Fundamentals of Mental Health

Fundamentals of Mental Health

Comparing obsessive-compulsive disorder, depressed mood, and alexithymia among housewives and employed women

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors
Mahtab Ahmadi Moghadam 1
Sima Aryanfar 2
Neda Fatahi 1
Fataneh Akhavan Ziabari 3
Mohadeseh Ebrahimi 1
1 Department of Psychology, Islamic Azad University Kermanshah, Kermanshah Branch, Kermanshah, Iran.
2 Department of Psychology, Islamic Azad University, Science and Research Branch, Tehran, Iran.
3 Department of Psychology, Islamic Azad University, Central Tehran Branch, Tehran, Iran.
10.22038/JFMH.2025.87401.3238
Abstract
Introduction: Approximately half of the nation's population included women who hold integral positions in the economically active community. This present study aimed to compare the levels of obsessions, depressed mood, and alexithymia between housewives and employed women.
 
Materials and Methods: The target population consisted of all female schoolteachers and housewives residing in the 7th district of Tehran from July to September 2023. The research employed a targeted sampling method for female heads of households and a convenient sampling method for housewives. The statistical sample comprised 60 individuals. The instruments included the Maudsley Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory (MOCI), the Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20, and Goldberg's Depression Scale (GDS). We analyzed the data using independent t-test and SPSS-27 software.
 
Results: The findings indicated a significant difference in the mean scores for washing and cleaning and slow-repetition components (P< 0.05). However, there was no significant difference in the scores for verification or checking and doubts (P> 0.05). Additionally, there was a significant difference between the groups in the depressed mood variable (P< 0.001).
 
Conclusion: Our findings indicated that there exists a distinction between housewives and employed women in terms of their obsessiveness and depressed mood; however, the variable of alexithymia does not vary significantly between employed women and housewives.   
Keywords
Alexithymia
Depressed mood
Obsessive-compulsive disorder
Women
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Fundamentals of Mental Health
Volume 28, Issue 1
January and February 2026
Pages 11-17