Guilt, Social Support, and Psychological Distress in Working and Non-Working Mothers: A Relational Analysis

Abstract

The present study investigated the relationships among guilt, perceived social support, and psychological distress in working and non-working mothers. As women increasingly manage both caregiving responsibilities and occupational roles, understanding the emotional and social correlates of maternal mental health becomes essential. Psychological distress, conceptualized through depression, anxiety, and stress, provides a multidimensional framework for assessing maternal well-being across employment contexts. A correlational research design was adopted, and data were collected from 110 mothers (55 working and 55 non-working) using purposive sampling. Standardized instruments included the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scales (DASS-42), the State Shame and Guilt Scale (SSGS), and the Social Support Questionnaire (SSQ6). Descriptive findings indicated that the majority of participants reported normal levels of psychological distress, with a smaller proportion experiencing mild to severe symptoms. Independent samples t-tests revealed no significant differences between working and non-working mothers in depression, anxiety, stress, or guilt. However, regression analysis demonstrated that employment status significantly predicted social support, with working mothers reporting higher levels of support than non-working mothers. Although the predictive effect was statistically significant, the magnitude of explained variance was small, indicating that additional factors likely contribute to perceptions of social support. Correlation analyses further revealed strong and statistically significant positive relationships among depression, anxiety, stress, and guilt. Guilt was consistently and positively associated with all dimensions of psychological distress, underscoring its central role in maternal emotional functioning. Overall, the findings highlight the interconnected nature of guilt and psychological distress and emphasize the protective importance of social support in promoting maternal mental health across employment statuses.