Search results for ‘Subject term:"mental health problems"’ Sort:
Results 1 - 1 of 1
Exploring the relationship between absolute and relative position and late-life depression: evidence from 10 European countries
- Authors:
- LADIN Keren, DANIELS Norman, KAWACHI Ichiro
- Journal article citation:
- Gerontologist, 50(1), February 2010, pp.48-59.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
Previous research has shown socioeconomic inequality to be associated with higher levels of morbidity and mortality. This study investigates the role of absolute and relative deprivation in predicting late-life depression at both individual and national levels. Data obtained from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe included 22,777 men and women, aged 50 to 104 years, from 10 European countries. Late-life depression was measured using the EURO-D scale. Absolute deprivation was measured using gross domestic product and average household income at the national level and socioeconomic status at the individual level. Relative deprivation was measured by Gini coefficients at the national level and educational achievement at the individual level. Depression ranged from 18% in Denmark to 37% in Spain, part of a clear north-south gradient. Measures of absolute and relative deprivation were significant in predicting depression at both country and individual levels. Results suggest that the negative impact of societal inequality cannot be overcome by increased individual-level or country-level income, and that increases in individual-level income did not mitigate the effect of country-level relative deprivation. Mental health disparities persist throughout later life whereby persons exposed to higher levels of country-level inequality suffer greater morbidity compared with those in countries with less inequality. National variations in the relationship between inequality and depression clearly show the need for further research.