title: Neo-Marxian social class inequalities in the mental well-being of employed men and women: the role of European welfare regimes.
abstract: The relation between "neo-Marxian" social class (NMSC) and health in the working population has received considerable attention in public health research. However, less is known about the distribution of mental well-being according to NMSC in a European context. The objectives of this study are (i) to analyse the association of mental well-being and NMSC among employees in Europe (using a welfare regime typology), (ii) to investigate whether the relation between NMSC and mental well-being is the same in women compared to men within each welfare regime, and (iii) to examine within each welfare regime the role of the gender division of labour and job quality as potential mediating factors in explaining this association. Data from the European Social Survey Round 5 (2010) were analysed. Mental well-being was assessed by the WHO Well-being Index. Social class was measured through E.O. Wright's social class scheme. Models separated by sex were generated using Poisson regression with a robust error variance. The associations were presented as prevalence ratios with 95% confidence intervals. Women reported NMSC differences in mental well-being in State corporatist/family support and Southern welfare regimes. Men reported NMSC differences in mental well-being in all but the Basic security/market-oriented welfare regimes. Gender inequalities were more marked and widespread in Basic security/market-oriented welfare regimes. In all welfare regimes job quality (partly) explained NMSC inequalities in mental well-being for men, the role of the gender division of labour was unclear. This study showed that the relationship between NMSC and mental well-being among employees differs by gender and welfare regimes. It confirms the importance of NMSC and welfare regimes to explain gender and social class inequalities in mental well-being.
authors.affiliation: Interface Demography, Department of Sociology, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, 1050 Brussel, Belgium. Electronic address: ddemoort@vub.ac.be.
authors.forename: Deborah
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: De Moortel
authors.affiliation: CIBER de Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Melchor Fernández Almagro 3-5, 28029 Madrid, Spain; Agència de Salut Pública de Barcelona, Plaça Lesseps 1, 08023 Barcelona, Spain; Institut d'Investigació Biomèdica Sant Pau (IIB Sant Pau), Sant Antoni Maria Claret 167, 08025 Barcelona, Spain. Electronic address: lpalenci@aspb.cat.
authors.forename: Laia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Palència
authors.affiliation: CIBER de Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Melchor Fernández Almagro 3-5, 28029 Madrid, Spain; Agència de Salut Pública de Barcelona, Plaça Lesseps 1, 08023 Barcelona, Spain; Institut d'Investigació Biomèdica Sant Pau (IIB Sant Pau), Sant Antoni Maria Claret 167, 08025 Barcelona, Spain; Department of Experimental and Health Sciences, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Plaça de la Mercè 10-12, 08002 Barcelona, Spain. Electronic address: lartazco@aspb.cat.
authors.forename: Lucía
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Artazcoz
authors.affiliation: CIBER de Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Melchor Fernández Almagro 3-5, 28029 Madrid, Spain; Agència de Salut Pública de Barcelona, Plaça Lesseps 1, 08023 Barcelona, Spain; Institut d'Investigació Biomèdica Sant Pau (IIB Sant Pau), Sant Antoni Maria Claret 167, 08025 Barcelona, Spain; Department of Experimental and Health Sciences, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Plaça de la Mercè 10-12, 08002 Barcelona, Spain. Electronic address: cborrell@aspb.cat.
authors.forename: Carme
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Borrell
authors.affiliation: Interface Demography, Department of Sociology, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, 1050 Brussel, Belgium; Health Inequalities Research Group (GREDS), Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Plaça de la Mercè 10-12, 08002 Barcelona, Spain. Electronic address: cvroelen@vub.ac.be.
authors.forename: Christophe
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Vanroelen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003148:Communism; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004651:Employment / Q000523:psychology*; D005060:Europe; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health; D012737:Sex Factors; D012923:Social Class; D012946:Social Welfare; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors
keywords: Europe; Health inequalities; Mental well-being; Neo-Marxian social class; Welfare regimes