Welfare regimes and differences in the mental well-being of European employees with respect to gender and class

Introduction: Lately, the mental well-being of the working population has received considerable attention in public health research. However, less is known about the social distribution of mental well-being across different groups of employees. The objectives of this study are (i) to analyse the association of mental well-being with the intersection of gender and class in European employees, (ii) to examine the role of the quality of work and employment and family burden as potential mediating factors in explaining this association and (iii) to analyze whether patterns differ by institutional models relevant for gender as well as class inequalities (in the form of welfare regimes).
Methods: Data from the European Social Survey Round 2 and 5 is analysed. Mental well-being is assessed by the WHO Well-being Index. Social class was measured by means of E.O. Wright's class scheme. Models were generated using robust Poisson regression models. The associations are presented as prevalence ratios and 95% confidence intervals.
Results: This study has produced three main findings: (i) In Continental, Anglo-Saxon (only for women), Eastern and Southern (only for men) European countries, class differences in the employee mental well-being are seen. In Nordic countries no association is found between social classes and mental well-being for both sexes; (ii) In Continental countries the family burden affects the relation between social class and mental well-being and (iii) the quality of work and employment is able to influence the association between social class and mental well-being in Continental, Anglo-Saxon and Eastern countries.
Conclusion: Class and gender differences were least pronounced in countries who support the "earner-carer model" in combination with an encompassing social insurance model.