Mothers living in low-income households blame having children early in life and a bad romantic partner for their sufferings that leads to depression and anxiety, a study noted.
The researchers found that women who attributed their poverty to having had children tended to suffer greater levels of depression possibly because they feel some sense of guilt, blame or helplessness.
Women who attributed their poverty to problems in their romantic relationships experienced more anxiety.
"This might reflect their sense of fear or lack of control over issues such as domestic violence, the poor spending habits of their partners or because they do not receive child support," explained Kristin Mickelson from school of social and behavioral sciences at Arizona State University.
Women who "shook their fists" at the government or blamed discriminatory practices such as unequal pay to women suffered both greater depression and anxiety.
Only a few blamed fate for their situation.
During the study, Mickelson and Emily Hazlett of Kent State University and the Northeast Ohio Medical University analysed a set of close-ended questions that were put to a community sample of 66 low-income mothers.
Most women perceived their current social class to be significantly lower than it was when they themselves were children.
"They were, however, quite optimistic that they would be able to enjoy middle class living in the not too distant future," Hazlett pointed out.
The researchers believe that how a woman answers the question of "why me?" when thinking about her own impoverished state influences her mental health.
Such answers can also provide clues to whether the woman believes she will ever rise out of poverty.
The paper appeared in Springer’s journal Sex Roles.