Economic Determinants of Youth Mental Health MHN304

1.1 Definition of Economic Resources in Mental Health

Structured products of a financial nature are known as economic capital and the various kinds of support systems, communities, and multiple societies impact mental health. Empirical evidence indicates that the young and adolescent people of the age group of 9 to 25 years form a scheme of economic resources encompassing all the various forms of jobs, education, or social welfare opportunities they can get, access, or participate in for financial support. Some sources are rather crucial in the case of mental health since they impact the well-being of psychological aspects either directly or indirectly.

Some research has been conducted, and those researchers have stated that any person who has consistent economic stability impacts mental health. For instance, improved family income reduces the prevalence of mental health disorders among children and adolescents (Zech et al., 2024). Class resources can alleviate stressors that cut across financial adversity, facilitate means to mental healthcare, and temporal engagement in satisfying pursuits that enhance mental health functioning (Kivelayih et al., 2014; Sattler et al., 2023).

Moreover, economic resources have been identified to determine the accessibility and quality of Mental Health Interventions. Besides, young people from low economic status are minimal when it comes to the use of mental health services because of the costs as well as the lack of insurance (Ehrlich et al., 2023). Thus, economic support can support Mental health promotion activities since this would help minimize the effect of challenges such as reduced budgets as a reason why some activities may not be feasible (A Reader in Promoting Public Health, n.d.).

In conclusion, it is necessary to stress that the comprehension of the role of economic resources in mental health is a significant step in the identification of preventive and promotional measures. Through understanding the economic antecedent of youth and adolescents mental health, policymakers, and practitioners can enhance the mental health of youths and adolescents without the limitation of economic status so that the youths and adolescents enjoy good quality mental health as they advance in life (Hong et al., 2024).

1.2 Objectives of the Review

The primary objectives of this literature review are to:

1. Establish the Significance of Economic Resources in Mental Health

To examine the relationship between economic resources including income, employment, and education on youth and adolescents mental health within 9-25 years. This includes exploring the relationship between financial stability and psychological well-being as well as the mental health of the members of this age bracket. Knowledge of how the economic aspects link with the mental health aspects is important in enhancing knowledge of areas where economic intervention would help in eradicating mental health challenges (Chen, n. d.).

2. Identify Evidence-Based Prevention and Promotion Activities: Identify Evidence-Based Prevention and Promotion Activities:

This publication aimed to critically appraise the literature for studies that pertain to the areas of prevention and mental health promotion activities that had positive impacts on the mental health of youths and adolescents. This also encompasses the assessment of programs and interventions that use economic resources or aim to address economic inequities to better the well-being of the human mind (Platona et al., 2024). This literature review will focus on finding out the general strategies and programs that seek to address the economic factors that affect MHN.

3. Examine Barriers and Facilitators:

This is to identify the factors that have been hindering and those that have been supporting the target population in accessing economic resources to support mental health. It involves ascertaining how economic considerations impact the utilization of mental health care and social support services and recognizing factors that may enhance or inhibit the procurement and use of economic resources in mental health programs (Xi & Wang, 2022).

4. Highlight Gaps in the Literature:

First, the investigation of research literature in the following questions can serve as a starting point to define gaps in the current body of knowledge on the use of economic resources in mental health promotion and prevention among youths and adolescents. This entails acknowledging the fact that there is a need for more empirical research to be conducted to establish the moderating/extending role of the economic variables on mental health and to develop the most effective preventive and intervention programs (Rhodes et al., 2023).

Thus, the reviews objectives are to synthesize the experience of young populations regarding economic resources and mental health and to contribute to the further development of relevant research and policies because of the achieved objectives in 2024 (Onyenwe et al., 2024).

2. Literature Summary

2.1 Prevalence and Scale of the Determinant

Economic resources therefore are vital in predicting the mental health status of youth and adolescents or any other population that can be defined by economic indicators. The result also reveals evidence of a negative relationship between economic stability and poverty on the one hand and mental health on the other hand. A cross-sectional study by Garca-Carrin et al. (2019) found that the economic status of individuals explaining their experiences of loss or diminished income markedly impacts the youths mental health because they have higher rates of depression, anxiety, and other mental health disorders than students in better economic situations. Working for a Brighter, Healthier Future, (n. d.) notes that youths living in impoverished environments are always at higher risk of developing mental illness due to issues of stress arising from poor economic statuses. Further, Reiss, F. (2019) has established his point that the economic loss during childhood and adolescence makes the determinant enormously large and identifies with long-term mental health problems.

2.2 Groups at High-Risk

Youths belonging to low economic backgrounds are more vulnerable to developing some mental health problems due to the availability of fewer economic resources. A study shows that minority lovers are affected by it, including those who are racial and ethnic minorities. For instance, in a study done by Bear (2024) it was revealed that racial minorities who encounter these economic challenges are more prone to developing very serious mental disorders as compared to others. Furthermore, youth from single-parent homes are more vulnerable as highlighted by Bear (2024) due to added economic as well as psychological pressure in single-parent homes as elaborated by Behere (2017). These demographic factors are all connected with economic disadvantage which intensifies mental health risks (Morrow et al., 2002).

2.3 Mental Health and Other Consequences

According to the literature economic stress in youth is not only related to mental health issues but also other aspects of well-being. Therefore, negative consequences can result from the interaction of economic resources and mental health, such as low academic achievement and limited social functioning. Rodrguez-Ruiz (2021) showed that due to financial disadvantage minorities suffer in their academic work, which accentuates mental health problems. Also, Burger, K., & Mortimer, J. T. (2021) establish that money problems lead to teenage substance use and risky behavior. These are some of the ramifications which stress the significance of considering the economic aspect in the promotion of mental health.

2.4 Causes and Risk/Protective Factors

The extent to which economic disadvantages contribute to mental health problems is complex. The source of vulnerability includes constant exposure to stress both in the home and work setting, instability in family structure, and limited access to mental health care. According to Nugroho (2024), long-term economic stress impacts brain functions and escalates mental health issues. Whereas preventive factors include such factors as Family support and Community resources. Manczak, (2018) showed that economic stressors of social relationships and access to community services can reduce some of the harm to mental health.

3. Literature Summary on Previous Responses

3.1 Main Strategies Used to Address the Determinant

Strategies of economic interventions about mental health-related concerns can, therefore, entail, financial support programs, education, and other community support services. One of these is the policy-oriented financial aid programs that were highlighted by Jaoude (2024) and involves awarding aid directly to families of low income. Moreover, mental health schools that include economic support services as suggested by Adams (2022) have proved that integrating economic support programs in schools is effective in reducing mental health issues resulting from economic-based problems. The categories of economic interventions for mental health are usually financial assistance programs, educational awareness programs, and community services. The first is policy-orientated financial aid that goes a long way in helping the target group; the low-income families by supporting them to overcome economic factors that expose them to develop mental health problems. Jaoude (2024) has stressed the nature of such aid in terms of family financial stability and the corresponding mental health risks. Another level of importance entails the incorporation of economic support in learning institutions. According to Adams (2022), it was noted that mental health schools are not only educational but also provide economic support for the problems arising from mental health issues relating to financial issues. In other words, these programs embark on providing educational resources alongside financial aid, both of which form the two areas of students challenges economic pressure and academic strain, thus eliminating the effects on students mental health.

3.2 Evaluation of Effectiveness

Evidence for the effectiveness of economic interventions aimed at the prevention and treatment of mental disorders is of differential efficacy. It has been established that direct monetary assistance as well as education intervention can decrease mental health problems. For example, a paper by Zaj?c (2023) showed that financial aid programs brought about decreased depression and anxiety in economically vulnerable youths. However, interventions that involve little finance without proper care without other portions such as mental health care can be quite limited, as Cody (2022) argues that there should be a greater conformity with economic as well as psychological support. One may conclude that the use of economic interventions in mental health prevention and treatment is rather effective, though the outcomes differ. According to available research, it was established that there is the ability to control mental health problems by offering the subjects direct financial support and educational endeavors. For example, Zaj?c (2023) identified that financial aid programs cause changes for the better in economically vulnerable youths, including depression and anxiety. But Cody (2022) asserts that if this message is to be of any impact support may not be adequate if not complemented with social and mental health services. In this case, there is one finding that poses a keynote on how effective interventions have to be fought out where economic help and psychological help must work hand in hand because both forms are a necessity to humanity. Assessments have shown that even though scholarships are helpful, students Learning outcomes are better when the scholarships are combined with mental health services.

3.3 Recommendations for Improvement

The following recommendations can be deduced from the current literature to increase the impact of interventions that address modifiable socioeconomic factors of mental health: A big emphasis must be put on combined services of financial assistance with offers of counseling services as confirmed by Lewis and Castillo (2019). Also, there is a need for the involvement and participation of the community in developing as well as implementing these interventions given by LaMontagne (2014). Another way that they could work more effectively is by maximizing the customization of programs to the groups of the target demographic. To improve the outcome of interventions aimed at the socioeconomic factors affecting mental health different recommendations are proposed according to the literature. Firstly, financial aid must be seamlessly provided with counseling services as pointed out by Lewis and Castillo (2019). This is because this combined strategy satisfies economic and psychological wants at once. Secondly, the involvement of the members of the community in making and executing the interventions. It is the reason why the community stakeholders are involved in the implementation of programs to ensure that they are suitable for society. Last, of these strategies, the improvement of the programs for specific segments of the population is useful. Hopefully, more specific interventions will work because they presuppose an understanding of peoples specific situations and their needs. It has been evidenced by both research and practice that integrated models that involve both- financial and psychological assistance are beneficial.

3.4 Evidence from Research and Practice

Therefore, according to studies and real experience, integrated models that include both financial assistance and psychological intervention are described as the most successful ones. For instance, a program that was analyzed by Paterson (2024) indicated that there were a lot of gains in the mental well-being of individuals once they were provided with financial assistance alongside other services such as counseling. Professional experience also confirms the existence of flexible programs, which need to operate in various settings. Flexible adaptive strategies have been identified by Salloum (2022) as crucial for improving the outcome. In Paterson (2024), results confirmed that people who were financially assisted and who also had counseling services all had better mental health. While the above findings point out that there is effectiveness when performing multiple activities or tasks in combating the problem, it implies that single intervention strategies do not work. Furthermore, Salloum (2022) mentioned the need for more fluidity and willingness to change the strategies to fit the environments and the learners. It makes it possible to provide individualized remedies for certain target groups, which in return optimizes the general results.

4. Discussion

4.1 Strengths and Weaknesses of the Current Literature

The literature that is currently available offers a good framework for explaining the effects of economic resources on the mental health of youths. Strengths include the discussed scope of coverage including the connection between economic difficulty and mental health and the efficacy of different treatments. Nevertheless, there are some limitations, for example, the inconsistency in the results related to the efficacy of interventions, or the absence of follow-up studies that have investigated the long-term effects of interventions. Moreso, future research could also aim at establishing the requirements of unique segmentations of youths in society regarding material necessities (Kirkbride et al., 2024).

4.2 Knowledge Gaps

Recent studies present economic resources as a factor in mental health status but fail to distinguish groups of people, for example, young people mentioned in the research work of Kirkbride (2024). Research primarily examines population-level consequences and does not consider how economic resources may operate to influence young peoples mental health (Knipschild et al., 2024). Furthermore, there is a dearth of literature on how differences in economic capitalfamily support and community services for instanceaffect mental health trajectories in developmental periods (Gautam et al., 2024) These groupings have been investigated either in isolation or compositely, but research has not established these specific relationships hence the call for specific research.

The latest findings show the importance of economic resources for mental health; however, they do not pay much attention to the differences in those effects on different categories of people, especially youths. For example, consider Kirkbrides (2024) focus on how economics impact the prevalence and proportionate morbidity of mental disorders in the population but pleads noimpart for subgroups of younger people. Like this gap, in the future work by Knipschild et al. (2024), they state that economic resources are recognized to have an impact, yet the role of unexpected effects on young peoples mental health is still poorly understood.

Similarly, Gautam et al. (2024) designate a major category of research missing relating to how different types of economic capital, including family finance and community resources available to either invest in the childs well-being or not, influence mental health outcomes in development stages. Prior research is often conducted on macrosystems and mainly analyzes population trends or covers individual characteristics of the economic capital without the analysis of their synergy about youths mental health. This separation leads to a lack of knowledge about how various forms of economic support are related to mental health and during which development period.

To fill these gaps, this study therefore proposed a context-specific, mixed-methods approach that aims at a deconstruction of the intricate processes that are linked to economic resources to young peoples mental health.

4.3 Theoretical Framework

To develop a theoretical understanding regarding economic resources potentially affecting the mental health of youth and adolescents theoretical models can be used such as the SDH model and Ecological Systems Theory. SDH means that factors like social and economic determinants have an impact on peoples health; for example, access to economic resources (Parr, 2024). Mental health treatment, prevention, Client education, access, support, and even stability in life are related to economic resources whereby economic status determines the ability of an individual to acquire quality mental health. Ecological Systems Theory proposed by Urie Bronfenbrenner says that complements this by highlighting the gradient density of environmental systems that impact the development of an individual. For youth, the components are family and parent income, community contexts, and schools about youth mental health. The combination of these frameworks gives a clear approach to how economic resources affect mental health through the different interacting systems (Almaatouq et al., 2022).

5. Conclusion

5.2 Summary of Findings

The use of economic capital avails in influencing the mental well-being of youth and adolescents. It was found that higher economic stability is related to improved mental health, and low economic status results in more cases of poor mental health. Through financial power during the development stages, one can acquire quality education, appropriate and efficient mental services, and a healthy family background. Analysis of the correlation between economic stability and mental health here justifies mechanisms to reduce economic inequality for the better mental health of the youth.

5.2 Implications for Future Research and Practice

Subsequent papers should include more rigorous analyses utilizing longitudinal designs to evaluate the changes in economic resources on mental health in young people and adolescents. From a practical perspective, these interventions should seek to tackle the difference in economic status by improving clients' and poor communities mental health services and care systems. The government should ensure targeted and age-sensitive interventions that could directly go towards economic support programs for young people which may help in eliminating the psychology gap. These steps will help in making increased specific interventions in targeting and promoting overall mental health.

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