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Trajectories of the socioeconomic gradient of mental health: Results from the CLSA COVID-19 Questionnaire Study

Author

Listed:
  • Asada, Yukiko
  • Grignon, Michel
  • Hurley, Jeremiah
  • Stewart, Samuel A.
  • Smith, Nathan K.
  • Kirkland, Susan
  • McMillan, Jacqueline
  • Griffith, Lauren E.
  • Wolfson, Christina
  • Raina, Parminder

Abstract

As the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic prolongs, documenting trajectories of the socioeconomic gradient of mental health is important. We describe changes in the prevalence and absolute and relative income-related inequalities of mental health between April and December 2020 in Canada. We used data from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA) COVID-19 Questionnaire Study and the pre-pandemic CLSA Follow-up 1. We estimated the prevalence proportion, the concentration index (relative inequality), and the generalized concentration index (absolute inequality) for anxiety and self-reported feeling generally unwell at multiple points in April-December 2020, overall, by sex and age group, by region, and among those who reported poor or fair overall health and mental health pre-pandemic. Overall, the prevalence of anxiety remained unchanged (22.45 to 22.10%, p = 0.231), but self-reported feeling generally unwell decreased (9.83 to 5.94%, p = 0.004). Relative and absolute income-related inequalities were unchanged for both anxiety and self-reported feeling generally unwell, with exceptions of an increased concentration of self-reported feeling generally unwell among the poor, measured by the concentration index, overall (-0.054 to -0.115, p = 0.004) and in Ontario (-0.035 to -0.123, p = 0.047) and British Columbia (-0.055 to -0.141, p = 0.044). The COVID-19 pandemic appeared to neither exacerbate nor ameliorate existing income-related inequalities in mental health among older adults in Canada between April and December 2020. Continued monitoring of inequalities is necessary.

Suggested Citation

  • Asada, Yukiko & Grignon, Michel & Hurley, Jeremiah & Stewart, Samuel A. & Smith, Nathan K. & Kirkland, Susan & McMillan, Jacqueline & Griffith, Lauren E. & Wolfson, Christina & Raina, Parminder, 2023. "Trajectories of the socioeconomic gradient of mental health: Results from the CLSA COVID-19 Questionnaire Study," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 131(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:hepoli:v:131:y:2023:i:c:s0168851023000611
    DOI: 10.1016/j.healthpol.2023.104758
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Zajacova, Anna & Jehn, Anthony & Stackhouse, Matthew & Choi, Kate H. & Denice, Patrick & Haan, Michael & Ramos, Howard, 2020. "Mental Health and Economic Concerns from March to May during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Canada," SocArXiv 76me2, Center for Open Science.
    2. Owen O’Donnell & Stephen O’Neill & Tom Van Ourti & Brendan Walsh, 2016. "conindex: Estimation of concentration indices," Stata Journal, StataCorp LP, vol. 16(1), pages 112-138, March.
    3. Eric Vaz, 2021. "COVID-19 in Toronto: A Spatial Exploratory Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(2), pages 1-15, January.
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