Browsing by Author "Weckström, Linnea"

Objectives: Depressive disorders, which are a key component of mental distress, are one of the most important public health problems. Depressive disorders often begin in adolescence. Research shows that depressive disorders are associated with low socio-economic status, which is generally associated with poorer health. However, previous research findings on the association of health with components of socio-economic status, such as income level, are contradictory. This study examined whether psychological distress in adolescence is associated with later lower socioeconomic status of the individual and whether childhood household income shapes this association. Methods: The study was based on the UK Household Longitudinal Survey Understanding Society data, which was first collected in 2009 (n=5666). The survey used data from four different measurement periods. Adolescent psychological distress was measured using a 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ). Socioeconomic status was measured by the level of education (low, medium, high), income and employment (paid, unpaid) of the subjects. The income level of the childhood family was measured by looking at the household income in the first stage of the data collection. Results and conclusions: Adolescent psychological distress was associated with later low educational attainment, but not with lower employment or wage levels. Higher childhood household income was found to have a weakening effect on the association between psychological distress and lower education. The income level of the childhood household can be tentatively found to attenuate the negative effects of psychological distress on later socioeconomic status.