Lowe S

It's an Unequal Day in the Neighbourhood - Linking Neighbourhood Income Inequality and Maternal Mental Health
Lowe, S., Pabayo, R., Reynard, D.

Introduction: Mental illness presents a substantial public health burden in Canada, with one in five Canadians experiencing mental illness during their lifetime. Mothers are especially prone to depression and anxiety. This susceptibility could be influenced by socioeconomic characteristics of their residential environments such as income inequality, or the gap between the rich and poor. As Canadian income inequality continues to increase, an investigation examining the relationship between income inequality and maternal mental health is crucial and timely. Objective/Hypothesis: My project will investigate the association between neighbourhood income inequality and depression and anxiety among mothers in Calgary, Alberta. Based on existing literature, I hypothesize that higher levels of income inequality are associated with higher adverse mental

Methods: I will analyze data from the ongoing All Our Families (AOF) longitudinal cohort. From 2009 to 2015, AOF collected mental health information on mothers living in Calgary from validated questionnaires administered during pregnancy and various points postpartum. Income inequality has been measured using Gini coefficients (0=perfect equality to 1=perfect inequality), which range from 0.20 to 0.68 (mean=0.35, SD=0.068) for the 206 residential Calgary neighbourhoods. I will investigate the association between income inequality and maternal depression and anxiety using growth curve analysis. This process will involve building multilevel models to adjust for individual and neighbourhood-level confounders, and test cross-level interaction effects on mental health outcomes.

Preliminary Cross-Sectional Results: The likelihood of being depressed was higher in mothers with low (OR=3.13, 95% CI=2.20-4.46) and moderate (OR=1.88, 95%CI=1.45-2.43) household incomes compared to mothers with high incomes. Additionally, there was evidence for interaction between household income and income inequality.

Implications: This study's longitudinal approach will account for variability over time and provide evidence for temporality within a Canadian context. Ultimately, these findings will inform health providers and policy makers in their approach to support women's mental health.