Factors associated with quality of life among married women in rural China: a cross-sectional study

Specific medical and living conditions in rural China may predispose people there to a poor quality of life. This study aimed to evaluate factors affecting the quality of life among married women in rural China.

This cross-sectional study was conducted in rural areas of Liaoning Province in China. Out of the 3900 married women, 3163 (81%) completed the questionnaire survey. Quality of life was assessed using the WHOQOL-BREF scale. Sociodemographic factors, such as monthly income, and living and health conditions, such as left-behind status, stress (quantified by the Perceived Stress Scale), and coping styles (assessed by the Simplified Coping Style Questionnaire) were collected through self-reported questionnaires. Hierarchical multiple regression was used to explore the factors related to quality of life.

The mean scores of quality of life were 14.08 ± 2.27 for the domain of physical health, 11.78 ± 2.28 for psychological health, 13.07 ± 2.69 for social relationships, and 12.26 ± 2.67 for environmental conditions. Older age, having chronic diseases, being left-behind, sense of marriage insecurity, and stress were all negatively associated with quality of life scores, whereas a higher monthly income was associated with higher scores. Coping styles could be moderating factors in the relationship between stress and quality of life.

Overall, married women living in rural China had relatively low scores for quality of life. Improving family income, providing access to affordable and high-quality medical care, facilitating couple communication, and promoting active coping styles could be intervention strategies to improve the quality of life of these rural residents.