Abstract
Objectives
To investigate whether intergenerational mobility in education and income are associated with levels of psychological distress in Canada, a context in which rates of intergenerational mobility are higher than those of the United States but lower than those of Nordic countries.
Methods
The data came from the Longitudinal and International Study of Adults (LISA) linked to tax records from the Canada Revenue Agency (N = 4100). Diagonal reference models were used to investigate whether educational mobility and income mobility were associated with levels of psychological distress in adulthood as assessed by the Kessler (K-10) scale. The models controlled for sociodemographic characteristics and were stratified by gender.
Results
Although we did not find that mobility in general was associated with greater levels of psychological distress, we found that downward educational mobility in particular corresponded to higher levels of psychological distress (b = 0.15 with 95% CI = 0.00, 0.31) among men.
Conclusion
Overall, we found no strong evidence that social mobility in general is impactful for levels of psychological distress, but downward educational mobility in particular may have negative consequences for the mental health of men. In addition, a notable gradient between income and psychological distress in adulthood was observed for both women and men.
Résumé
Objectifs
Étudier dans quelle(s) mesure(s) la mobilité intergénérationnelle en matière d’éducation et de revenu est associée aux niveaux de détresse psychologique au Canada, dans un contexte où les taux de mobilité intergénérationnelle sont plus élevés qu’aux États-Unis, mais plus faibles que dans les pays nordiques.
Méthodes
Les données proviennent de l’Étude longitudinale et internationale des adultes (ELIA) reliée aux dossiers fiscaux de l’Agence du revenu du Canada (N = 4 100). Des modèles de référence diagonaux ont été utilisés pour déterminer si la mobilité éducationnelle et la mobilité des revenus étaient associées aux niveaux de détresse psychologique à l’âge adulte, tels qu’évalués par l’échelle de Kessler (K-10). Les modèles ont tenu compte des caractéristiques sociodémographiques et ont été stratifiés en fonction du genre.
Résultats
Bien que nous n’ayons pas trouvé que la mobilité en général était associée à des niveaux plus élevés de détresse psychologique, nous avons trouvé que la mobilité éducationnelle descendante correspondait à des niveaux plus élevés de détresse psychologique (b = 0,15 avec IC 95% = 0,00, 0,31) chez les hommes.
Conclusion
Dans l’ensemble, nous n’avons pas trouvé de preuves solides que la mobilité sociale en général a un impact sur les niveaux de détresse psychologique, mais la mobilité éducationnelle descendante en particulier peut avoir des conséquences négatives sur la santé mentale des hommes. En outre, un gradient notable entre le revenu et la détresse psychologique à l’âge adulte a été observé tant chez les femmes que chez les hommes.
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Availability of data and material
The data came from the Longitudinal and International Study of Adults (LISA) linked to T1 Family Files from the Canada Revenue Agency. Data are available in the Research Data Centres (RDC) in 33 universities across Canada for researchers who meet the criteria for access to confidential data. Statistical analyses were conducted at the UBC-RDC.
Code availability
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Acknowledgements
This article is based on chapter 5 of Vanzella Yang’s (2022) doctoral dissertation, titled “Socioeconomic resources and adult mental health in Canada,” which can be accessed on UBC Library’s Open Collections (Theses and Dissertations): Vanzella Yang, A. P. (2022). Socioeconomic resources and adult mental health in Canada. https://dx.doi.org/10.14288/1.0416260
Funding
This research was supported by a Joseph-Armand Bombardier Canada Graduate Scholarship awarded to AVY and an Insight Grant awarded to GV, both from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC). Currently, AVY is supported by a SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellowship (#756–2022-0048).
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Both authors contributed to the study conception and design. Vanzella-Yang conducted statistical analyses and wrote the original draft. Both authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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Vanzella-Yang, A., Veenstra, G. Social mobility and mental health in Canada. Can J Public Health 115, 148–156 (2024). https://doi.org/10.17269/s41997-023-00818-w
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.17269/s41997-023-00818-w