Distinguishing independent and shared effects of material/structural conditions and psychosocial resources on educational inequalities in self-rated health: results from structural equation modelling

The aim of this study was to distinguish independent and shared effects of material/structural factors and psychosocial resources in explaining educational inequalities in self-rated health (SRH) by using structural equation modelling. Cross-sectional survey. Data were derived from a questionnaire sent to a random sample of the population in five counties in Sweden in 2008. The study population (aged 25–75 years) included 15,099 men and 17,883 women. Exploratory structural equation modelling was used to analyse the pathways from educational level to SRH. The pathway including both material/structural factors (e.g. financial buffer and unemployment) and psychosocial resources (e.g. sense of coherence and social participation) explained about 40% of educational differences in SRH for both men and women. The pathways including only the independent effects of psychosocial resources (14% in men and 20% in women) or material/structural factors (9% and 18%, respectively) explained substantial but smaller proportions of the differences. The major pathway explaining educational inequalities in SRH included both material/structural factors and psychosocial resources. Therefore, to reduce educational inequalities in SRH, interventions need to address both material/structural conditions and psychosocial resources across educational groups.