Perceived Income Inadequacy Is Associated with Epstein-Barr Virus Latency and Mental Health Outcomes in Informal Caregivers Who Are Also Employed in the Healthcare Industry

Details

• Personal Author:
  Fagundes CP ; Lai VD ; Paoletti J ; Phetmisy CN
• Description:
  Finances are a prevalent source of stress. In a sample of 799 nursing home workers measured multiple times over 18 months, we found that higher perceived income inadequacy, the perception that one's expenses exceeds one's incomes, was associated with poorer self-reported mental health indicators and Epstein-Barr Virus antibody titers (a marker of cell-mediated immune function). Perceived income inadequacy predicted outcomes over and above the role of other socioeconomic status variables (objective household income and education). Mental health variables were not related to Epstein-Barr Virus antibody titers. Additionally, we found an interaction between perceived income inadequacy and informal caregiver status on our mental health outcomes; informal caregivers with higher perceived income inadequacy had poorer mental health than non-caregivers with the same perceived income inadequacy. Our findings may add nuance to the reserve capacity model, which states that those at lower socioeconomic levels are at higher risk of adverse health outcomes partly because they have fewer resources to address demands and strain. Perceived income inadequacy may significantly predict mental and physical well-being beyond other socioeconomic status variables, especially among lower-income employees. Caregiving stress and perceived income inadequacy may have synergistic effects on mental health. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Family Healthcare Disparities Health Personnel Immune System Mental Health Nervous System Occupational Health Safety Viral Diseases
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Financial Stress Families Health Care Workers Health Disparities Immune Reaction Immunology Mental Health Occupational Health Psychoneuroimmunology Socioeconomics Viral Infections Work-family

  More +
• ISSN:
  0306-4530
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Oregon ; OSHA Region 10 ; OSHA Region 6 ; Texas
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  158
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20069007
• Citation:
  Psychoneuroendocrinology 2023 Dec; 158:106388
• Email:
  Jensine.Paoletti@Rice.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2024
• Performing Organization:
  Portland State University
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20050901
• Source Full Name:
  Psychoneuroendocrinology
• End Date:
  20081130
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:d78f0c44db3bfda1b077dd9727bd82391cbc9fe9d3871010867f3a91b2cda96dcc82ea00ef8b9c4f7be6766c356eb39f34a998494a59dfefda1773a486a72585
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/207563/cdc_207563_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.26 MB ]