Studies using traditional measures of socio-economic position, such as education, income and occupation, have found inequalities in depressive symptoms, but less is known about the association between financial satisfaction and depressive symptoms.
Aims:
To examine the association of depressive symptoms with financial satisfaction in Finnish adults in a population-based cross-sectional FIN-D2D survey.
Methods:
Four thousand, five hundred randomly selected individuals aged 45–74 years were invited to the study. Participation rate for health examinations was 64%. Complete information on depressive symptoms and financial satisfaction was available for 2,819 individuals. Financial satisfaction was asked using a questionnaire. Depressive symptoms were measured by Beck Depression Inventory (≥ 10) and/or use of antidepressants.
Results:
Altogether 11.6% of individuals who were satisfied with their financial situation had depressive symptoms. Corresponding figures for individuals who were somewhat satisfied or dissatisfied were 20.6% and 42.6%, respectively. Individuals who were less satisfied with their financial situation were more likely to suffer from depressive symptoms even after adjusting for gender, age, marital status, number of chronic diseases, smoking, binge drinking, physical activity, education and household income.
Conclusions:
Instead of more traditional measures of socio-economic position, financial dissatisfaction seems to be associated with depressive symptoms in Finnish adults.
AnsseauM.FischlerB.DierickM.AlbertA.LeymanS.MignonA. (2008). Socioeconomic correlates of generalized anxiety disorder and major depression in primary care: The Gadis II study (Generalized anxiety and depression impact survey II). Depression and Anxiety, 25, 506–513.
2.
BeckA.T.WardC.H.MendelsonM.MockJ.ErbaughJ. (1961). An inventory for measuring depression. Archives of General Psychiatry, 4, 561–571.
3.
BridgesS.DisneyR. (2010). Debt and depression. Journal of Health Economics, 29, 388–403.
4.
ButterworthP.RodgersB.WindsorT.D. (2009). Financial hardship, socio-economic position and depression: Results from the PATH through life survey. Social Science & Medicine, 69, 229–237.
5.
CuijpersP.SmitF. (2002). Excess mortality in depression: A meta-analysis of community studies. Journal of Affective Disorders, 72, 227–236.
6.
Department of Health and Social Security. (1980). Inequalities in health: Report of a research working group chaired by Sir Douglas Black. London: Department of Health and Social Security.
7.
Ferrer-i-CarbonellA.van PraagB.M.S. (2003). Income satisfaction inequality and its causes. Journal of Economic Inequality, 1, 107–127.
8.
GeerlingsS.W.BeekmanA.T.F.DeegD.J.H.van TilburgW. (2000). Physical health and the onset and persistence of depression in older adults: An eight-wave prospective community-based study. Psychological Medicine, 30, 369–380.
9.
HayI. D. (1988). Socioeconomic status and health status: A study of males in the Canada Health Survey. Social Science & Medicine, 27, 1317–1325.
10.
HsiehC.-M. (2004). Income and financial satisfaction among older adults in the United States. Social Indicators Research, 66, 249–266.
11.
JooS.-H.GrableJ.E. (2004). An exploratory framework of the determinants of financial satisfaction. Journal of Family and Economic Issues, 25, 25–50.
12.
KhawajaN.G.DuncansonK. (2008). Using the University Student Depression Inventory to investigate the effect of demographic variables on students’ depression. Australian Journal of Guidance & Counseling, 18, 195–209.
13.
KorniloffK.HäkkinenA.KautiainenH.KoponenH.PeltonenM.MäntyselkäP.… VanhalaM. (2010). Leisure-time physical activity and metabolic syndrome plus depressive symptoms in the FIN-D2D survey. Preventive Medicine, 51, 466–470.
14.
KosterA.BosmaH.KempenG.I.J.M.PenninxB.W.J.H.BeekmanA.T.F.DeegD.J.H.van EijkJ.T. (2006). Socioeconomic differences in incident depression in older adults: The role of psychosocial factors, physical health status, and behavioral factors. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 61, 619–627.
15.
LahelmaE.LaaksonenM.MartikainenP.RahkonenO.Sarlio-LähteenkorvaS. (2006). Multiple measures of socioeconomic circumstances and common mental disorders. Social Science & Medicine, 63, 1383–1399.
16.
LorantV.DeliègeD.EatonW.RobertA.PhilippotP.AnsseauM. (2003). Socioeconomic inequalities in depression: A meta-analysis. American Journal of Epidemiology, 157, 98–112.
17.
LownJ.M.JuI.-S. (1992). A model of credit use and financial satisfaction. Financial Counseling and Planning, 3, 105–125.
18.
LueB.-H.ChenL.-J.WuS.-C. (2010). Health, financial stresses, and life satisfaction affecting late-life depression among older adults: A nationwide, longitudinal survey in Taiwan. Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics, 50 (Suppl. 1), 34–38.
19.
MacintyreS. (1997). The Black Report and beyond: What are the issues?Social Science & Medicine, 44, 723–745.
20.
MackenbachJ.P.KunstA.E.CavelaarsA.E.J.M.GroenhofF.GeurtsJ.J.M., & EU Working Group on Socioeconomic Inequalities in Health. (1997). Socioeconomic inequalities in morbidity and mortality in western Europe. Lancet, 349, 1655–1659.
21.
MackenbachJ.P.StirbuI.RoskamA.-J.R.SchaapM.M.MenvielleG.LeinsaluM.& KunstA.E, for the European Union Working Group on Socioeconomic Inequalities in Health. (2008). Socioeconomic inequalities in health in 22 European countries. The New England Journal of Medicine, 358, 2468–2481.
22.
MickelsonK.D.KubzanskyL.D. (2003). Social distribution of social support: The mediating role of life events. American Journal of Community Psychology, 32, 265–281.
23.
MikkelsenS.S.TolstrupJ.S.FlachsE.M.MortensenE.L.SchnohrP.Flensborg-MadsenT. (2010). A cohort study of leisure-time physical activity and depression. Preventive Medicine, 51, 471–475.
24.
Ministry of Social Affairs and Health. (2001). Government resolution on the Health 2015 public health programme. Helsinki: Publications of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, 6 pp.
25.
Ministry of Social Affairs and Health. (2008). National action plan to reduce health inequalities 2008– 2011. Helsinki: Publications of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, 25 pp.
26.
MurrayC.J.L.LopezA.D. (1996). Evidence-based health policy: Lessons from the global burden of disease study. Science, 274, 740–743.
27.
NicholsonA.PikhartH.PajakA.MalyutinaS.KubinovaR.PeaseyA.… BobakM. (2008). Socio-economic status over the life-course and depressive symptoms in men and women in Eastern Europe. Journal of Affective Disorders, 105, 125–136.
28.
OlsonG.I.SchoberB.I. (1993). The satisfied poor: Development of an intervention-oriented theoretical framework to explain satisfaction with a life in poverty. Social Indicators Research, 28, 173–193.
29.
Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). (1982). The OECD list of social indicators. Paris: OECD.
30.
PaljärviT.KoskenvuoM.PoikolainenK.KauhanenJ.SillanmäkiL.MäkeläP. (2009). Binge drinking and depressive symptoms: A 5-year population-based cohort study. Addiction, 104, 1168–1178.
31.
PascoJ.A.WilliamsL.J.JackaF.N.NgF.HenryM.J.NicholsonG.C.… BerkM. (2008). Tobacco smoking as a risk factor for major depressive disorder: Population-based study. The British Journal of Psychiatry, 193, 322–326.
32.
PomerleauJ.PedersonL.L.ØstbyeT.SpeechleyM.SpeechleyK.N. (1997). Health behaviours and socio-economic status in Ontario, Canada. European Journal of Epidemiology, 13, 613–622.
33.
RammstedtB. (2007). Who worries and who is happy. Explaining individual differences in worries and satisfaction by personality. Personality and Individual Differences, 43, 1626–1634.
34.
RapaportM.H.ClaryC.FayyadR.EndicottJ. (2005). Quality-of-life impairment in depressive and anxiety disorders. American Journal of Psychiatry, 162, 1171–1178.
35.
RichterP.WernerJ.HeerleinA.KrausA.SauerH. (1998). On the validity of the Beck Depression Inventory: A Review. Psychopathology, 31, 160–168.
36.
RotkoT.AhoT.MustonenN.LinnanmäkiE. (2011). Kapeneeko kuilu? Tilannekatsaus terveyserojen kaventamiseen Suomessa 2007–2010 [Bridging the gap? Review into actions to reduce health inequalities in Finland 2007–2010]. Report 8/2011. Helsinki: National Institute for Health and Welfare [English abstract].
37.
RoxburghS. (2009). Untangling inequalities: Gender, race, and socioeconomic differences in depression. Sociological Forum, 24, 357–381.
38.
SaaristoT.PeltonenM.Keinänen-KiukaanniemiS.VanhalaM.SaltevoJ.NiskanenL.… TuomilehtoJ. for the FIN-D2D Study Group. (2007). National type 2 diabetes prevention programme in Finland: FIN-D2D. International Journal of Circumpolar Health, 66, 101–112.
39.
ScottK.M.WellsJ.E.AngermeyerM.BrughaT.S.BrometE.DemyttenaereK.… KesslerR.C. (2010). Gender and the relationship between marital status and first onset of mood, anxiety and substance use disorders. Psychological Medicine, 40, 1495–1505.
40.
StansfeldS.A.ClarkC.RodgersB.CaldwellT.PowerC. (2008). Childhood and adulthood socio-economic position and midlife depressive and anxiety disorders. The British Journal of Psychiatry, 192, 152–153.
41.
SzantonS.L.ThorpeR.J.WhitfieldK. (2010). Life-course financial strain and health in African-Americans. Social Science & Medicine, 71, 259–265.
42.
TalalaK.HuurreT.AroH.MartelinT.PrättäläR. (2009). Trends in socio-economic differences in self-reported depression during the years 1979–2002 in Finland. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 44, 871–879.
43.
World Health Organization. (1988). The World Health Organization MONICA Project (monitoring trends and determinants in cardiovascular disease): A major international collaboration. WHO MONICA Project Principal Investigators. Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, 41, 105–114.
