Conceptual and Methodological Issues in Measuring Socioeconomic Status: Implications for Research and Treatment of Mental Disorders in Latinos

Author: Saeromi Kim, PhD

ABSTRACT

Aims:
This conceptual paper examines the challenges and complexities involved in operationalizing socioeconomic status (SES) in psychological research, focusing specifically on the intersection of race/ethnicity and class. I also discuss implications for treatment and research in Latino mental health.

Background:
While SES is a ubiquitous variable in mental health research, how SES is best measured is still unclear. Additionally, the mechanisms through which SES plays a role in mental illness are yet to be clarified. Growing disparities in financial wealth and other economic resources within the U.S. population underscore the need for more refined ways of capturing the objective (material conditions) and subjective (social class worldview) elements of SES as well as its impact on mental health outcomes. For Latino mental health researchers and health disparities investigators, the ability to more fully understand and describe SES is of particular importance, given that racial and ethnic minorities are disproportionately represented in the lowest SES groups in this country.

Content areas:
First, I will make evident the problems involved in using traditional SES indicators (i.e. occupation, education, income). Subsequently, I will advocate for a multidimensional approach to understanding and capturing social class and SES at the material, structural and individual levels. In particular, I will address the need to conceptualize SES as dynamic (varying across time and developmental context) and relative (including the impact of peer comparisons on self-perceived status) constructs. In addition, I will invite discussion on how SES measurement can be addressed in a manner that incorporates the sociohistorical origins of economic inequities and the enduring impact of discrimination. Finally, I will discuss implications for treatment development and share initial ideas on how treatment interventions can address the impact of SES related psychosocial stressors in mental health.