YOUR MIND OR YOUR MONEY? WHAT WEIGHS MORE?: THE LINK BETWEEN MENTAL HEALTH AND SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS

 

More money, more problems, or is it having no money equals more problems? Ironic isn’t it?

Money can buy happiness, as many people say, while others say, money isn’t everything.

It is often assumed that for those living with large amounts of money, have no problems in life, while those living with small amounts of money have more problems in life and are generally problematic people to deal with.

Some of these troubles and issues that rise up tend to creep up in our social environments and somewhat define what certain “problems” or “stresses” are acceptable in which social classes.

A good example can be the effect of the COVID-19 on the socioeconomic status of several people who lost jobs, had to change occupations and even regions they called home. These changes significantly cause various challenging thoughts and emotions which result in varied behavior.

However, do we have to be all rich to feel relieved?

It can be hard to say when not everyone earns the same amount of income and live the similar lifestyles. Therefore, what ways does our socioeconomic status affect our mental health?

 

Impact of socioeconomic status on mental health

Mental health is present in all of us, just like our physical health. In our physical health, we could be vulnerable to bacteria that makes us ill or an injury that happens when we fall badly down the stairs. Our mental health is vulnerable to facing stress which affects how we think and behave, or challenging situations such as facing loss, which impacts our emotions.

However, how we experience our mental health varies on factors such as our environment and genetics. One of the factors that are able to affect or has a link to the quality of our mental health involves our socioeconomic status or social class.

Main areas socioeconomic status affects mental health

Socioeconomic status refers to the level in which someone fits into society, which includes and is measured by their income, education level and occupation. Various populations live under varying degrees of socioeconomic status.

 

Some of these varying degrees present different qualities of life for individuals. The effects or impact of the degree of socioeconomic status, may include financial strain, access to health care and poverty and adverse living conditions. However, it may appear differently depending on the people or groups such as:

Mental health of individuals: With varying degrees of income, education and occupation, this can affect an individual’s day to day life, which include being able to cover their living costs. The level of education is closely linked with the type of occupation individuals can acquire, which affects their level of income.

 

The lack of the ability to ensure living costs are met can lead to significant stress which can easily lead to depression, anxiety or substance abuse in individuals. Severe cases can lead to need for hospitalization or emergency care.

 

A higher socioeconomic status may suppose a higher quality of life where basic needs are met and other resources to afford other needs. The ability to acquire mental healthcare services can therefore come easily as well as maintain a higher quality of life consistently. On the other hand, a lower socioeconomic status may suggest a lack of ability to access mental healthcare services due to prioritization of basic needs and inability to afford mental healthcare consistently.

 

However, it is to be understood that, not only can the varying degrees of socioeconomic status in terms of incomes affect the quality of life and bring about mental health conditions. It can also worsen already existing conditions in individuals living with mental disorders, which can lead to the severity of symptoms by lacking the ability to acquire adequate care for patients living with mental disorders.

 

Mental health within families: Apart from having the ability to access to necessities for day to day living, in regards to their socioeconomic status, families face a variety of issues in terms of socioeconomic impact on their mental health.

 

The lack of necessities can cause improper education or presence in schools for children, which leads people at a young age lacking skills to gain income as well as being vulnerable to unethical ways of earning money and manipulation. This could lead to development of trauma which hinders experiencing proper psychological growth and have to contend with harsh living conditions at a young age.

 

The imbalance in lifestyle due to a low socioeconomic status may lead to aspects of domestic violence between parents out of the stress, depression or anxiety experienced. This could negatively affect the environment in which children are raised, leading to children running away from home and opening themselves to the world without caregivers, which makes them vulnerable to possible drug addiction and physical or sexual assault.

 

Families with high socioeconomic status, tend to be able to attend to their needs much easier and have relatively, stable growth and development patterns, therefore life stressors are easily manageable, leading to better mental health outcomes. However, other aspects such as pressure to maintain social status for the purposes of their image in society, can lead to significant mental health issues.

 

Role of social support

 

As mentioned, not everyone lives in the same socioeconomic status and therefore not everyone can have the ability to attend or make sure the quality of life doesn’t hinder their mental health. At times, we are unable to choose or decide the socioeconomic status we end up, and likewise, situations of life can make us shuffle in the various degrees of socioeconomic status. Therefore, being at either high or low socioeconomic status, can be finite and to ensure people’s mental health is at its optimum, this is where the role of social support comes in.

 

Some of the ways in which social support aids in helping those unable to provide themselves a lifestyle or access to ensure proper mental health includes:

 

Mental health education and awareness: Through mental health workshops and seminars in various communities and regions, individuals and families are empowered by being able to learn more about mental disorders and being able to manage them. This becomes important as they could be stigmas that lead to them being socially isolated and misunderstood and therefore lack adequate care.

 

Other programs are also developed to ensure some families are able to attain proper education which enables them to be more aware on how to create livings for themselves, and matters closer to mental health. Apart from helping, with access to education programs, and mental health education, they look to assist with accessibility to affordable healthcare and resources to help themselves get adequate mental healthcare.

 

Conclusion

 

Mental health is something that is important for everyone in the world and its maintenance helps bringing about better quality of lifestyles. However, in a more practical scenario, not everyone lives the same lifestyle and this can impact the mental health of individuals.

 

Depending on the socioeconomic status of individuals, the access towards resources to ensure proper mental health can vary where some may need help and others are able to empower themselves and those around them.

 

Through all of this, it is important to ensure that society is properly informed about mental health and mental disorders, to empower themselves to properly or adequately with situations they find themselves which regard their mental health and those of others.

As for you, what ways can we make people not tied to their socioeconomic status in terms of mental health?

 

 

References

https://psyclarityhealth.com/how-socioeconomic-status-affects-mental-health/

https://www.apa.org/topics/socioeconomic-status