Electronic versions

  • Farid Najafi
    Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences
  • Yahya Pasdar
    Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences
  • Behzad Karami Matin
    Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences
  • Satar Rezaei
    Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences
  • Ali Kazemi Karyani
    Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences
  • Shahin Soltani
    Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences
  • Moslem Soofi
    Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences
  • Shahab Rezaeian
    Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences
  • Alireza Zangeneh
    Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences
  • Mehdi Moradinazar
    Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences
  • Behrooz Hamzeh
    Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences
  • Zahra Jorjoran Shushtari
    University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran
  • Mansour Sajjadipour
    Tehran University of Medical Sciences
  • Saeid Eslami
    Faculty of Medical Sciences, Islamic Azad University, Mashhad Branch, Mashhad, Razavi Khorasan, Iran
  • Maryam Khosrojerdi
    Sabzevar university of medical sciences
  • Sahar Shabestari
    Zahedan University of Medical Sciences
  • Amir Houshang Mehrparvar
    Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences
  • Zahra Kashi
    Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences
  • Azim Nejatizadeh
    Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences
  • Mohammadreza Naghipour
    Guilan University of medical sciences
  • Shahrokh Sadeghi Boogar
    Shiraz university of medical sciences
  • Ali Fakhari
    Tabriz University of Medical Sciences
  • Bahman Cheraghian
    Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Iran
  • Haydeh Heidari
    Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences
  • Parviz Molavi
    Ardabil University of Medical Sciences
  • Mohammad Hajizadeh
    Dalhousie University, Halifax
  • Yahya Salimi
    Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences
Background
Socioeconomic inequality in mental health in Iran is poorly understood. This study aimed to assess socioeconomic inequality in poor mental health among Iranian adults.

Methods
The study used the baseline data of PERSIAN cohort study including 131,813 participants from 17 geographically distinct areas of Iran. The Erreygers Concentration index (E) was used to quantify the socioeconomic inequalities in poor mental health. Moreover, we decomposed the E to identify factors contributing to the observed socioeconomic inequality in poor mental health in Iran.

Results
The estimated E for poor mental health was − 0.012 (95% CI: − 0.0144, − 0.0089), indicating slightly higher concentration of mental health problem among socioeconomically disadvantaged adults in Iran. Socioeconomic inequality in poor mental health was mainly explained by gender (19.93%) and age (12.70%). Region, SES itself, and physical activity were other important factors that contributed to the concentration of poor mental health among adults with low socioeconomic status.

Conclusion
There exists nearly equitable distribution in poor mental health among Iranian adults, but with important variations by gender, SES, and geography. These results suggested that interventional programs in Iran should focus on should focus more on socioeconomically disadvantaged people as a whole, with particular attention to the needs of women and those living in more socially disadvantaged regions.

Keywords

  • Adult, Cohort Studies, Female, Humans, Iran/epidemiology, Male, Mental Health/economics, Sex Factors, Social Class, Socioeconomic Factors, Surveys and Questionnaires
Original languageEnglish
Article number229
Number of pages11
JournalBMC Psychiatry
Volume20
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 13 May 2020
Externally publishedYes
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