Relationship between Perceived Mastery and Depressive Symptoms Among Low-Income Urban Mothers

Background: Disparities in mental health services have prompted the need to understand how different cultural groups experience depression. Although previous research has shown a link between perceived sense of mastery and rates of depression, little is known about this relationship among racial-ethnic groups in the US. We sought to examine the relationship between perceived mastery and depressive symptoms in a population of low-income urban mothers who experience high levels of trauma and situational stress.

Methods:  We analyzed cross-sectional data from 200 participants recruited from Head Start centers in Boston. The Pearlin Mastery Scale (PMS) and the Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology (QIDS) were used to measure perceived mastery and depressive symptoms, respectively. Regression analysis was used to assess the relationship between perceived mastery and depressive symptoms; trauma history was added as a covariate to control for the link between trauma and depression.

Results: Mean depressive symptom scores were similar across all racial-ethnic groups (Mean=8.88, SD=5.26). Mean mastery scores were significantly lower in Latina women compared to non-Latina women (Mean Difference=-1.88; 95% CI (-2.99, -0.76)). In all racial-ethnic groups, we found a significant association between perceived mastery and depressive symptoms, even after adjusting for trauma history (Estimate of the Effect=-0.65, 95% CI (-0.81, -0.49)).

Conclusion: Mothers who reported lower perceived control over their lives also tended to endorse higher depressive symptoms. These results also suggest that there may be cultural differences in perceived mastery. Future research should explore the impact of mastery-focused interventions on depression outcomes in different populations.