The following is a summary of “Cumulative inequality in social determinants of health in relation to depression symptom: An analysis of nationwide cross-sectional data from U.S. NHANES 2005–2018,” published in the June 2024 issue of Psychiatry by Liang et al.

Researchers conducted a retrospective study exploring if multiple unfavorable social determinants of health (SDoH) relate to mental health issues like depression.

They used data from the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey spanning 2005 to 2018 to analyze self-reported SDoH according to Healthy People 2030 criteria. Depression symptoms were measured using the Patient Health Questionnaire in a sample of 30,762 participants, 49.2% of whom were male, representing 1,392 million non-institutionalized U.S. adults. About 2,675 (8.7%) showed depression symptoms. 

The results showed a significant link between unfavorable SDoH and depression symptoms. People facing multiple unfavorable SDoHs were more likely to have depression symptoms (P for trend <0.001). For example, participants with six or more unfavorable SDoHs had a much higher likelihood of depression symptoms (AOR=3.537, 95% CI: 1.781-7.075, P-value <0.001).

Investigators concluded that the findings underscore the increased risk of depression symptoms when individuals are exposed to multiple SDoHs, emphasizing the importance of addressing these social factors in mental health care. 

Source: sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0165178124001793