Social Determinants of Health Affect Psychological Distress among People with Disabilities

Jessica Kersey (), Amie Devlin, Sarah Shyres, Emily A. Kringle and Ashley J. Housten
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Jessica Kersey: Program in Occupational Therapy, School of Medicine, Washington University, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
Amie Devlin: Independent Researcher, St. Louis, MO 63118, USA
Sarah Shyres: Program in Occupational Therapy, School of Medicine, Washington University, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
Emily A. Kringle: School of Kinesiology, College of Education and Human Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
Ashley J. Housten: Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, Washington University, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA

IJERPH, 2024, vol. 21, issue 10, 1-16

Abstract: People with disabilities experience inequitable exposure to social determinants of health (SDOH) that contribute to disparate health outcomes, including psychological distress. There is little research examining which SDOH have the strongest effect on psychological distress among people with disabilities. This leaves healthcare providers and policy makers with insufficient information to make well-informed treatment decisions or allocate resources effectively. We explored the association between SDOH and disability and which factors may moderate the association between disability and psychological distress. Using data from the US Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey (Phase 3.5), we examined SDOH among people with and without disability ( n = 26,354). Among people with disability, the odds of severe psychological distress were highest among those who had low incomes (OR = 4.41, 95% CI: 3.51–5.60), were food insecure (OR = 3.75, 95% CI: 3.43–4.10), housing insecure (OR = 3.17, 95% CI: 2.82–3.58), or were unable to work (OR = 1.98, 95% CI: 1.80–2.18). Only difficulty paying for household expenses moderated the association between disability and severe psychological distress (OR = 9.81, 95% CI: 7.11–13.64). These findings suggest that supporting employment and economic opportunities and improving access to safe and affordable housing and food may improve psychological well-being among people with disabilities.

Keywords: social determinants of health; persons with disabilities; neighborhood characteristics; community resources (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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