Educational attainment, income, and psychiatric disorders
- Dashboard
- Educational attainment, income, and psychiatric disorders
Most Recent Score Report
| Questions Correct | Questions Answered | Time Spent | Status | Attempt Date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
Previous Score Reports
| Questions Correct | Questions Answered | Time Spent | Status | Attempt Date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
Educational attainment, income, and psychiatric disorders
Array
(
[passage] => WP_Post Object
(
[ID] => 559664
[post_author] => 12815
[post_date] => 2024-12-28 08:07:02
[post_date_gmt] => 2024-12-28 13:07:02
[post_content] => Practice Passage (Question 1-5)
*This passage is the property of Khan Academy and has been reformatted into an AAMC-style interface in their entirety by MedLife Mastery. MedLife Mastery does not endorse and is not an affiliate of Khan Academy.
Studies have found that the lower the socioeconomic status (SES) of an individual, the higher his or her risk of mental illness. Research conducted in communities reported that regardless of the type of SES indicator used—whether education, income, or occupation—or the type of mental illness examined, similar associations were observed. Several large-scale population studies were administered to study such patterns across the US.
Using the National Comorbidity Study (NCS), a large study of psychiatric disorder in the US, researchers looked at the relationship between education attainment and income levels (Study 1). The survey interviewed over 8,000 people ages 15-54 and was the first to use a national probability sample to estimate psychiatric disorders. The psychiatric disorders assessed in the NCS include major depression, mania, dysthymia, panic disorder, social phobia, nonaffective psychosis (psychosis not related to moods or emotions), etc. Table 1 below shows the odds ratios for the levels of broad categories of psychiatric disorders by educational level (years) and income level. The results indicate bivariate associations. The value of 1.00 in the last columns of education and income indicate that the highest levels serve as the reference category. An odds ratio greater than 1.0 indicates a higher prevalence of that disorder for those in the specified category relative to those in the reference category. For example, the value 2.33 for “any disorder” indicates that people with 0-11 years of education are 2.33 times more likely to experience any disorder compared to those in the reference group (16+ years of education).
Table 1: Odds ratios for psychiatric disorders (in the last 12 months) by years of education and annual income, National Comorbidity Study (n=8,098).
While the above study asserts that conditions of life associated with low SES increase risks of mental disorders, other researchers conducted a study which found that existing mental illnesses actually impairs status and educational attainment (Study 2). For example, they found that mental disorders may cause downward movement among adults and lead them to “drift” into the lower socioeconomic strata.
Sources: Adapted from Y. Yu and D. R. Williams, “Socioeconomic Status and Mental Health”, In Handbook of the Sociology of Mental Health. Edited by C. S. Aneshensel and J. C. Phelan. Copyright 1999. Kluwer Academic/ Plenum Publishers.
[post_title] => Educational attainment, income, and psychiatric disorders
[post_excerpt] =>
[post_status] => publish
[comment_status] => closed
[ping_status] => closed
[post_password] =>
[post_name] => educational-attainment-income-and-psychiatric-disorders
[to_ping] =>
[pinged] =>
[post_modified] => 2024-12-28 08:09:00
[post_modified_gmt] => 2024-12-28 13:09:00
[post_content_filtered] =>
[post_parent] => 0
[guid] => https://medlifemastery.com/?post_type=passage&p=559664
[menu_order] => 0
[post_type] => passage
[post_mime_type] =>
[comment_count] => 0
[filter] => raw
)
[questions] => Array
(
[0] => Array
(
[quiz_unique_key] => 578908434
[question] => According to the results on the relationship between educational attainment and psychiatric disorders in Table 1, which of the following is true?
[value] => Array
(
[answer] => 4
[description] => Reason for the Correct Answer:
College educational level is the baseline group.
Each educational attainment category is compared with the baseline (reference) group.
Compared to those who have completed college education or more, those who did not complete a high school degree (12 years) are 1.79 times more likely to be diagnosed with major affective disorders.
)
[answers] => Array
(
[0] => Array
(
[each_answer] => A. Among those with completed high school education, substance abuse/dependence disorder is only 0.10 times more likely to be the diagnosis than anxiety disorder.
)
[1] => Array
(
[each_answer] => B. People who have completed college education or more are 0.58 times less likely to be diagnosed with any disorder than those who have completed high school.
)
[2] => Array
(
[each_answer] => C. Those with the lowest level of education (0-11 years) are 3.76 times more likely to have three or more psychiatric disorders than those with 12 years of education.
)
[3] => Array
(
[each_answer] => D. People who did not complete a high school degree (12 years) are 1.79 times more likely to be diagnosed with major affective disorder than those who have a completed college degree (16+ years) or more.
)
)
)
[1] => Array
(
[quiz_unique_key] => 3873426850
[question] => Based on the results reported in Table 1, which of the following is NOT true regarding the association between income level and psychiatric disorders?
[value] => Array
(
[answer] => 1
[description] => Reason for the Correct Answer:
The highest income level (70K+) is the baseline (reference group).
Each income category is compared to the highest income group.
The higher the income, the less likely an individual will have psychiatric disorders.
The lowest income group is 3.36 times more likely to have three or more disorders compared to the highest income category, not those earning 20-34K.
)
[answers] => Array
(
[0] => Array
(
[each_answer] => A. Those earning the lowest incomes are 3.36 times more likely to have three or more disorders compared to those earning 20K-34K.
)
[1] => Array
(
[each_answer] => B. Lowest income persons are 1.9 times more likely to have a substance abuse disorder than persons in the highest income group.
)
[2] => Array
(
[each_answer] => C. Those in the lowest income category are 1.7 times more likely to meet criteria for a depressive disorder than those in the highest income category.
)
[3] => Array
(
[each_answer] => D. There is an inverse relationship between income level and the odds of psychiatric disorders.
)
)
)
[2] => Array
(
[quiz_unique_key] => 83407773
[question] => In Study 2, researchers described how mental disorders may cause downward movement among adults and lead them to “drift” into the lower socioeconomic strata. Which sociological concept best illustrates this “drift”?
[value] => Array
(
[answer] => 2
[description] => Reason for the Correct Answer:
This concept demonstrates changes or movement in individuals’ social status.
This concept is defined as movement of individuals, families, households, or other categories of people within or between layers or tiers in an open system of social stratification.
Social mobility demonstrates the drift or movement from one social strata to another. Social mobility can be upward and downward mobility.
)
[answers] => Array
(
[0] => Array
(
[each_answer] => A. Social movement
)
[1] => Array
(
[each_answer] => B. Social mobility
)
[2] => Array
(
[each_answer] => C. Social stratification
)
[3] => Array
(
[each_answer] => D. Social assimilation
)
)
)
[3] => Array
(
[quiz_unique_key] => 2261298308
[question] => In Study 2, researchers refuted how education and income level contributed to increased risks of psychiatric disorders. Instead, they argue that the presence of mental disorders impairs an individual’s social status. Which of the following is correct regarding the research design of Study 2?
[value] => Array
(
[answer] => 4
[description] => Reason for the Correct Answer:
In Study 2, researchers examine the impact of mental disorders on social status outcomes.
The presence or nonpresence of mental disorders has an effect on social status outcomes.
Mental disorder is thus the independent (explanatory) variable, and social status is the dependent (outcome) variable.
)
[answers] => Array
(
[0] => Array
(
[each_answer] => A. Mental disorders are the mediating variable.
)
[1] => Array
(
[each_answer] => B. Social status is the independent variable, mental disorders is the dependent variable.
)
[2] => Array
(
[each_answer] => C. Social status is the mediating variable.
)
[3] => Array
(
[each_answer] => D. Mental disorders are the independent variable, social status is the dependent variable.
)
)
)
[4] => Array
(
[quiz_unique_key] => 574431310
[question] => Many researchers have viewed socioeconomic status (SES) as a “confounder” of the relationship between race and mental health disorders. Which statement is NOT a part of this idea?
[value] => Array
(
[answer] => 2
[description] => Reason for the Correct Answer:
A confounding variable (confounder) is an extraneous variable that correlates with both the dependent variable and the independent variable.
A perceived relationship between an independent variable (race) and a dependent variable (health) that has been misestimated due to the failure to account for a confounding factor.
Not observing the confounder SES may create a “misleading” (spurious) association between race and health.
)
[answers] => Array
(
[0] => Array
(
[each_answer] => A. SES is correlated with race.
)
[1] => Array
(
[each_answer] => B. SES is part of the causal pathway by which race affects health.
)
[2] => Array
(
[each_answer] => C. There may not be a true association between race and mental health disorders if we observe SES.
)
[3] => Array
(
[each_answer] => D. SES is correlated with mental health disorders.
)
)
)
)
[total_question] => 5
[correct_answers] => Array
(
[559664|1] => D
[559664|2] => A
[559664|3] => B
[559664|4] => D
[559664|5] => B
)
[hide_display_feedback_settings] =>
[hide_solutions] =>
)
While the above study asserts that conditions of life associated with low SES increase risks of mental disorders, other researchers conducted a study which found that existing mental illnesses actually impairs status and educational attainment (Study 2). For example, they found that mental disorders may cause downward movement among adults and lead them to “drift” into the lower socioeconomic strata.