Relationship between Depression, Loneliness and Self-Efficacy among Adolescents with Working and Non-Working Mothers in Bangladeshi Sample: A Cross-Sectional Study

Depression is a psychiatric condition that can be described as a constant state of sadness, fear, feelings of self-loathing and guilt and loss of interest and pleasure in joyful activities. Self–efficacy can also be defined as a person's overall belief in his or her capacity to learn or perform in specific levels of actions. The main purpose of this study was to investigate the relation among depression, loneliness and self-efficacy of adolescents of working and non-working mothers whether mother’s occupation has any effects on adolescent’s depression, loneliness and self-efficacy. Assess whether depression, loneliness and self-efficacy of adolescents differ by gender or not. This detailed cross-sectional study was carried out on 200 children of age group 15–18 years, who were selected conveniently from a high school in the urban area of Bangladesh. The participants of the relevant study are 100 adolescents of working mothers where 50 are male and 50 are female and 100 adolescents of non-working mothers where 50 are male and 50 are female between the age group of 15 to 18 years selected purposively by convenience sampling technique. To collect the data researcher used the Bangla Version of the Revised UCLA Loneliness Scale by Russell and Dan. The Depression Scale was suggested by Rahman and Uddin, and adopted the Bengali Version by Ilyas et al. of Sherer’s General Self-Efficacy Scale. Descriptive and correlation statistical techniques are employed to depict the quantitative data. The results indicated a significant relationship between the working status of the mothers and rates of depression, loneliness and self-efficacy. Children of mothers who work are found to be depressed and lonelier and evince lower self-efficacy than those whose mothers are not in employment. The study lastly puts forward a conclusion that There are many complexities in the link between maternal employment and adolescent unwinding. The reason for this complexity is that, there are other variables which come into play which tend modifies the relationship which maternal working entails with adolescent growth. The study suggested that gradual elimination of the discrimination and negative attitudes towards women in the workforce may be less harmful to the adolescents.