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Factors that influence emotional disturbance in adults living in extreme poverty
Author(s) -
PALOMARLEVER JOAQUINA,
VICTORIOESTRADA AMPARO
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
scandinavian journal of psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.743
H-Index - 72
eISSN - 1467-9450
pISSN - 0036-5564
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-9450.2011.00921.x
Subject(s) - psychology , anxiety , optimism , coping (psychology) , poverty , clinical psychology , mental health , depression (economics) , religiosity , social support , locus of control , psychiatry , developmental psychology , social psychology , economics , macroeconomics , economic growth
Palomar‐Lever, J. & Victorio‐Estrada, A. (2012). Factors that influence emotional disturbance in adults living in extreme poverty. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology 53, 158–164. Living in poverty conditions implies exposure to severe circumstances of social disadvantage, associated with greater propensity to contract illnesses. A negative correlation has consistently been observed between health and poverty. The chronic exposure to stress affects people’s well‐being through the development of symptoms of anxiety and depression. The suffering of these symptoms for a long time period may be considered as part of a more general syndrome of emotional disturbance, in detriment to a person’s mental health. The objective of this study is to identify psychological factors that influence emotional disturbance, measured as symptoms of anxiety and depression, in adults living in poverty conditions in Mexico’s central region. A total of 913 adults, 65.2% female, were surveyed. The mean age of the participants was 43.71 ( ± 12.58) years and the mean number of years of schooling was 4.04 (±3.36). Variables corresponding to personal characteristics were measured. The results indicate that the most important risk factor for depression is anxiety and vice versa. Additionally, gender, negative self‐esteem, lack of adequate strategies for confronting and resolving difficulties, and lack of self‐regulation predicted depression, whereas stress, lack of self‐regulation, and coping style predicted anxiety. These variables were better predictors than optimism, locus of control, sense of humor or religiosity.