Psychiatry Investig.
2011 Sep;8(3):194-200.
The Association between Economic Status and Depressive Symptoms: An Individual and Community Level Approach
- Affiliations
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- 1Department of Preventive Medicine, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea and the Korean Clinical Research Center for Depression, Seoul, Korea. y1693@catholic.ac.kr
- 2Psychosocial Rehabilitation Center-the Positive People, Seoul, Korea.
- 3Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea and the Korean Clinical Research Center for Depression, Seoul, Korea.
- 4Department of Psychiatry, Seoul Medical Center, Seoul, Korea.
- 5Department of Preventive Medicine, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Korea.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE
The study was conducted to investigate the association between economic status and depressive symptoms by comparing the prevalence rates of depressive symptoms at community level and analyzing the possibility of depressive symptoms at individual level.
METHODS
A survey was conducted from November, 2006 to November, 2007 on 966 and 992 representative subjects recruited by stratified clustered sampling in two regions located in Seoul. We used a standardized questionnaire including the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression and questions on the socioeconomic characteristics. The adjusted prevalence rates of depressive symptoms were compared at community level, and multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the association between depressive symptoms and economic statuses at individual level among each region.
RESULTS
The adjusted prevalence of depressive symptoms was higher in the region with a high socioeconomic status (23.1%) than in the region with a lower economic status (16.6%)(p<0.001). However, logistic regression analysis of individual level revealed that a higher economic status was significantly associated with a lower possibility of depressive symptoms among the females in the low economic status region. This tendency was not observed among the males in both of the regions.
CONCLUSION
The association between economic status and depressive symptoms was found to be different when it was approached at community level or individual level. In addition, the association of two variables was different by gender at individual level. Further studies that consider the third mediators are needed to determine the association between the two variables.
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