Mental Health and Life Satisfaction: A Comparative Study Among Working and Non-Working Women

Abstract

This study was conducted to compare the relationship of mental health and life satisfaction among working and non-working women. According to the American Psychological Association (APA), mental health is a state of mind characterized by emotional well-being, good behavioral adjustment, relative freedom from anxiety and disabling symptoms, and a capacity to establish constructive relationships and cope with the ordinary demands and stresses of life. The APA defines life satisfaction as the extent to which a person finds life rich, meaningful, full, or of high quality. The sample of the study consisted of 60 women, which included 30 working women and 30 non-working women. Working women are those who do remunerative work, mainly outside of their homes, and non-working women are basically housewives who do not involve in remunerative work and takes care of their family and children. The sample chosen for the study was of the age group 24-55 years. The tools used for measuring mental health was MHI-18. Life satisfaction was measured by using the Satisfaction with Life scale. Statistical methods used for the analysis of data were t-test and Pearson Correlation Coefficient. The major findings of the study were that there is a positive correlation between mental health and life satisfaction among working and non-working women, and there is no significant difference in both, mental health and life satisfaction, among working and non-working women.