8.3.2: Mental Health Back in the 1930s, sociologists found that the mental health of the lower classes was worse than that of the higher classes (Faris and Dunham 1939). From Figure 8.8, you can see that people with less income continue to have more problems of mental health. The symptoms in Figure 8.8 are indicators of depression. Figure 8.8 Mental Health by Income: Feelings of Sadness, Hopelessness, or Worthlessness

Why is mental health worse in the lower social classes? The basic reason is the greater stresses that I just mentioned, which also lead to a sense of failure. In addition to lower wages and less job insecurity, compared with middle- and upper-class Americans, the poor are also more likely to divorce, to be the victims of crime, and to have more physical illnesses. Couple these conditions with bill collectors and the threat of eviction and you can see how they deal severe blows to people’s emotional well-being (Aug-2018)