Decreasing income inequality and adolescent emotional distress : a population-based case study of Icelandic adolescents 2006-2016

Objectives: In this study, we aim to test whether changes in community income inequality influence adolescent emotional distress. We take advantage of the unique combination of data and history available in Iceland. This affluent welfare society has experienced extreme shifts in income inequality, a...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International Journal of Public Health
Main Authors: Vilhjalmsdottir, Arndis, De Clercq, Bart, Gardarsdottir, Ragna B, Bernburg, Jon Gunnar, Sigfusdottir, Inga Dora
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: 2019
Subjects:
Medicine and Health Sciences
Adolescents
Anxiety
Depression
Neighborhood communities
Income inequality
Change effects
RELATIVE DEPRIVATION
DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS
HEALTH
NEIGHBORHOOD
MULTILEVEL
COMMUNITY
FAMILY
HYPOTHESIS
COUNTRIES
SETTINGS
Iceland
Online Access:https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/8588188
http://hdl.handle.net/1854/LU-8588188
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00038-018-1193-4
https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/8588188/file/8588189
Description
Summary:Objectives: In this study, we aim to test whether changes in community income inequality influence adolescent emotional distress. We take advantage of the unique combination of data and history available in Iceland. This affluent welfare society has experienced extreme shifts in income inequality, allowing us to test whether changes in community income inequality are related to changes in adolescent emotional distress. Methods: Combining adolescent survey data (n=24,107) with tax registry data on 76 neighborhood communities, we used a multilevel approach to model the data as longitudinal in order to test whether changes in community income inequality are related to changes in symptoms of anxiety and depression among adolescents. Results: The results showed that, after adjusting for relevant individual and community covariates, decreases in community income inequality were associated with decreases in symptoms of anxiety among adolescents (b=-0.367, p0.001), but not with decreases in symptoms of depression. Conclusions: While the results provide a partial support for the income inequality thesis, we call for replications from other cultures and studies exploring the mediating role of social psychological processes.

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