POVERTY, INEQUALITY AND THE TREATED INCIDENCE OF FIRST-EPISODE PSYCHOSIS: AN ECOLOGICAL STUDY FROM SOUTH AFRICA (original) (raw)
Related papers
Inequality: an underacknowledged source of mental illness and distress
British Journal of Psychiatry, 2010
SummaryGreater income inequality is associated with higher prevalence of mental illness and drug misuse in rich societies. There are threefold differences in the proportion of the population suffering from mental illness between more and less equal countries. This relationship is most likely mediated by the impact of inequality on the quality of social relationships and the scale of status differentiation in different societies.
Income inequality and the prevalence of common mental disorders in Britain
The British Journal of Psychiatry, 2001
Background It has been hypothesised that the association between greater income inequality and increased mortality is mediated by poor psychosocial health. Aims To test the hypothesis that individuals in regions of Britain with the highest income inequality have a higher prevalence of the common mental disorders, after adjusting for individual income. Method Cross-sectional survey of 8191 adults aged 16–75 in private households in England, Wales and Scotland. The prevalence of common mental disorders was assessed using the General Health Questionnaire. Results The association between income inequality and prevalence of the common mental disorders varied with individual income level. Among persons with the highest incomes, common mental disorders were more frequent in regions with greater income inequality (as indicated by high Gini coefficient) (adjusted OR 1.31, 95% CI 1.05–1.65; P=0.02). The opposite was true for those with the lowest incomes. Conclusions Income inequality was ass...
Social inequality and common mental disorders
Revista Brasileira de Psiquiatria, 2007
OBJECTIVE: To analyze the association between the socioeconomic characteristics of individuals and common mental disorders. METHOD: A cross-sectional survey of a representative sample of the urban population, 14 years and older, in Campinas (Brazil) (n = 515) was conducted using a multipurpose instrument that included the Self-Reporting Questionnaire (SRQ-20) to assess common mental disorders in the previous 3 months. Weighted prevalence of common mental disorders was calculated for each independent variable. Crude and adjusted prevalence ratios were estimated using Poisson regression. RESULTS: The overall prevalence was 17% (95% CI 12.8-22.3), 8.9% in males and 24.4% in females. An inverse association was found between common mental disorders and the socioeconomic characteristics (schooling and employment) even after controlling for all the other variables. Higher common mental disorders prevalence was observed in those with less than 5 years of schooling (PR = 5.5) and unemployed ...
Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology
Purpose A systematic review was undertaken to determine whether research supports: (i) an association between income inequality and adult mental health when measured at the subnational level, and if so, (ii) in a way that supports the Income Inequality Hypothesis (i.e. between higher inequality and poorer mental health) or the Mixed Neighbourhood Hypothesis (higher inequality and better mental health). Methods Systematic searches of PsycINFO, Medline and Web of Science databases were undertaken from database inception to September 2020. Included studies appeared in English-language, peer-reviewed journals and incorporated measure/s of objective income inequality and adult mental illness. Papers were excluded if they focused on highly specialised population samples. Study quality was assessed using a custom-developed tool and data synthesised using the vote-count method. Results Forty-two studies met criteria for inclusion representing nearly eight million participants and more than ...
Socio-economic position and common mental disorders
British Journal of Psychiatry, 2006
BackgroundIndividuals in lower socio-economic groups have an increased prevalence of common mental disorders.AimsTo investigate the longitudinal association between socio-economic position and common mental disorders in a general population sample in the UK.MethodParticipants (n=2406) were assessed at two time points 18 months apart with the Revised Clinical Interview Schedule. The sample was stratified into two cohorts according to mental health status at baseline.ResultsNone of the socio-economic indicators studied was significantly associated with an episode of common mental disorder at follow-up after adjusting for baseline psychiatric morbidity. The analysis of separate diagnostic categories showed that subjective financial difficulties at baseline were independently associated with depression at follow-up in both cohorts.ConclusionsThese findings support the view that apart from objective measures of socio-economic position, more subjective measures might be equally important ...
Socioeconomic Inequalities in Common Mental Disorders: A Systematic Review
Low socioeconomic status (SES) is generally associated with high medical morbidity, and poorer access to health care. A number of studies have investigated the relationship between SES and common mental disorders with differing results. Therefore, the author conducted a systemic review to evaluate such an association. The review included 17 studies. Socioeconomic inequality in common mental disorders is mixed and varies according to the approach mental disorder is accessed, to the definition and measurement scales of SES, and to background characteristics such as region and time. However, the analysis found convincing evidence for socioeconomic inequality in common mental disorders. Policies for tackling inequality in common mental disorders are necessary, particularly in relationship with the course of the disorders.