The Buffering Role of the Welfare State on SES differences in Depression

• In Event: 570 - Regular Session. Mental Health: Economic and Education Antecedents

Abstract

Using survey data taken from two rounds (2006 and 2012) of the European Social Survey (ESS) (N=60, 636) combined with national level statistics from various sources, this paper explores how the relationship between socioeconomic status and depression is modified by welfare state generosity. This paper addresses previous conceptualizations of the welfare state, namely the welfare regime method, to suggest the collapsing of country variation into regime types present a limitation in understanding distinctions within regimes and across specific policy areas amongst regimes. As such, this paper contributes a methodological discussion of the welfare state and mental health, arguing for the utilization of the expenditure method (%GDP) to explore the impact of the welfare state on the distribution of depression within a country. The paper explores both social investment and social protection spending to illuminate how country level resources shape individual level differences in depression. The paper moves on to explore distinct policy areas within social protection spending to identify the broad contextual mechanisms that shape population patterns of depression. Evidence supporting the utilizing the expenditure approach is found as findings suggests that welfare states that invest more in both social investment and social protection moderate the effect of SES on depression.

Authors

• Matthew Parbst, University of Toronto

• Blair Wheaton, University of Toronto