Mental Health
Associations Between Economic Hardships and Mental Health Outcomes in Idaho Deborah Taye* Deborah Taye Kailey Belcher J’Neka Claxton Guixiang Zhao Machell Town
Introduction
Economic stability is a key social determinant of health that influences mental health. Idaho’s Division of Public Health has prioritized mental health, making it important to examine the associations between economic stability and mental health outcomes among adults.
Methods
We analyzed data from Idaho’s 2022-2023 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, which included core questions and an optional module for social determinants and health equity, totaling to 12,528 adult participants, aged ≥ 18 years. Weighted prevalences of economic hardship variables (e.g., lost or reduced hours of employment, housing insecurity, experiencing threat to shut off utility services, receiving food stamps or SNAP, and food insecurity) and mental health related variables (e.g., mental stress and frequent mental distress) were estimated by demographic characteristics. Using log-linear regression analyses with robust variance estimator, the adjusted prevalence ratios were used to assess the associations between economic hardships and mental health related variables, adjusting for demographic characteristics.
Results
Prevalence estimates of economic hardship variables ranged from 5.8% (experiencing threat to shut off utility services) to 11.1% (food insecurity) and were generally higher among younger adults and those with less than a high school education. Prevalence estimates of mental stress and frequent mental distress were 14.6% and 14.2% respectively, highest among adults aged 18-34 years, women, those with less than a high school education, those with a household income <$25,000, and unmarried individuals. After adjusting for demographics, individuals reporting economic hardships had 2.1 to 4.0 times higher prevalence of mental stress and 1.7 to 2.6 times higher prevalence of frequent mental distress compared to those without hardships.
Conclusion
Addressing and providing support to those experiencing economic hardships may help improve mental well-being in Idaho.