[The female role as assessment of mental health of women within the general population of Cantabria]. / El rol femenino como determinante de la salud mental de las mujeres de la población general de Cantabria.

This paper tries to analyse the relationship between traditional feminine role (marriage, motherhood and housing) and mental health in spanish women. The General Health Questionnaire 60-items (GHQ-60) was used to define "cases" in a random sample of the general population of Cantabria consisting of 630 women aged 17 and over. The rate of probable prevalence of psychiatric disorders was 26.4%. In contrast to previous studies, motherhood and traditional feminine role correlated with the lowest GHQ-60 mean scores. Occupational status was not related to mental health. Women living with husband, children, parents and/or parents-in-law scored lower on GHQ-60 than those living with husband and children. These results are discussed in the light of previous findings in the literature. At least, they reconfirm the importance of socio-cultural factors in community psychiatric disorder.