and non- working women and their level of marital adjustment in sexual , social and emotional expression.( N-320 ).

Variable	Group	Mean	SD	t-value	p-value
Marital adjustment	Non-working women	16.93	2.34	0.67	0.50*
	Working women	17.10	2.31

 * Not significant

The above table indicates the results of working and non-working HIV infected women. The score of working and non-working women both have shown very poor in marital adjustment. This results indicates that , there is no significant differences between the working and non- working women in their marital life.

Table.No.2.Mean score of  depression , anxiety and stress in working and non- working women ( N-320 ).

Variable	Group	Mean	SD	t-value	p-value
Depression	Non-working women	13.93	3.88	10.94	0.0001
	Working women	18.39	3.41
Anxiety	Non-working women	10.54	2.05	4.02	0.0001
	Working women	11.48	2.12
Stress	Non-working women	18.61	6.09	3.04	0.0025
	Working women	20.55	5.29

The above table reflects the results of working and non working HIV infected women depression anxiety and level of stress. In depression of working women is (M-18.93) and non- working women (M-13.93). working women have higher the depression than the non-working women. Similarly study indicates  working women faced the moderate level of stress and non-working women have mild level of depression. The calculative t-value is (p>0.0001) significant differences between the working and non-working HIV infected women.

In anxiety working women have higher the anxiety than the non-working women. Working (M-11.48) non-working women (M-10.54) both have shown moderate level of anxiety. The calculative t- value is (p< 0.05) significant differences between the working and non-working women in anxiety.

In stress working women have higher the stress than the non-working women. Working women (M-20.55) non-working women (M-18.61) both group have shown moderate level of anxiety. The calculative t-value (p<0 .05="" is="" shown="" span="" style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  significant differences between working and non-working women in stress.

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION

·         The score of working and non-working women both have shown very poor in marital adjustment. This results indicates that , there is no significant differences between the working and non- working women in their marital life.

·         working women have higher the depression than the non-working women. The result shows significant differences between the working and non-working HIV infected women.

·         In anxiety working women have higher the anxiety than the non-working women. The result shows significant differences between the working and non-working women in anxiety.

·         In stress working women have higher the stress than the non-working women. Result  shows  significant differences between working and non-working women in stress.

References

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