Iranian Journal of

  Background & Objectives: Households governed by women have become an important phenomenon worldwide in the second half of the twentieth century. The study of female-headed households shows that this vulnerable social group faces many financial, physical, mental, and emotional problems and experiences stress and anxiety more than men-headed households. This study aimed to determine the quality of life in these households supported by District 9 of Tehran Municipality.

  Methods: This cross- sectional study was performed on female-headed households supported by District 9 of Tehran municipality during 14 months. Data collection tools included a demographic questionnaire, the Iranian version of World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL-BREF-BREF). The data was analyzed using SPSS software version 16 and descriptive- analytic tests such as mean, standard deviation, and a multiple regression analysis. The significance level in this study was considered α < 5% .

  Results : The mean age of the participants was 50.8 ± 13.8 years, and the majority of the female-headed households were unemployed (71.1 %). The findings in the four domains of quality of life showed that the domains of environment health and social relation received the lowest (9.87) and the highest (12.61) score, respectively. Using multiple regression models, it was shown that the only variables that affected the overall quality of life were age (P< 0.013) and current disease (P< 0.001).

  Conclusion : Findings demonstrated that the authorities should consider planning for effective interventions to improve the quality of life in this vulnerable group of society.