The relationship between level of education and household income in the justification of political violence in the EU: the moderating effect of poverty at the country level

Several studies show that political violence justification (PVJ) is associated with unfavourable social and economic characteristics such as poor education, low income, and poverty at the national level. However, the mechanisms by which these factors interact remain unclear. This study aims to find out whether poverty at the country level (contextual poverty) moderates the relationship between individuals’ educational level and household income, and PVJ in the European Union (EU). We perform an analysis using a dataset of 15.347 individuals from twelve EU countries who participated in the European Values Survey, 2017. Logistic regressions models with interaction terms were used to analyze factors related to PVJ. Our findings are twofold. First, we find no evidence of educational level and PVJ's relationship in countries with medium levels of contextual poverty. In contrast, in countries with low levels of contextual poverty, individuals with medium educational level were associated with higher PVJ. Second, individuals living in countries with lower levels of contextual poverty and higher household income were associated with higher PVJ. We conclude that more individuals tend to justify political violence in countries with lower contextual poverty levels - individuals with medium educational level and higher household income. To our knowledge, this is the first study to find evidence that education and socioeconomic status may amplify PVJ in the EU

Anxiety, depression, loneliness and social network among middle-aged and older people: longitudinal associations from The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA)

Background Social network, loneliness, generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and major depression disorder (MDD) are interrelated. However, as the directions of these associations are still unclear, we examined them prospectively using community-based data. Methods Data on 5066 adults aged ≥50 years from The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA) were analyzed. Loneliness was assessed through the UCLA loneliness scale. Social integration was measured using the Berkman-Syme Social Network Index. MDD and GAD were assessed with the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI). Logistic regression models were conducted. Results The longitudinal association between experiencing loneliness and higher likelihood of suffering from MDD or GAD two years later is bidirectional but stronger with loneliness as origin, whereas the association between social isolation and higher likelihood of subsequent MDD or GAD as well as those between loneliness and subsequent deterioration of social integration are unidirectional. Conclusion Objective and perceived social isolation independently affect the probability of suffering from MDD or GAD whereas loneliness is a risk factor for the deterioration of social life, which highlights the need to address the subjective factors (such as loneliness) and objective factors (such as social network size) of social isolation in a complementary way in order to improve the mental health of the older adult population

The association of socio-economic status and depression among older adults in Finland, Poland and Spain: a comparative cross-sectional study of distinct measures and pathways

Socioeconomic status, as measured by education, occupation or income, is associated with depression. However, data are lacking on the psychosocial, material and behavioral mediators of these associations. We have examined the association of education, occupation and income with depression and the potential mediations using community-based data. A total of 7,966 older adults were interviewed in Finland, Poland and Spain. The differential associations between depression and SES, mediator variables, country of residence and cofounder variables, such as chronic physical conditions, were assessed through logistic regression models. Meditation analyses were carried out using khb method for Stata 13.1. Education, followed by household income, were the SES indicators most frequently significantly associated with depression. These SES markers, but not occupation, showed an independent effect in this association. Psychosocial factors and loneliness in particular showed the strongest associations with depression among mediator variables. However, material factors and, especially, financial strain had a higher mediating function in the association between SES and depression. Overall, SES markers, chronic conditions and mediation factors were more positive in Finland than in Poland and Spain. Improving psychosocial and material dimensions as well as access to the educational system for older adults might result in a reduction in the prevalence of depression in the general population and particularly among individuals with low SES

Sociodemographic factors associated with changes in successful aging in Spain: A follow-up study

Objective: Successful aging (SA) refers to maintaining well-being in old age. Several definitions or models of SA exist (biomedical, psychosocial, and mixed). We examined the longitudinal association between various SA models and sociodemographic factors, and analyzed the patterns of change within these models. Method: This was a nationally representative follow-up in Spain including 3,625 individuals aged ≥50 years. Some 1,970 individuals were interviewed after 3 years. Linear regression models were used to analyze the survey data. Results: Age, sex, and occupation predicted SA in the biomedical model, while marital status, educational level, and urbanicity predicted SA in the psychosocial model. The remaining models included different sets of these predictors as significant. In the psychosocial model, individuals tended to improve over time but this was not the case in the biomedical model. Conclusion: The biomedical and psychosocial components of SA need to be addressed specifically to achieve the best aging trajectories

The impact of socioeconomic status on the association between biomedical and psychosocial well-being and all-cause mortality in older Spanish adults.

Purpose: The aim of this paper was to analyze the effect of biomedical and psychosocial well-being, based on distinct successful aging models (SA), on time to mortality and determine whether this effect was modified by socioeconomic status (SES) in a nationally representative sample of older Spanish adults. Methods: Data were taken from a 3-year follow-up study with 2,783 participants aged 50 or over. Vital status was ascertained by using national registers or asking participants' relatives. Kaplan-Meier curves were used to estimate the time to death by SES, and levels of biomedical and psychosocial SA. Cox proportional hazard regression models were conducted to explore interactions between SES and SA models while adjusting for gender, age and marital status. Results: Lower levels of SES and biomedical and psychosocial SA were associated with low probability of survival. Only the interaction between SES and biomedical SA was significant. Biomedical SA impacted on mortality rates among individuals with low SES but not on those with medium or high SES, whereas psychosocial SA affected mortality regardless of SES. Conclusions:JC Promoting equal access to health care system and improved psychosocial well-being could be a protective factor against premature mortality in older Spanish adults with low SES

From childhood financial hardship to late-life depression: socioeconomic pathways

Objective: Childhood financial hardship is associated with depression throughout the life course, including older adulthood. However, it is still unclear the extent to which occupation, education level and household income are mediators of this association. We aimed to examine the association between childhood financial hardship and late-life depression, and potential socioeconomic mediators using community-based data. Methods: A nationally representative sample of 3623 non-institutionalized older Spanish adults aged 50+ was used. The associations between childhood financial hardship and depression, socioeconomic mediator variables and confounding variables such as chronic physical conditions, number of close people, and loneliness, were assessed through logistic regression models. Mediation analyses of socioeconomic variables were carried out. Results: Older Spanish adults who experienced a poor childhood financial situation were nine times more likely to obtain a lower level of education than those with a good childhood financial situation, and about three times more likely to suffer from depression. Participants' education level mediated about 35-40% of the association between childhood financial hardship and late-life depression whereas we found no significant mediation effect of household income and occupation skill. Conclusion: Improving access to the educational system during the life course might result in a reduction in the prevalence of depression in the general population of older adults and particularly among individuals with low socioeconomic status

The role of socio-economic status and neighborhood social capital on loneliness among older adults: evidence from the Sant Boi Aging Study

The aim of the present study is to analyze the role of age in the association between socio-economic status (SES) and loneliness as well as the role of neighborhood social capital (NSC) in the association between individual social capital and loneliness

Thirty-day suicidal thoughts and behaviours in the Spanish adult general population during the first wave of the Spain COVID-19 pandemic

To investigate the prevalence of suicidal thoughts and behaviours (STB; i.e. suicidal ideation, plans or attempts) in the Spanish adult general population during the first wave of the Spain coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic (March−July, 2020), and to investigate the individual- and population-level impact of relevant distal and proximal STB risk factor domains. Cross-sectional study design using data from the baseline assessment of an observational cohort study (MIND/COVID project). A nationally representative sample of 3500 non-institutionalised Spanish adults (51.5% female; mean age = 49.6 [ = 17.0]) was taken using dual-frame random digit dialing, stratified for age, sex and geographical area. Professional interviewers carried out computer-assisted telephone interviews (1-30 June 2020). Thirty-day STB was assessed using modified items from the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale. Distal (i.e. pre-pandemic) risk factors included sociodemographic variables, number of physical health conditions and pre-pandemic lifetime mental disorders; proximal (i.e. pandemic) risk factors included current mental disorders and a range of adverse events-experiences related to the pandemic. Logistic regression was used to investigate individual-level associations (odds ratios [OR]) and population-level associations (population attributable risk proportions [PARP]) between risk factors and 30-day STB. All data were weighted using post-stratification survey weights. Estimated prevalence of 30-day STB was 4.5% (1.8% active suicidal ideation; n = 5 [0.1%] suicide attempts). STB was 9.7% among the 34.3% of respondents with pre-pandemic lifetime mental disorders, and 1.8% among the 65.7% without any pre-pandemic lifetime mental disorder. Factors significantly associated with STB were pre-pandemic lifetime mental disorders (total PARP = 49.1%) and current mental disorders (total PARP = 58.4%), i.e. major depressive disorder (OR = 6.0; PARP = 39.2%), generalised anxiety disorder (OR = 5.6; PARP = 36.3%), post-traumatic stress disorder (OR = 4.6; PARP = 26.6%), panic attacks (OR = 6.7; PARP = 36.6%) and alcohol/substance use disorder (OR = 3.3; PARP = 5.9%). Pandemic-related adverse events-experiences associated with STB were lack of social support, interpersonal stress, stress about personal health and about the health of loved ones (PARPs 32.7-42.6%%), and having loved ones infected with COVID-19 (OR = 1.7; PARP = 18.8%). Up to 74.1% of STB is potentially attributable to the joint effects of mental disorders and adverse events−experiences related to the pandemic. STB at the end of the first wave of the Spain COVID-19 pandemic was high, and large proportions of STB are potentially attributable to mental disorders and adverse events−experiences related to the pandemic, including health-related stress, lack of social support and interpersonal stress. There is an urgent need to allocate resources to increase access to adequate mental healthcare, even in times of healthcare system overload. NCT0455656

Loneliness and depression in the elderly: the role of social network

PURPOSE: Loneliness and depression are associated, in particular in older adults. Less is known about the role of social networks in this relationship. The present study analyzes the influence of social networks in the relationship between loneliness and depression in the older adult population in Spain. METHODS: A population-representative sample of 3535 adults aged 50 years and over from Spain was analyzed. Loneliness was assessed by means of the three-item UCLA Loneliness Scale. Social network characteristics were measured using the Berkman-Syme Social Network Index. Major depression in the previous 12 months was assessed with the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI). Logistic regression models were used to analyze the survey data. RESULTS: Feelings of loneliness were more prevalent in women, those who were younger (50-65), single, separated, divorced or widowed, living in a rural setting, with a lower frequency of social interactions and smaller social network, and with major depression. Among people feeling lonely, those with depression were more frequently married and had a small social network. Among those not feeling lonely, depression was associated with being previously married. In depressed people, feelings of loneliness were associated with having a small social network; while among those without depression, feelings of loneliness were associated with being married. CONCLUSION: The type and size of social networks have a role in the relationship between loneliness and depression. Increasing social interaction may be more beneficial than strategies based on improving maladaptive social cognition in loneliness to reduce the prevalence of depression among Spanish older adults

L’impacte de les condicions socials en la salut mental: soledat i depressió en persones grans

[spa] OBJETIVOS: El objeto de estudio son los condicionantes sociales de la depresión en persones mayores y, particularmente, nos ocupamos de la relación entre soledad y depresión. Basándonos en aquellos aspectos que no cuentan con un amplio consenso entre la comunidad científica, nuestros objetivos son: 1.-Evaluar las variables mediadoras en la relación entre estatus socloeconómlco y la probabilidad de sufrir episodios de depresión mayor entre personas mayores. 2.-Analizar las asociaciones longltudinales existentes entre sentimientos de soledad, aislamiento social objetivo y depresión. 3.-Estudiar el rol de los diferentes componentes de las redes sociales en la relación entre soledad y depresión. 4. -Investigar el impacto de la Interacción entre estatus socioeconómico y edad así como entre capital social Individual y capital social colectivo en la probabilidad de sentir soledad. MÉTODOS: Los cuatro artículos que componen la tesis se corresponden con cada uno de los objetivos de ésta y forman parte de diferentes estudios marco: Sant Bol Ageing Study, Collaboratlve Research for Ageing in Europe y The Irish Longitudinal Study of Ageing. Los dos primeros son de diseño transversal y el último, longitudinal. Son estudios que cuentan con muestras probabilísticas de las poblaciones de 50 y más años en diferentes territorios: Sant Boi de Llobregat en el primer caso; en el segundo, Finlandia, Polonia y España y, en el tercero, I rlanda. En todos los casos, la soledad fue evaluada mediante la escala de soledad de la Universidad de Califo rnia-Los Ángeles (UCLA). Las características de las redes sociales se midieron utilizando el índice de redes sociales Berkman -Syme. El trastorno depresivo mayor se evaluó a través de la Entrevista Diagnóstica Internacional Compuesta (CIDI). Se realizaron modelos de regresión logística y análisis de mediación a partir de los cuales pusimos a prueba las diferentes hipótesis planteadas en torno a nuestros objetivos. RESULTADOS: Según los resultados obtenidos en correspondencia con los objetivos planteados: 1.-Cada uno de los componentes tradicionales de estatus socioeconómlco (nivel educativo, ingresos del hogar y ocupación) tienen un efecto independiente en las probabilidades de sufrir depresión durante la vejez y cuentan con diferentes conjuntos de variables mediadoras que contribuyen a la explicación causal de ese efecto. 2.-En referencia a la relación longitudinal entre soledad, aislamiento social objetivo y depresión, aislamiento objetivo y soledad han sido detectados como ca\,lsantes independientes de la depresión. Por otro lado, la soledad ha sido identificada como predictor del aislamiento social objetivo y no a la inve rsa. 3. - La soledad está más fuertemente asociada a la depresión cuando está vinculada al tamaño de la red social que cuando lo está al estado civil o a la falta de una pareja sentimental. 4.- Entr e las personas de so a 60 años, aquellas con un nivel socioeconómlco Inferior tienen más probabilidad de sentir soledad mientras que no existe una relación significativa en este sentido entre las personas de más de 60 años. Por otro lado, el capital social cognitivo solo se relacionó con una menor prevalencia de soledad en áreas de alto capital social estructural. CONCLUSIÓN: A nivel global, los resultados del presente estudio destacan las dificultades de los adultos mayores socialmente aislados para reconstruir o mejorar las características de sus redes sociales, con especial incidencia entre aquellos coo un bajo nivel socioeconómico. Una situación que puede aqravars e progresivamente por los sentimientos de soledad. Todos estos factores -el aislamiento ' social objetivo, los sentimientos de soledad y el estatus socioeconómico-, han resultado ser factores de riesgo independientes y robustos para la depresión en la vejez. De acuerdo con nuestros resultados, en lo que se refiere a la probabilidad de sufrir depresión, la reducción de la prevalencia del aislamiento social a través de la creación de ambientes sociales capaces de paliar los efectos del deterioro de las redes sociales provocado por el paso del tiempo es un desafío al menos tan importante como la reversión de parte de las consecuencias de la depravación material a través de la concesión de ayudas económicas a los más desfavorecidos