Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, United Kingdom.
Institute for Research and Development in Health and Social Care, Colombo, Sri Lanka.
J Affect Disord. 2023 Nov 1;340:1-9. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2023.07.084. Epub 2023 Jul 17.
Low socioeconomic status is a risk factor for depression. The nature and magnitude of associations can differ cross-culturally and is influenced by a range of contextual factors. We examined the aetiology of socioeconomic indicators and depression symptoms and investigated whether socioeconomic indicators moderate genetic and environmental influences on depression symptoms in a Sri Lankan population.
Data were from a population-based sample of twins (N = 2934) and singletons (N = 1035) in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Standard of living, educational attainment, and financial strain were used to index socioeconomic status. Depression symptoms were assessed using the Revised Beck Depression Inventory. Structural equation modelling explored genetic and environmental influences on socioeconomic indicators and depression symptoms and moderation of aetiological influences on depression symptoms by socioeconomic status.
Depression symptoms were associated with lower standard of living, lower educational attainment, and financial strain. Sex differences were evident in the aetiology of standard of living, with a small contribution of genetic influences in females. Educational attainment was moderately heritable in both males and females. Total variance in depression was greater among less socioeconomically advantaged individuals. Modest evidence of moderation of the aetiology of depression by standard of living and education was observed.
While the sample is representative of individuals living in Colombo District, it may not be representative of different regions of Sri Lanka.
The aetiology of depression varies across socioeconomic contexts, suggesting a potential mechanism through which socioeconomic disadvantage increases the risk for depression in Sri Lanka. Findings have implications for cross-cultural investigations of the role of socioeconomic factors in depression and for identifying targets for social interventions.
社会经济地位低是抑郁的一个风险因素。这种关联的性质和程度在跨文化上可能有所不同，并且受到一系列背景因素的影响。我们研究了社会经济指标和抑郁症状的病因，并调查了社会经济指标是否调节了遗传和环境因素对斯里兰卡人群抑郁症状的影响。
数据来自科伦坡的一个基于人群的双胞胎（N=2934）和 singleton（N=1035）样本。生活水平、教育程度和经济压力用于衡量社会经济地位。使用修订贝克抑郁量表评估抑郁症状。结构方程模型探讨了遗传和环境因素对社会经济指标和抑郁症状的影响，以及社会经济状况对抑郁症状病因的调节作用。
抑郁症状与生活水平较低、教育程度较低和经济压力有关。在生活水平的病因学方面存在性别差异，女性遗传影响较小。教育程度在男性和女性中都具有中等的遗传性。在社会经济地位较低的个体中，抑郁的总方差更大。观察到生活水平和教育对抑郁病因的适度调节作用的证据。
虽然样本代表了科伦坡地区的居民，但可能无法代表斯里兰卡不同地区的居民。
抑郁的病因在社会经济背景下有所不同，这表明社会经济劣势增加斯里兰卡人患抑郁的风险的潜在机制。这些发现对跨文化研究社会经济因素在抑郁中的作用以及确定社会干预目标具有重要意义。
