Income inequality and health outcomes in the United States: An empirical analysis

A growing body of research suggests a relationship between health and income inequality. This study specifically analyzes the correlation between income inequality, measured by state-level Gini coefficients from the American Community Survey (ACS), and individual behavioral, physical, and mental health outcomes from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) for 2006 through 2014. After controlling for demographic and socioeconomic characteristics, health insurance status, year trends, and state fixed effects, income inequality was found to have significant relationships with behavioral, physical, and mental health outcomes, including heavy drinking, obesity, exercise, diabetes, heart attack, heart disease, physical and mental health problems, and depression, and often the impact on low-income individuals is slightly smaller than on the high-income group. The research suggests that economic policies to address the rising income inequality in the United States might serve to also address some of our nation’s most troubling health statistics.     

Mechanisms of the Effect of Involuntary Retirement on Older Adults’ Self-Rated Health and Mental Health

This study examined mechanisms of the effect of involuntary retirement on self-rated health and mental health among adults aged 50 or older. Using two waves of the Health and Retirement Study (2006 and 2010), we selected a sample of 1,195 individuals working for pay at baseline who responded to a lifestyle questionnaire in both waves. Regression-based path analyses were conducted to test the mediating effects of financial control, positive and negative family relationships, and social integration on the relationship between involuntary retirement and self-rated health and mental health. Results of mediation analyses indicated that transition to involuntary retirement was directly negatively associated with subsequent self-rated health and indirectly negatively associated with mental health via perception of less financial control. Voluntary retirement was indirectly positively associated with both self-rated and mental health via perception of more financial control. No significant direct or indirect effects of retirement were found when retirement was measured with an aggregate measure without specifying its voluntariness. Findings emphasize the importance of specifying the voluntariness of retirement and recognizing the heterogeneity in the mechanisms of involuntary and voluntary retirement.     

A mixed‐method examination of ego‐resiliency,adjustment problems,and academic engagement in children of Latino migrant farmworkers

Children from Latino migrant farmworker (LMFW) families are one of the most educationally disenfranchised and marginalized populations of students in the United States. These children face similar disadvantages to other low‐income immigrant families, but often experience unique contextual stressors due to high mobility that places them at high risk for mental health problems, risk‐taking behaviors, and poor academic engagement. Despite these high vulnerabilities few researchers have focused their efforts on LMFW children specifically, or addressed resilience factors in particular. Ego‐resiliency is an enduring psychological construct reflecting how individuals overcome day‐to‐day challenges. We used a convergent mixed method cross‐sectional design to examine the effects of LMFW children's (N = 66, ages 6–18, Mage = 12.79) depressive and conduct problems on their academic efficacy/mastery, and whether ego‐resiliency counteracted these relations. Ego‐resiliency was negatively associated with depression and conduct problems, and positively related to academic efficacy/mastery. Conduct problems were negatively related to academic efficacy/mastery, but depression was not. Ego‐resiliency also moderated the relation of depression to academic efficacy/mastery. Qualitative results provided a deeper explanation of contributing factors to LMFW children's adjustment, how adjustment problems affected their academic success, and the coping mechanisms and resilience factors used by LMFW children to overcome difficult experiences.     

The effects of physical and psychological health on life satisfaction among older adults with a physical disability in South Korea: focus on gender differences

This study aims to investigate whether (a) functional disabilities, self-rated health and depression influence life satisfaction among older adults with a physical disability, and (b) whether the effects of the predictors differ by gender. The study utilises 2008 Korea Welfare Panel Study data. The findings reveal that functional disabilities and depression are negatively associated with life satisfaction, whereas self-rated health is positively related with life satisfaction. In addition, the effects of functional disabilities and income on life satisfaction vary by gender. Implications for practice and policy are discussed.     

社会网络与城乡居民的身心健康

本文根据大型抽样社会调查的数据,集中讨论了个人的社会网络对其精神健康和身体健康的影响,以及这种影响在城乡居民之间的差异。研究结果发现,个人的社会网络规模对身心健康均起着积极作用：紧密度高、异质性低、强关系多的“核心网络”对精神健康有积极影响,而相反特征的松散网络则对身体健康更有利,个人在网络中的相对地位对精神健康起着积极作用。此外,社会网络对健康的作用在农村地区表现得更为明显。作者还进一步讨论了这些研究发现的理论与政策意义。     

Average willingness to pay for disease prevention with personalized health information

Personal health related information modifies individuals’ willingness to pay for disease prevention programs inasmuch as it allows health status assessment based on intrinsic (instead of average) characteristics. In this paper, we examine the effect that personalized information about the baseline probability of disease has on the average willingness to pay for programs reducing either the probability of disease (self-protection) or the severity of disease (self-insurance). We show that such information raises the average willingness to pay for self-protection while it increases the average willingness to pay for self-insurance if health and wealth are complements (i.e. the marginal utility of wealth rises with health).     

Sleep among youths in foster care: Associations with potentially traumatic events,PTSD and mental health

Among maltreated youth in foster care, little is known about frequency of sleep problems and its association to potential traumatic events (PTEs) and mental health. Among youths in foster care, we examined: (1) sleep patterns, difficulties initiating and maintaining sleep (DIMS) and related functional impairment; (2) whether exposure to PTEs, symptoms of post‐traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and general mental health problems are associated with DIMS and related functional impairment, controlling for age, gender and time in foster care; and (3) whether PTSD and general mental health problems mediate the association between PTEs and DIMS. Foster youths in Norway (n = 299) completed a survey on sleep behaviour, the Child and Adolescent Trauma Screen, and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Overall, 53.2% reported DIMS. For 82.1%, these sleep problems had lasted 3 months plus. Increased PTEs, PTSD and general mental health problems were all associated with increased DIMS score. Increased rate of PTEs was associated with decreased sleep duration. PTSD and general mental health problems partially mediated the association between PTEs and DIMS. Youth in foster care are at high risk of sleep problems, related to traumatic experiences and mental health problems. Treatment of PTSD may improve sleep problems among maltreated youth.     

Depression Treatment and Cost Offset for Rural Community Residents with Depression

ABSTRACT

This study examined the relationship between costs of treating physical problems and costs of treating depression, for 322 rural residents with depression. Multiple regressions were used to control for sociodemographics, depression severity, and physical and mental health comorbidities at baseline. The results indicated a $1.42 (n = 322) reduction in the costs of treating physical problems for a $1.00 increase in the costs of treating depression. The reduction was $2.61 (p < 0.05) among those receiving depression treatment (n = 125). These findings suggest a net savings from depression treatment, in addition to other benefits such as improved symptoms and functioning and increased productivity.     

经济社会地位、年龄与心理健康：一项基于上海的实证研究

本文从社会结构的角度出发,以“2008年中国家庭动态调查（上海卷）”的数据为基础,考察了心理健康在社会各阶层间的分布以及这些分布在年龄组间的变化。结果显示,教育、收入、职业地位、社会地位与心理健康正面相关,而经济困难和不公正待遇则与心理健康负面相关。年龄和心理健康的关系呈现出“∩”型发展趋势;职业类型及教育程度对心理健康的作用在不同年龄组中出现了不同程度的变化。失业者较好的心理状态及青年技术人员较差的心理健康状况则需要做进一步的研究。     

Skills for Recovery: A Recovery-Oriented Dual Diagnosis Group for Veterans with Serious Mental Illness and Substance Abuse

Individuals with serious mental illness (SMI) are at a high risk for abusing alcohol and illicit substances relative to the general population. This use, even in small quantities, can negatively affect mental and physical health. Group therapy is an evidence-based treatment for individuals dually diagnosed with SMI and a substance abuse disorder. The Skills for Recovery group used a recovery-oriented therapy manual for dual diagnoses and was informed by the International Association for Social Work with Groups' Standards for Social Work Practice with Groups throughout the development and implementation of the group.     

Poverty,Partner Abuse,and Women's Mental Health: New Knowledge for Better Practice

ABSTRACT.

To better understand how poverty and poor mental health impact women who are abused by intimate partners, a convenience sample of 300 abused women using shelters or justice services for the 1st time were interviewed. The 300 women were categorized as having no income, being above poverty, and being below poverty according to U.S. Poverty Guidelines. Results indicated that no direct effect of income on poor mental health was noted; however, an interaction between type and severity of abuse and income level had an impact on poor mental health. Abused women who were above poverty with the highest incomes reported the highest levels of depression in the presence of high physical and sexual abuse. In contrast, women reporting no income reported no significant effect of severity or type of abuse on depression scores. Women just above the poverty level who experienced severe abuse were at highest risk for mental health problems. Poverty impacts the mental health of abused women according to the degree of poverty and type and severity of abuse. More research is needed to specify programs to maximize the mental health functioning and economic solvency of abused women.     

The decision to abort: no sex-role bias,and little enthusiasm

The impact of the subject's gender, the gender of the fetus, and the nature of the fetal impairment on the decision to abort a genetically impaired fetus was investigated on a hypothetical level in a sample of 181 college students (88 males and 93 females). It is hypothesized that subjects would be more likely to opt for abortion of a female fetus, and that this choice would be made more often when the impairment was physical as opposed to cognitive. The students were divided randomly into three groups and completed a questionnaire pertaining to a male, female, or gender-unspecified fetus. Gates syndrome was used as an example of a birth defect involving mild physical disfigurement, while Langs syndrome was cited to illustrate mild mental retardation. Subjects were asked to rate, on a scale from 1 (willing) to 7 (unwilling), their willingness to abort. Overall, female students were significantly (p 0.05) more unwilling to abort than their male counterparts. When scores for all six treatment conditions were combined, the mean scale rating in terms of willingness to abort was 4.97 for female students and 4.27 for male students. Unexpectedly, no evidence was found for sex bias in terms of the gender of the fetus or its interaction with the nature of the birth defect. The only mean score to fall below the neutral point of 4 was that for male students considering a gender-unspecified fetus with a physical defect (3.97).     

Contingent Self‐worth in Chinese Adolescents and Young Adults: Relations with Global Self‐Esteem and Depressive Symptoms

Contingent self‐worth (CSW) is the extent to which an individual's sense of self‐worth is dependent on performance in a particular domain. CSW has been linked to poorer psychological health (e.g., lower global self‐esteem, greater depression and anxiety). However, the majority of work on CSW has been conducted with US college students. Far less is known about the influence of CSW for younger individuals or for non‐Western populations. This study examined relations between CSW domains and two indicators of well‐being (depressive symptoms and global self‐esteem) with Chinese adolescents (ages 13–16) and young adults (ages 19‐22). Results indicated that CSW in the domains of academic performance and others’ approval were positively related to depressive symptoms, whereas CSW in the domain of family support was negatively related to depressive symptoms. Others’ approval CSW was negatively related to self‐esteem for both adolescents and young adults, whereas CSW in the domains of academic performance and family support were related to self‐esteem for adolescents but not young adults. This study indicates that CSW is a meaningful and predictive construct for Chinese youth, and that cultural, environmental, and developmental factors may impact the relations between CSW and psychological health.     

Familial caregivers of older adults

Caregivers of older adults face many obstacles as they balance family, career, and caregiving demands. Caregivers are at an increased risk for burden, stress, depression, and a variety of other mental and physical health complications. It is not uncommon for caregivers to receive some form of pharmacological therapy to treat the physical and mental health changes that may occur throughout their caregiving career. However, while pharmacological forms of treatment are invaluable, medications only may not be sufficient to treat the needs of caregivers. As such, geriatric professionals also have a responsibility to intervene with caregivers through psychosocial interventions. This paper provides an overview of caring, a summary of evidence-based psychosocial interventions for family caregivers of older adults, and recommendations for future interventions.     

Predictors of Depression Among Caregivers of Older Adults With Severe Mental Illness

Caregivers of older persons with severe mental illness (SMI) contend with the double challenge of providing assistance related to both the psychiatric condition and older age of their family member. Study explored factors influencing negative psychological outcomes experienced by caregivers (n = 96) of older adults with SMI. One-quarter of caregivers scored at or above the clinical point for depression. Low income, care recipient gender, poor health, problems dealing with care recipient’s symptoms and the interaction of health and problems dealing with symptoms were associated with higher rates of depression. Implications for service provision and future research are discussed.     

公共财政与中国国民收入的高储蓄倾向(英文)

本文将国有企业从“企业部门”中分离出来,与“政府部门”合并为“公共部门”,其储蓄率称为“公共部门储蓄率”;并将非国有企业与居民合并为“私人部门”,其储蓄率称为“私人部门储蓄率”。据此提出的中国高储蓄率的公共财政假说认为：2000年以来中国储蓄率持续高涨,是由政府的赢利性动机及其对公共财政职能产生的挤出效应推动的,并带来了公共支出的不足。结果,居民和非国有企业不得不增加预防性储蓄。利用我国1996--2006年30个省面板实证检验的结果验证了此假说。     

‘Problematising’ Australian policy representations in responses to the physical health of people with mental health disorders

Australia, like other jurisdictions, is recognising the poorer physical health of people with mental health disorders. This paper explores policy responses to this issue through discourse analysis of 22 Australian Federal and State government policy documents published in 2006–2011. The paper utilises Bacchi's ‘what's the problem represented to be?‘ approach to explore policy solutions in relation to the representation of the issue, enabling identification of issues which are not problematised and policy solutions that have not been considered. The poor physical health of people with mental health disorders is attributed in policy to poor lifestyle habits and limited access to monitoring of physical health care. Three policy solutions are offered: collaborative care delivery involving greater use of fee‐for‐service primary care to manage physical health; the monitoring of physical health status by mental health teams; and the promotion of lifestyle change. These solutions fail to address ongoing issues with collaboration between specialist mental health and primary care services. Reliance upon fee‐for‐service primary mental health care may, in fact, reduce rather than increase access to services. The strategies are discussed in light of neoliberal ideals of governance and personhood which are underpinned by informed consumer choice and personal responsibility for health.     

Living Arrangements,Depression, and Health Status Among Elderly Russian-Speaking Immigrants

Abstract

This study examines the relationship between living arrangements, depression, and health status in a community-based sample of 300 elderly Russian-speaking immigrants. Data were collected via a self-administered questionnaire survey method. The questionnaire was designed to investigate various aspects of health, mental health, health services utilization, and health behaviors. A team of bilingual professionals was involved in the construction and translation of the survey instrument. The sample consists of 150 females and 150 males. The respondents' average age was 73.2 years. The regression analysis reveals that elderly Russian-speaking immigrants who live alone are more likely to experience a higher level of depression than those living with others. This relationship remains statistically significant after controlling for age, education, income, ability to speak English, years residing in the United States, gender, and health status. Since health status appears to influence depression, we performed further regression analyses and found that living arrangements had no statistically significant relationship with health status. Health status serves as an intermediate variable between the block of demographic variables and depression. Implications for future research are discussed.     

Parenting style,competence, social network and attachment in mothers with mental illness

Severe mental illnesses (SMIs) can affect parents' ability to provide an adequate environment for their children. Little has been written about the different factors that affect these abilities in individuals with SMI. In this study, we explored a number of relationships that have been found in the literature to be related to parenting styles. Our main hypotheses were that the participants' secure attachment with their parents is positively correlated with high levels of social support; social support is positively correlated with the experience of having good parental competency; lack of parental competency is negatively correlated with problematic parenting styles. This correlational and cross‐sectional study was conducted with 60 mothers with SMI. Results suggest a strong relationship between parental style, sense of parental competency, social support and attachment style of the parent. Negative parental styles were found to be negatively correlated with parental competence. Overactive and hostile parenting styles were found to be correlated with the interviewees' parental overprotecting attachment style. Positive correlations were found between parental competence and high social support. The results of the study may help in developing future multidimensional interventions for parents with SMI, to improve their parenting skills and reduce any negative influence on their offspring.