Family roles and women's mental health.

Discontinuities between conventional expectations about women's roles and current definitions of marriage are seen to be stressful factors for women—as are the burdens of divorce. The isolation/purposelessness experienced by home- and children-oriented women and the feelings of overload or guilt experienced by employed mothers are also discussed. It is concluded that therapists must be sensitive to the negative aspects of wife and mother roles in order to promote clients' growth and satisfaction. (38 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)