Income and housing satisfaction and their association with self-rated health in different life stages. A fixed effects analysis using a German panel study

Abstract

ObjectiveWe aim to investigate the effect of income and housing satisfaction on self-rated health in different life stages.DesignA population-based panel study (German Socio-Economic Panel).ParticipantsThe final sample consisted of 384 280 observations from 50 004 persons covering the period between 1994 and 2016.Outcome measuresAverage marginal effects were calculated based on fixed effects regressions to obtain the effect of changes in income and housing satisfaction on changes in self-rated health for each year of age. Self-rated health was assessed on a 5-point scale, with higher values indicating better health.ResultsChanges in income and housing satisfaction showed a small association with changes in self-rated health. The association was stronger for income, where it also varied considerably in different life stages. The average marginal effects for income satisfaction varied between 0.02 and 0.05 in men and 0.02 and 0.04 in women and peaked between the ages of 55–60. For housing satisfaction, average marginal effects ranged from 0.02 to 0.04 (men) and from 0.02 to 0.03 (women).ConclusionHigher satisfaction with housing and income was associated with better self-rated health. Therefore, studies on the social determinants of health should not only focus on objective material conditions but also on how individuals perceive and evaluate their situation.

Associations between Objective and Subjective Housing Status with Individual Mental Health in Guangzhou, China

“…There are significant and positive associations between housing satisfaction and mental health (i.e., stress, anxiety, and depression), which are consistent with other research by Knöchelmann and colleagues [34]. The relationships between housing satisfaction and health outcomes may be explained by the idea of a psychosocial pathway, for instance, the feelings of housing satisfaction caused by social comparisons can contribute to the development of a sense of identity and attachment, and strengthen the feelings of safety and control, which in turn lead to healthy habits and psychological benefits [54].…”

“…To the best of our knowledge, only several studies have explored the associations between people's housing satisfaction and their mental health, and their results are mixed. For instance, a longitudinal study in Germany indicates that the change in housing satisfaction is positive, yet rather weakly associated with the change in health [34]. In contrast, a study examines the association between housing satisfaction and mental health and finds that the pathway of housing satisfaction is not significantly linked with mental health in structural equation modeling [35].…”

Child, parent, and family mental health and functioning in Australia during COVID-19: comparison to pre-pandemic data

“…The unique context of COVID-19 distancing restrictions has forced families to spend more time at home and confined to their suburb than usual. Housing is a key determinant of health, and a variety of housing characteristics are associated with poorer parent and child mental health outcomes and/or poorer family functioning, including tenure, i.e., whether families are renting [ 35 ], housing type [ 36 ], overcrowding [ 37 ], availability and size of private outdoor space [ 38 ], and satisfaction with housing [ 39 ]. It is important to understand whether these housing factors play a role in how families adjust to social distancing restrictions.…”

Child, parent, and family mental health and functioning in Australia during COVID-19: Comparison to pre-pandemic data

“…The unique context of COVID-19 distancing restrictions has forced families to spend more time at home and confined to their suburb than may be usual. Housing is a key determinant of health, and a variety of housing characteristics are associated with poorer parent and child mental health outcomes and/or poorer family functioning (Evans, Wells, & Moch, 2003), including tenure, i.e., whether families are renting (Bentley et al, 2016;Cairney, 2005), housing type (Dockery, Ong, Colquhoun, Li, & Kendall, 2013;Evans, Lercher, & Kofler, 2002;Heenan, 2017), overcrowdingmeasured by the number of bedrooms in relation to family size (Barnes, Cullinane, Scott, & Silvester, 2013), availability and size of private outdoor space (Brindley, Jorgensen, & Maheswaran, 2018), and satisfaction with housing (Braubach, 2007;Knöchelmann, Seifert, Günther, Moor, & Richter, 2020).…”