Poverty and common mental disorders in low and middle income countries: A systematic review

By C. Lund, Alison Breen, A. Flisher, R. Kakuma, J. Corrigall, J. Joska, L. Swartz, Vikram Patel. Social Science & Medicine (1967), 2010

1,294 citations recorded by the source corpus.

In spite of high levels of poverty in low and middle income countries (LMIC), and the high burden posed by common mental disorders (CMD), it is only in the last two decades that research has emerged that empirically addresses the relationship between poverty and CMD in these countries. We conducted a systematic review of the epidemiological literature in LMIC, with the aim of examining this relationship. Of 115 studies that were reviewed, most reported positive associations between a range of poverty indicators and CMD. In community-based studies, 73% and 79% of studies reported positive associations between a variety of poverty measures and CMD, 19% and 15% reported null associations and 8% and 6% reported negative associations, using bivariate and multivariate analyses respectively. However, closer examination of specific poverty dimensions revealed a complex picture, in which there was substantial variation between these dimensions. While variables such as education, food insecurity, housing, social class, socio-economic status and financial stress exhibit a relatively consistent and strong association with CMD, others such as income, employment and particularly consumption are more equivocal. There are several measurement and population factors that may explain variation in the strength of the relationship between poverty and CMD. By presenting a systematic review of the literature, this paper attempts to shift the debate from questions about whether poverty is associated with CMD in LMIC, to questions about which particular dimensions of poverty carry the strongest (or weakest) association. The relatively consistent association between CMD and a variety of poverty dimensions in LMIC serves to strengthen the case for the inclusion of mental health on the agenda of development agencies and in international targets such as the millenium development goals.

Subfields: General Health Professions, Health, Social Psychology

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/6a599c712b601b1f3fa390d43f68b6d88cf0a51c

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Citations in the corpus

The social determinants of mental health and disorder: evidence, prevention and recommendations (2024, background): “One limitation of this approach is that the major ity of the evidence we draw from – though by no means all e.g.,42 – comes from highincome countries (HICs) in the Global North.”
Best Practices in Conceptualizing and Measuring Social Class in Psychological Research (2013, background): “An (Overly) Brief Review: Social Class and Key Psychological Domains Scholars have established linkages between social class and a variety of important psychological domains, including but not limited to: mental health disorders in children (Evans, 2004) and adults (Lund et al., 2010), substance abu”
Living Arrangements of the Elderly in China and Consequences for Their Emotional Well-being (2015, positive): “The negative effects of poverty on emotional well-being have been clearly documented in many nations (Lorant et al. 2003; Lund et al. 2010; Lynch et al. 1997; Patel et al. 1999; Patel and Kleinman 2003).”
Social determinants of mental health (2014, neutral): “Of 115 studies reviewed, more than 70% reported clear and positive associations between poverty and common mental disorders (Lund et al., 2010).”
A Mixed-Method Review of Cash Transfers and Intimate Partner Violence in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (2018, background): “On one hand, poverty is a risk factor for poor mental health and mental disorders though malnutrition, stress, substance abuse, social exclusion and exposure to trauma and violence (the social causation hypothesis), while on the other, poor mental health increases risk of poverty due to increased he”
Gender Socialization: Differences between Male and Female Youth in India and Associations with Mental Health (2014, result): “Although not the focus of this study, results also affirm sociodemographic characteristics including caste and wealth quintiles as predictors of mental health [21].”
The Lancet Commission on global mental health and sustainable development. (2018, background): “16 These com plex, multidirectional pathways led to a vicious cycle of dis advantage and mental disorders and suggest a crucial role for mental disorders in the intergenerational trans mission of poverty.”