Socio-economic position and common mental disorders - Longitudinal study in the general population in the UK

Background: Individuals in lower socio-economic groups have an increased prevalence of common mental disorders. Aims: To investigate the longitudinal association between socio-economic position and common mental disorders in a general population sample in the UK. Method: Participants (n=2406) were assessed at two time points 18 months apart with the Revised Clinical Interview Schedule. The sample was stratified into two cohorts according to mental health status at baseline. Results: None of the socio-economic indicators studied was significantly associated with an episode of common mental disorder at follow-up after adjusting for baseline psychiatric morbidity. The analysis of separate diagnostic categories showed that subjective financial difficulties at baseline were independently associated with depression at follow-up in both cohorts. Conclusions: These findings support the view that apart from objective measures of socio-economic position, more subjective measures might be equally important from an aetiological or clinical perspective. Declaration of interest: None.