TY - JOUR
T1 - Status inconsistency and mental health
T2 - A random effects and instrumental variables analysis using 14 annual waves of cohort data
AU - Milner, Allison
AU - Aitken, Zoe
AU - Kavanagh, Anne M
AU - LaMontagne, Anthony D.
AU - Petrie, Dennis
PY - 2017/9/1
Y1 - 2017/9/1
N2 - Status inconsistency refers to a discrepancy between the position a person holds in one domain of their social environment comparative to their position in another domain. For example, the experience of being overeducated for a job, or not using your skills in your job. We sought to assess the relationship between status inconsistency and mental health using 14 annual waves of cohort data. We used two approaches to measuring status inconsistency: 1) being overeducated for your job (objective measure); and b) not using your skills in your job (subjective measure). We implemented a number of methodological approaches to assess the robustness of our findings, including instrumental variable, random effects, and fixed effects analysis. Mental health was assessed using the Mental Health Inventory-5. The random effects analysis indicates that only the subjective measure of status inconsistency was associated with a slight decrease in mental health (β−1.57, 95% −1.78 to −1.36, p < 0.001). This size of these coefficients was maintained in the instrumental variable analysis. We suggest that status inconsistency might explain some of the relationship between social determinants (such as work and education) and health outcomes.
AB - Status inconsistency refers to a discrepancy between the position a person holds in one domain of their social environment comparative to their position in another domain. For example, the experience of being overeducated for a job, or not using your skills in your job. We sought to assess the relationship between status inconsistency and mental health using 14 annual waves of cohort data. We used two approaches to measuring status inconsistency: 1) being overeducated for your job (objective measure); and b) not using your skills in your job (subjective measure). We implemented a number of methodological approaches to assess the robustness of our findings, including instrumental variable, random effects, and fixed effects analysis. Mental health was assessed using the Mental Health Inventory-5. The random effects analysis indicates that only the subjective measure of status inconsistency was associated with a slight decrease in mental health (β−1.57, 95% −1.78 to −1.36, p < 0.001). This size of these coefficients was maintained in the instrumental variable analysis. We suggest that status inconsistency might explain some of the relationship between social determinants (such as work and education) and health outcomes.
KW - Education
KW - Job stressors
KW - Mental health
KW - Occupation
KW - Social status
KW - Socio-economic
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85026853253&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.socscimed.2017.08.001
DO - 10.1016/j.socscimed.2017.08.001
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85026853253
VL - 189
SP - 129
EP - 137
JO - Social Science & Medicine
JF - Social Science & Medicine
SN - 0277-9536
ER -