Abstract
BackgroundAdolescents’ mental health is a major public health issue. Previous research has shown that socio-economic factors contribute to the health status of adolescents. The present study explores the association between socio-economic status and self-rated mental health among adolescents.MethodsCross sectional data from the Halmstad Youth Quality of Life cohort was collected in a town in Sweden. In all, 948 adolescents (11–13 younger age group and 14–16 older age group) participated. Information on self-rated mental health was collected from the subscale Psychological functioning in the Minneapolis Manchester Quality of Life instrument. The items were summarized into a total score and dichotomized by the mean. Indicators measuring socio-economic status (SES) were collected in a questionnaire using the Family Affluence Scale (FAS) and additional factors regarding parents’ marital status and migration were added. Logistic models were used to analyze the data.ResultsGirls were more likely to rate their mental health below the mean compared to boys. With regard to FAS (high, medium, low), there was a significantly increased risk of self-rated mental health below the mean among younger boys in the medium FAS score OR; 2.68 (95% CI 1.35;5.33) and among older boys in the low FAS score OR; 2.37 (1.02;5.52) compared to boys in the high FAS score. No such trend was seen among girls. For younger girls there was a significant protective association between having parents born abroad and self-rated mental health below mean OR: 0.47 (0.24;0.91).ConclusionsA complex pattern of associations between SES and self-rated mental health, divergent between age and gender groups, was shown. The total FAS score was only associated with boys’ self-rated mental health in both age groups, whereas parents’ migratory status influenced only the girls’ self-rated mental health. Because of the different association for girls’ and boys’ self-rated mental health and SES, other factors than SES should also be considered when investigating and exploring the mental health of adolescents in affluent communities.
Highlights
Adolescents’ mental health is a major public health issue
We explore the association between socio-economic status (SES) and self-rated mental health among Swedish adolescents between 11–16 years old, using Family Affluence Scale (FAS) and additional factors regarding parents’ status as a measurement of SES
Having none to one holiday with your family was associated with an increased risk of rating below the mean compared to having two or more holidays for girls in the younger age group odds ratio (OR); 1.90 (95% Cl 1.08; 3.36) and boys in the older age group OR; 1.96 (1.11;3.45)
Summary
Previous research has shown that socio-economic factors contribute to the health status of adolescents. The present study explores the association between socio-economic status and self-rated mental health among adolescents. Deterioration of mental health among adolescents is considered to be a substantial public health concern, motivating preventative interventions [1]. Studies have shown the impact of socio-economic status (SES) on present and future mental health [3,4]. An association between low SES and self-reported mental health in adults, including psychological distress, has been found in several studies [5,6,7,8,9,10]. The link between low SES among adolescents and mental health in later life is less clear [3,4], as is the association between SES and youth mental health [3,11,12]
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