Changes in Psychological Resources Moderate the Effect of Socioeconomic Status on Distress Symptoms: A 10-Year Follow-Up Among Young Adults

Objective: This study examined the impact of socioeconomic status (SES) on changes in psychological resources and whether these changes in turn moderate the effect of SES on distress symptoms in a prospective 10-year follow-up among young adults. Method: Subjects (N = 1239) were participants in two phases (1989, 22 years; 1999, 32 years) of a Finnish cohort study. The measurements were SES (basic education at 22 years, occupation at 32 years), distress symptoms (index of 17 somatic and mental complaints), and psychological resources (self-esteem, meaningfulness, locus of control). Results: The results showed that lower SES is associated with poorer psychological resources both concurrently and prospectively. Lower SES at age 22 also predicted slower resource development, but only among females. In prospective analyses among both genders, changes in psychological resources moderated the effect of SES on distress symptoms: for those with losses in psychological resources, lower SES was associated with greater increases in distress between 22 and 32 years of age, whereas for those with stable or increasing resources, no effects of SES on distress were found. Conclusion: The results indicate that higher SES is associated with more favorable changes in psychological resources. In a longitudinal setting, SES differences in health seem to increase only when psychological resources decrease during the same period. The results emphasize the importance of dynamic conceptualizations of psychological resources in SES-health research.