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Abstract
Purpose
Subjective social status (SSS) reflects individuals’ perceived position in a social hierarchy. Low SSS is associated with several mental health impairments. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to examine if unemployed individuals report lower SSS in Germany (national SSS) and lower SSS in their social community (local SSS) than employed individuals. Moreover, the relationship between unemployment, SSS, and mental health was examined.
Patients and methods
113 unemployed and 1117 employed individuals from a representative German panel provided information on their national and local SSS, their monthly income and their mental health. SSS was assessed with the German version of the MacArthur Scales. Mental health was measured using the mental component scale (MCS) of the SF-12.
Results
Unemployed individuals reported significantly lower national SSS, local SSS and mental health compared to employed participants. Mediational analyses suggest that the negative effect of employment status on mental health was explained via a reduction of national SSS. Local SSS did not mediate the association of employment status and mental health.
Conclusion
Unemployment is associated with lower SSS and reduced mental health. The perceived position relative to others in the country (ie, national SSS) mediates the association between employment status and mental health.
Acknowledgments
An abstract of this paper was presented at the 15th International Congress of Behavioral Medicine as a conference talk with interim findings. The talk’s abstract was published in “Abstracts” in the International Journal of Behavioral Medicine; 2018;25(Suppl 1):1-219; doi:10.1007/s12529-018-9740-1.
Ethical statement
The study is based on an analysis of previously collected and publicly available data. Detailed information on ethical clearance and informed consent given by the participants can be found online (https://www.diw.de/en/soep).
Disclosure
The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.