Faculty Collaboration Database

Socioeconomic status and depressive symptoms: An individual-participant data meta-analysis on range restriction and measurement in the United States. J Affect Disord 2022 Oct 01;314:50-58

Date

07/08/2022

Pubmed ID

35798179

Pubmed Central ID

PMC10947555

DOI

10.1016/j.jad.2022.06.090

Scopus ID

2-s2.0-85133788469 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site)   7 Citations

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: The association between socioeconomic status (SES) and depressive symptoms is well documented, yet less attention has been paid to the methodological factors contributing to between-study variability. We examined the moderating role of range restriction and the depressive-symptom measurement instrument used in estimating the correlation between components of SES and depressive symptoms.

METHODS: We conducted an individual participant data meta-analysis of nationally-representative, public-access datasets in the United States. We identified 123 individual datasets with a total of 1,655,991 participants (56.8 % female, mean age = 40.33).

RESULTS: The presence of range restriction was associated with larger correlations between income and depressive symptoms and with smaller correlations between years of education and depressive symptoms. The measurement instrument of depressive symptoms moderated the association for income, years of education, and occupational status/prestige. The Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression scale consistently produced larger correlations. Higher measurement reliability was also associated with larger correlations.

LIMITATIONS: This study was not a comprehensive review of all measurement instruments of depressive symptoms, focused on datasets from the United States, and did not examine the moderating role of sample characteristics.

DISCUSSION: Methodological characteristics, including range restriction of SES and instrument of depressive symptoms, meaningfully influence the observed magnitude of association between SES and depressive symptoms. Clinicians and researchers designing future studies should consider which instrument of depressive symptoms is suitable for their purpose and population.

Author List

Korous KM, Bradley RH, Luthar SS, Li L, Levy R, Cahill KM, Rogers CR

MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold

Adult
Depression
Educational Status
Female
Humans
Income
Male
Reproducibility of Results
Social Class
United States