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Socioeconomic Inequality in Mental Health Disorders: A Cross-Sectional Study From the Tehran University of Medical Sciences Employees’ Cohort Study Publisher Pubmed



Ghorbani S1 ; Ghavidel F1 ; Abdollahi S1 ; Zarepour P1 ; Dehestani F1 ; Saatchi M2, 3 ; Pouragha H4, 5 ; Baigi V1, 6
Authors
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Authors Affiliations
  1. 1. Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
  2. 2. Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran
  3. 3. Iranian Research Center on Aging, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran
  4. 4. Department of Environmental Engineering, MehrAlborz University (MAU), Tehran, Iran
  5. 5. Center for Research on Occupational Diseases, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
  6. 6. Sina Trauma and Surgery Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

Source: Scientific Reports Published:2025


Abstract

Understanding socioeconomic inequalities in health helps identify vulnerable groups and guide targeted interventions. Mental health disorders significantly affect well-being and productivity. This study assessed the prevalence and socioeconomic inequalities in depression, anxiety, and stress among employees of the Tehran University of Medical Sciences. This cross-sectional study analyzed data from the Tehran University of Medical Sciences Employees’ Cohort (TEC) baseline phase, comprising 4,442 individuals. The Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale-42 (DASS-42) was utilized to measure mental health disorders. Education level and wealth index were considered as socioeconomic indicators. The Slope Index of Inequality (SII) and the Relative Index of Inequality (RII) were employed to estimate socioeconomic inequality. The age-adjusted prevalence of depression, anxiety, and stress was 8.7%, 8.6%, and 11.5%, respectively. The relative wealth-related inequality analysis revealed that, after adjusting for age, sex, marital status, and education level, the prevalence of depression, anxiety, and stress in the lowest wealth index was 2.54, 2.89, and 1.65 times higher than in the highest wealth index, respectively. Additionally, the relative education-related inequality analysis indicated that, adjusted for age, sex, marital status, and wealth index, individuals with primary education or no formal education had 2.58, 2.99, and 2.14 times higher prevalence of depression, anxiety, and stress compared to those with a doctoral degree, respectively. Significant disparities in the prevalence of mental health disorders were found across educational and wealth index levels. Targeted interventions and policies should aim to achieve and sustain long-term benefits for vulnerable and disadvantaged groups. © The Author(s) 2025.
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