What is the association between wealth and mental health?

Carter, K N; Blakely, Tony; Collings, Sunny; Gunasekara, Fiona Imlach; Richardson, Ken

doi:10.1136/jech.2008.079483

Cited by 97 publications

(41 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…Both qualitative and quantitative studies have found that individuals who have financial or physical assets may feel more in control of their lives, leading to less vulnerability to anxiety or mood disorders or less severe psychological symptoms. 12,44 Unexpectedly, however, we found that the negative association between elder abuse and mental health is significantly stronger among older people living in wealthier households. One possible explanation might be that issues of control over property, finance and other decisions may result in more family conflict between parents and their adult children or other relatives among wealthier households than in poorer households.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 63%

Elder abuse as a risk factor for psychological distress among older adults in India: a cross-sectional study

et al. 2017

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ObjectivesThis study examines the association between elder abuse and psychological distress among older adults in India and explores whether this association varies by the level of psychosocial and material resources.DesignThe study uses a cross-sectional survey design.SettingThe data are drawn from a representative sample of 9589 adults aged 60 and above in seven Indian states—Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, West Bengal, Odisha, Maharashtra, Kerala and Tamil Nadu—in 2011.Statistical analysesSecondary analysis, using bivariate and multivariate logistic regression models, is conducted using the United Nations Population Fund project Building Knowledge Base on Ageing in India survey. Elder abuse (physical and/or emotional) emanating from family members in the previous month before the survey is examined. Multivariate models are run on the total analytical sample and for men and women separately.ResultsThe overall prevalence of psychological distress among persons aged 60 and over living in the seven Indian States is 40.6%. Among those older persons who experienced some form of physical or emotional abuse or violence in the last month, the prevalence of psychological distress is much higher than that in the general older population, at 61.6% (p<0.001). The results show that the experience of abuse is negatively associated with the mental health of older adults, and this relationship persists even after controlling for demographic and socioeconomic factors (OR=1.60, 95% CI 1.22 to 2.09). The findings also suggest that household wealth has an inverse relationship with mental health, with the association between experiencing elder abuse and reporting poor mental health being strongest among older people in wealthy households.ConclusionsElder abuse in India is currently a neglected phenomenon, and greater recognition of the link between abuse and mental health is critical to improve the well-being of vulnerable older adults, some of whom may be ‘hidden’ within well-off households.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 63%

Elder abuse as a risk factor for psychological distress among older adults in India: a cross-sectional study

et al. 2017

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“…It may therefore serve as a better indicator of long-term financial circumstances than income, and also may be more sensitive to the broader economic context, age, job and health status (Keister & Moller, 2000). Many families earn enough income to remain above the Federal poverty level but may have large amounts of debt and few assets with which to buffer their family from economic stressors (Carter, Blakely, Collings, Imlach Gunasekara, & Richardson, 2009; Keister & Moller, 2000). Although measures of wealth are typically correlated with other SES measures, such as income, this correlation is far from perfect (Keister & Moller, 2000).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Research on the effects of wealth on health is still evolving, and wealth remains understudied compared to other measures of SES. Wealth is an independent predictor of adult physical and mental health outcomes including mortality (Hajat, Kaufman, Rose, Siddiqi, & Thomas, 2010), stroke (Avendano & Glymour, 2008), metabolic syndrome (Perel et al, 2006), psychological distress (Carter et al, 2009), and mental health and life satisfaction (Headey & Wooden, 2004). No studies have yet addressed whether parental wealth is associated with mental health in young adults.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In 2012, families at or below the 90 th percentile of the US wealth distribution earned about 70% of total national income but owned only about 30% of total national wealth (Saez & Zucman, 2016). Second, wealth may be less prone to health selection bias (i.e., reverse causation) than income because it is less immediately sensitive to short-term changes in earning capacity (Carter et al, 2009). Third, while associations of childhood income with mental health often diminish or disappear over time (Stansfeld, Clark, Rodgers, Caldwell, & Power, 2011), associations of childhood wealth and mental health may persist because wealth tends to be more stable and therefore represents a more consistent financial resource (Ostrove & Feldman, 1999).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Childhood family wealth and mental health in a national cohort of young adults

Lê‐Scherban

Brenner

Schoeni

2016

SSM - Population Health

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Purpose Mental health is critical to young adult health, as the onset of 75% of psychiatric disorders occurs by age 24 and psychiatric disorders early in life predict later behavioral health problems. Wealth may serve as a buffer against economic stressors. Family wealth may be particularly relevant for young adults by providing them with economic resources as they make educational decisions and move towards financial and social independence. Methods We used prospectively collected data from 2060 young adults aged 18–27 in 2005–2011 from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics, a national cohort of US families. We examined associations between nonspecific psychological distress (measured with the K-6 scale) and childhood average household wealth during ages 0–18 years (net worth in 2010 dollars). Results In demographics-adjusted generalized estimating equation models, higher childhood wealth percentile was related to a lower prevalence of serious psychological distress: compared to below-median wealth, prevalence ratio (PR) = 0.56 (0.36–0.87) for 3rd quartile and PR = 0.46 (0.29–0.73) for 4th quartile. The associations were attenuated slightly by adjustment for parent education and more so by adjustment for childhood household income percentile. Conclusions Understanding the lifelong processes through which distinct aspects of socioeconomic status affect mental health can help us identify high-risk populations and take steps to minimize future disparities in mental illness.

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“…Although this gradient is evident across the full spectrum of the general population,2 3 a particular focus is the consistent finding that common psychiatric disorders are more prevalent among disadvantaged populations relative to the broader community 4 5. For example, a number of studies have documented strong links between poor mental health and unemployment,6–9 poverty10 11 and welfare receipt 12–18.…”

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confidence: 99%