title: Does the level of wealth inequality within an area influence the prevalence of depression amongst older people?
abstract: This paper considers whether the extent of inequality in house prices within neighbourhoods of England is associated with depressive symptoms in the older population using the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing. We consider two competing hypotheses: first, the wealth inequality hypothesis which proposes that neighbourhood inequality is harmful to health and, second, the mixed neighbourhood hypothesis which suggests that socially mixed neighbourhoods are beneficial for health outcomes. Our results are supportive of the mixed neighbourhood hypothesis, we find a significant association between neighbourhood inequality and depression with lower levels of depression amongst older people in neighbourhoods with greater house price inequality after controlling for individual socio-economic and area correlates of depression. The association between area inequality and depression is strongest for the poorest individuals, but also holds among the most affluent. Our results are in line with research that suggests there are social and health benefits associated with economically mixed communities.
authors.affiliation: CCSR, School of Social Sciences, Humanities Bridgeford Street Building, University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK. Electronic address: alan.marshall@manchester.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Alan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Marshall
authors.affiliation: CCSR, School of Social Sciences, Humanities Bridgeford Street Building, University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK.
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jivraj
authors.affiliation: CCSR, School of Social Sciences, Humanities Bridgeford Street Building, University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK.
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Nazroo
authors.affiliation: Institute for Social Change, School of Social Sciences, Humanities Bridgeford Street Building, University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK.
authors.forename: Gindo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Tampubolon
authors.affiliation: CCSR, School of Social Sciences, Humanities Bridgeford Street Building, University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK.
authors.forename: Bram
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Vanhoutte
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D004739:England / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006798:Housing / Q000191:economics; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors
keywords: Area effects; Depression; Inequality; Mix; Neighbourhood