When Psychosocial Resources are not enough- Well-being of Female Domestic Help workers in the Informal Sector

Abstract

Domestic help workers largely belong to marginalised communities, members of which are often found to be victims of triple exploitation. An inquiry into the psychosocial and economic resources available to these women shall be considered a preliminary and directive step towards the development of a potentially helpful intervention. The study aimed to examine the moderating impact of psycho-social resources like Hope and Resilience on the relationship of Social support and Well-being, in the structural backdrop of economic adversities. The study followed a cross-sectional and correlational research design. A sample of 117 female domestic help workers from the North and South districts of Delhi was constituted and approached for interviews. The participants were interviewed to complete Hope and Resilience items from the 12-item PsyCap questionnaire by Luthans et al. (2007), Social capital measurement through standardised items (taken from the dimensions of Healy and Acquaah (2002) and WHO-5 Well-being index (Hindi version) (WHO,1989), all had been translated into Hindi language and adapted for cultural relevance. The findings from the research indicate no significant predictive relationship between social support and well-being. Hope and Resilience did not significantly moderate the relationship between Social Support and Well-Being. The findings further indicate the pertinence of structural economic difficulties as an overpowering determinant of well-being, especially in the informal sector. The descriptive results further indicated a moderate level of psychological resources despite the very low levels of Well-being. These findings, though unconventional, are directive towards the imminent need for contextualisation of psycho-social resources and their effects amidst the atrocious economic hardships. These findings are theoretically grounded in the theory of conservation of resources (Hobfoll,1989). The findings further underscore the urgent need to develop context-sensitive interventions that incorporate the chronic and adverse economic struggles and a compromised structural system deprived of fundamental resources.