Effects of objective and subjective socioeconomic status on self-rated health, depressive symptoms, and suicidal ideation in adolescents

The purpose of this study was to identify relationships between three indicators of socioeconomic status (SES) - parental education, Family Affluence Scale (FAS), and subjective household economic status - and adolescent health (self-rated health, depressive symptoms, and suicidal ideation). Data from 69,196 students from 800 middle and high schools were analyzed. Relationships between the three SES indicators and adolescent health were examined using the chi-square test, and logistic regression analysis was then performed after adjusting for covariates. Female students whose parents had less education were more likely to report poor health than were those whose parents had a higher education. Low FAS scores were associated with higher odds ratios for poor self-rated health but not for depressive symptoms or suicidal ideation. In the logistic regression analysis, lower subjective household economic status significantly predicted poor self-rated health, higher levels of depressive symptoms, and more suicidal ideation. The findings suggest that subjective household economic status, rather than objective SES measures, is associated with adolescent health. Thus, future research about adolescent health should consider multiple dimensions of subjective social status of adolescents.