Background: Studies using traditional measures of socio-economic position, such as education, income and occupation, have found inequalities in depressive symptoms, but less is known about the association between financial satisfaction and depressive symptoms.
Aims: To examine the association of depressive symptoms with financial satisfaction in Finnish adults in a population-based cross-sectional FIN-D2D survey.
Methods: Four thousand, five hundred randomly selected individuals aged 45-74 years were invited to the study. Participation rate for health examinations was 64%. Complete information on depressive symptoms and financial satisfaction was available for 2,819 individuals. Financial satisfaction was asked using a questionnaire. Depressive symptoms were measured by Beck Depression Inventory (≥ 10) and/or use of antidepressants.
Results: Altogether 11.6% of individuals who were satisfied with their financial situation had depressive symptoms. Corresponding figures for individuals who were somewhat satisfied or dissatisfied were 20.6% and 42.6%, respectively. Individuals who were less satisfied with their financial situation were more likely to suffer from depressive symptoms even after adjusting for gender, age, marital status, number of chronic diseases, smoking, binge drinking, physical activity, education and household income.
Conclusions: Instead of more traditional measures of socio-economic position, financial dissatisfaction seems to be associated with depressive symptoms in Finnish adults.