Socioeconomic Status

Socioeconomic status (SES) broadly refers to one’s relative position in a hierarchy of a valued socioeconomic attribute. Although there is no consensus on a single definition of SES, SES is conceptualized in terms of various factors (e.g., education, income, occupational status) whose relative importance varies depending on the context in which SES is being studied. At the individual (i.e., person) level, low SES is associated with increased risk across a wide range of psychopathology. Lower educational attainment, lower income, and poor occupational status (i.e., unemployment or occupational disability) are associated with higher psychiatric morbidity and co-occurring medical and mental health conditions. Various dimensions of SES are also related to the age of onset, persistence, and trajectory of mental health problems. Thus, this entry focuses ...

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