Social mobility over the lifecourse and self reported mental health at age 50: prospective cohort study.

STUDY OBJECTIVE To investigate the effect of socioeconomic status throughout the lifecourse on self reported mental health at age 50 years. DESIGN Prospective cohort study SETTING Community setting in Newcastle upon Tyne, north east England. PARTICIPANTS 503 subjects from a birth cohort assembled in 1947 who completed the 28 item version of the general health questionnaire (GHQ-28). MAIN RESULTS There was an association between socioeconomic group at birth and reporting a clinically significant GHQ-28 score at age 50 (OR 5.5 95% CI 1.2 to 25.4 comparing the least with the most advantaged socioeconomic group). A downward socioeconomic trajectory over the whole lifecourse was associated with poorer self reported mental health in men (p<0.001) but not women (p=0.8). CONCLUSIONS Socioeconomic position throughout the lifecourse may act differently on mental health at middle age depending on a person's sex.