title: Welfare state regimes, gender, and depression: a multilevel analysis of middle and high income countries.
abstract: Using the 2002 World Health Survey, we examine the association between welfare state regimes, gender and mental health among 26 countries classified into seven distinct regimes: Conservative, Southeast Asian, Eastern European, Latin American, Liberal, Southern/Ex-dictatorship, and Social Democratic. A two-level hierarchical model found that the odds of experiencing a brief depressive episode in the last 12 months was significantly higher for Southern/Ex- dictatorship countries than for Southeast Asian (odds ratio (OR) = 0.12, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.05-0.27) and Eastern European (OR = 0.36, 95% CI 0.22-0.58) regimes after controlling for gender, age, education, marital status, and economic development. In adjusted interaction models, compared to Southern/Ex-dictatorship males (reference category), the odds ratios of depression were significantly lower among Southeast Asian males (OR = 0.16, 95% CI 0.08-0.34) and females (OR = 0.23, 95% CI 0.10-0.53) and Eastern European males (OR = 0.41, 95% CI 0.26-0.63) and significantly higher among females in Liberal (OR = 2.00, 95% CI 1.14-3.49) and Southern (OR = 2.42, 95% CI 1.86-3.15) regimes. Our results highlight the importance of incorporating middle-income countries into comparative welfare regime research and testing for interactions between welfare regimes and gender on mental health.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Care Management, Korea University, Seoul 136-703, Korea. hpolicy@korea.ac.kr
authors.forename: Haejoo
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.forename: Edwin
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ng
authors.forename: Selahadin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ibrahim
authors.forename: Björn
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Karlsson
authors.forename: Joan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Benach
authors.forename: Albert
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Espelt
authors.forename: Carles
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Muntaner
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000191:economics* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D014943:Global Health / Q000191:economics*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009313:National Health Programs / Q000191:economics*; D016017:Odds Ratio; D012307:Risk Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D055815:Young Adult
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