1. Objectifs

Intentions :
«The main objective of this study [is] to examine the gendered experience of work-family conflict during the COVID-19 pandemic on depressive symptoms among graduate students and postdoctoral researchers from the province of Quebec.» (p. 5)

Questions/Hypothèses :
Authors «postulate an indirect association between women and depressive symptoms through higher worry about COVID-19.» (p. 2)

2. Méthode

Échantillon/Matériau :
«The cross-sectional data are drawn from the COVID-19 International Student Well-being Study, an observational study aiming to explore mental health in lockdown among students from post-secondary institutions […]. [Authors] are limiting this study to the province of Quebec, as it was the only jurisdiction that fielded a questionnaire on work-family conflict. […] This study focuses on graduate students and postdoctoral researchers who are more likely to experience family responsibilities while being involved in research work. [Their] analytical sample comprises 1,790 graduate students and postdoctoral researchers.» (p. 2)

Instruments :
Questionnaire

Type de traitement des données :
Analyse statistique

3. Résumé

Results «do not show a difference in depressive symptoms between women and men. […]. However, [the] analyses (not shown) suggested a potential suppressor effect, as the relationship between being a woman and depressive symptoms becomes significant when controlling for WIF/FIW [work-to-family/family-to-work]. Thus, the positive direct association between being a woman and depressive symptoms could be cancelled by a negative indirect association through WIF/FIW. This has important implication for public policy. Since gender is a social structure, we must avoid the trap of thinking that no statistical difference at first sight means that there are no underlying gender inequalities […]. This study makes several contributions to the literature. First, it provides a unique snapshot on how COVID-19 confinement and mitigation measures in Quebec could have contributed to gendered mental health inequalities. Of importance to university administrators, women reported more stress related to adapting to new remote teaching methods. This was associated with more depressive symptoms, not only in a direct association, but also indirectly through WIF. New remote teaching methods thus appear to be perceived as interfering with family responsibilities among women […]. Second, women also reported more worry about COVID-19, which is directly associated with increased depressive symptoms, and indirectly through both WIF and FIW.» (p. 5)