Poverty as a social determinant of mental health among young people: Qualitative findings across 13 countries

Purpose Social and economic conditions can have a direct impact on the prevalence and severity of mental health problems across the life course. This study explores adolescents’ insights on how poverty as a social determinant influences young people’s mental health in 13 countries: Belgium, Chile, China, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Indonesia, Jamaica, Jordan, Kenya, Malawi, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United States. Methods This study uses qualitative data collected through 71 focus group discussions (FGDs) with adolescents aged 12–19 years. In each country, FGDs were held separately with younger adolescents (12–15 years) and older adolescents (16–19 years) and with boys and girls. Transcripts were analyzed to identify themes related to young people’s perspectives on the relationship between poverty and mental health. Results Participants’ references to poverty and its linkages to mental health were particularly salient in low- and middle-income countries. Participants’ reflections highlighted the role of poverty as both a direct and indirect source of distress. They described intrapersonal (e.g., feeling sad for lacking necessities), interpersonal (e.g., facing stigma for being poor), as well as community and societal (e.g., having limited access to job opportunities) factors linking poverty and mental health. Discussion Our findings highlight how adolescents perceive poverty as a fundamental determinant of their mental health, with interactions across the social environments in which they are born and develop. Interventions that improve mental health literacy, increase access to mental health services, and reduce poverty levels can improve the mental health of adolescents in resource-constrained settings.