Psychological Distress in Low-Income and Economically Marginalized Populations in India : Protective and Risk Factors
Singh, Dipti (Department of Psychology, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, India)
Nasir, Shagufta (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament de Psiquiatria i de Medicina Legal)
Sharma, Juhi (Light Up-Emotions Matter Foundation, New Delhi, India)
Gimenez-Llort, Lydia (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Institut de Neurociències)
Shahnawaz, Mohammad Ghazi (Department of Psychology, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, India)
Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament de Psiquiatria i de Medicina Legal

Date:	2024
Abstract:	Studies at the juncture of development economics and public health take on considerable responsibility in addressing inequality and related mental health distress. Mental healthcare in economically marginalized populations requires depicting the linkages between socioeconomic status and psychological distress. In the present work, a sequential mixed-methods design was used to study 190 people in such communities in India. Gender-dependent psychological distress was found according to the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K-10) with moderate distress in women (M = 26. 30, SD = 9. 15) and mild distress in men (M = 21. 04, SD = 8. 35). Regression analysis indicated that gender significantly predicted psychological distress, followed by age, marital status, and the level of education of the head of the family. The Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis of semi-structured interviews of the six women who scored the highest on the distress scale unveiled three master themes: (1) manifestation of psychological distress, (2) contextual challenges, and (3) sources of strength and resilience. Overall, participants reported a lack of resources, community violence, gender discrimination, and widespread substance use as major contributors to the ongoing distress. These findings can pave the way for future studies to expand beyond independent economic indicators and curate clinical interventions for culturally competent mental healthcare.
Rights:	Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, la comunicació pública de l'obra i la creació d'obres derivades, fins i tot amb finalitats comercials, sempre i quan es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original.
Language:	Anglès
Document:	Article ; recerca ; Versió publicada
Subject:	Mental health ; Low-income and economic marginalization (LIEM) ; Socioeconomic status ; Urban slum ; Gender ; Caste ; Intersectionality
Published in:	Behavioral Sciences, Vol. 14 (january 2024) , ISSN 2076-328X

DOI: 10.3390/bs14020092
PMID: 38392445

15 p, 326.1 KB

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