Socioeconomic inequalities and family functioning: impact on mental well-being of adolescents
Abstract
Objectives: Link between socioeconomic status and children’s physical health has been showed in many studies. The aim of this study was to explore relationship between adolescents’ mental well-being and their family’s socioeconomic status, family structure, and family functioning.
Methods: The international database of the Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children study 2022 was used for the analyses. Only 15-year-old students from Germany, Austria, Poland, and the Czech Republic were included. The sample consisted of 11,067 students (53 % girls). Mental well-being was assessed by the WHO-5 questionnaire; to estimate family socioeconomic status, we used the Family Affluence Scale [FASIII]; for family functioning [FAM_FUNC](cohesion, flexibility, communication) a composite index was created; family structure [FAM_STR] was divided into 4 categories. One-way ANOVA, partial correlations and logistic regression were used in the data analysis.
Results: The raw score on the FASIII correlated significantly with the raw scores on the WHO-5 and FAM_FUNC, although the correlation coefficients were low (0.11 and 0.10). Regression analysis, after controlling for sex and country, showed that impaired mental well-being (dichotomized) was predicted by lower socioeconomic status, as measured by FASIII (OR = 1.37; 95% CI 1.19-1.59), and particularly by poorer family functioning (OR = 5.63; 95 % CI = 4.91-6.45).
Conclusions: The results suggest that (regardless of gender and country) a lower socioeconomic status of the family negatively affects mental well-being. Furthermore, a dysfunctional family has a negative impact on an adolescent’s subjective mental well-being, similarly a child growing up in a two-parent family is better positioned to experience good mental well-being. Reducing socioeconomic inequality and fostering healthy family relationships can contribute to better mental well-being.
Funding: The study was supported by the OP-JAK, project # CZ.02.01.01/00/22_008/0004583.
Key messages: • Socioeconomic inequality of the family, assessed through Family Affluence Scale, had a strong impact on child’s mental well-being.
• Living in dysfunctional family has a negative impact on an adolescent’s mental well-being. Children growing up in a two-parent family are better positioned to experience good mental well-being.
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BibTeX
@article{csemy2026socioeconomic,
title = {{Socioeconomic inequalities and family functioning: impact on mental well-being of adolescents}},
author = {L Csémy and L Kážmér},
journal = {The European Journal of Public Health},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1093/eurpub/ckag169.294},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/ckag169.294},
note = {CC BY-NC 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Socioeconomic inequalities and family functioning: impact on mental well-being of adolescents
AU - L Csémy
AU - L Kážmér
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/01
JO - The European Journal of Public Health
DO - 10.1093/eurpub/ckag169.294
UR - https://doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/ckag169.294
AB - Objectives: Link between socioeconomic status and children’s physical health has been showed in many studies. The aim of this study was to explore relationship between adolescents’ mental well-being and their family’s socioeconomic status, family structure, and family functioning. Methods: The international database of the Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children study 2022 was used for the analyses. Only 15-year-old students from Germany, Austria, Poland, and the Czech Republic were included. The sample consisted of 11,067 students (53 % girls). Mental well-being was assessed by the WHO-5 questionnaire; to estimate family socioeconomic status, we used the Family Affluence Scale [FASIII]; for family functioning [FAM_FUNC](cohesion, flexibility, communication) a composite index was created; family structure [FAM_STR] was divided into 4 categories. One-way ANOVA, partial correlations and logistic regression were used in the data analysis. Results: The raw score on the FASIII correlated significantly with the raw scores on the WHO-5 and FAM_FUNC, although the correlation coefficients were low (0.11 and 0.10). Regression analysis, after controlling for sex and country, showed that impaired mental well-being (dichotomized) was predicted by lower socioeconomic status, as measured by FASIII (OR = 1.37; 95% CI 1.19-1.59), and particularly by poorer family functioning (OR = 5.63; 95 % CI = 4.91-6.45). Conclusions: The results suggest that (regardless of gender and country) a lower socioeconomic status of the family negatively affects mental well-being. Furthermore, a dysfunctional family has a negative impact on an adolescent’s subjective mental well-being, similarly a child growing up in a two-parent family is better positioned to experience good mental well-being. Reducing socioeconomic inequality and fostering healthy family relationships can contribute to better mental well-being. Funding: The study was supported by the OP-JAK, project # CZ.02.01.01/00/22_008/0004583. Key messages: • Socioeconomic inequality of the family, assessed through Family Affluence Scale, had a strong impact on child’s mental well-being. • Living in dysfunctional family has a negative impact on an adolescent’s mental well-being. Children growing up in a two-parent family are better positioned to experience good mental well-being.
SN - 1101-1262
SN - 1464-360X
ER -