Ploubidis, George and Grundy, Emily 
ORCID: 0000-0002-9633-1116
(2009)
Later-life mental health in Europe: a country-level comparison.
Journals of Gerontology - Series B Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 64B (5).
pp. 666-676.
ISSN 1079-5014
Abstract
Objectives: To investigate the influence of country of residence on depression and well-being among older Europeans, after establishing the between-country measurement invariance of both constructs. Methods: We used data from a cross-sectional nationally representative population-based sample of older Europeans, the Survey of Health, Ageing, and Retirement in Europe (SHARE). The analysis sample comprised 13,498 older Europeans from nine countries. The EURO-D was used to measure depression, and a well-being outcome was derived from self-report items available in SHARE. The between-country measurement invariance of both mental health outcomes was established using modern psychometric modeling techniques. Results: After adjustment for demographic characteristics and the presence of chronic illness, Spain was the country scoring highest on depression and Denmark highest on well-being. Optimal mental health was associated with higher educational attainment and being married. Discussion: There is considerable between-country heterogeneity in later-life mental health in Europe. The Scandinavian countries, the Netherlands, and Austria, do best (low depression/high well-being), followed by Germany and France, whereas residents of Spain, Italy, and Greece report the worst mental health.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Official URL: | http://psychsocgerontology.oxfordjournals.org/ |
| Additional Information: | © 2009 The Authors, The Gerontological Society of America |
| Divisions: | Social Policy Lifecourse, Ageing & Population Health |
| Subjects: | H Social Sciences > HM Sociology H Social Sciences > HN Social history and conditions. Social problems. Social reform R Medicine > RA Public aspects of medicine |
| Date Deposited: | 28 Oct 2013 14:29 |
| Last Modified: | 12 Apr 2024 20:09 |
| URI: | http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/53824 |
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