depression_Veer_RS.jpg "Depression linked to socioeconomic standing")
A new analysis of a long-term study confirms a link between low socioeconomic standing and a greater likelihood of risk for persistent depression.
Credit: Veer
PARIS: Persistent, long-term depression may be directly linked to a person's socioeconomic status, especially if they're on the lower-end of the spectrum, a new study suggests.
The new analysis by a team of French and British researchers was published this week in the journal Molecular Psychiatry and shows that people in lower socio-economic groups have a higher risk of depression, and endure the illness for longer periods, than those at the top of the social ladder.
The research suggests that efforts to reduce the burden of depression should address the mental health needs of the entire population and not just high-risk groups, as is currently the case in most countries.
"We observed a socio-economic 'gradient' with regard to depression," said leader author Maria Melchior, a psychiatrist with the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research (INSERM).
"Compared to managers who are at the top of the ladder, all other socio-economic groups have an elevated risk of depression and particularly lasting depression and the lower the social grade, the higher the depression risk," she added.
Earnings and education matter
Each year, up to 7% of the population in developed countries will suffer from depression and an estimated 30 to 50% of this number will have long-term depression, she said.
Previous research has shown that people with a lower social status are more likely to be depressed and that such depression can lead to heart disease and other serious illnesses. Social status is measured by how educated a person is, the type of job they do and how much they earn.
However, it was not clear from these earlier studies whether socio-economic factors were responsible for long-lasting, persistent depression.
This is because the studies were either too short-term (less than seven years long) or concentrated on individuals that were already depressed at the start of the study.
What is more, these analyses did not consider women and men separately, even though it is now known that men and women are not equal when it comes to depression either.
Accounting for everything
Melchior and colleagues analysed data for 20,000 individuals taking part in the French GAZEL cohort study - an ongoing epidemiological study set up in 1989. Employees working for France's national gas and electricity company anonymously fill out annual questionnaires concerning health and lifestyle.
The researchers examined the link between socio-economic position - as defined by occupational grade in the company - and depression in the workers.
Occupational grade is coded by France's national job classification as one of the following: "low" (manual worker or clerk), "intermediate" (administrative professional or technician) and "high" (manager).
The team also took into account other factors, such as a person's age, their sex, whether they were married or not, whether they had recently suffered a major negative event in their lives, and whether they smoked and drank alcohol beyond recommended limits.
Body weight index, as well as pre-existing psychological and physical health problems were considered too.
