Examining Financial Strain and Subjective Social Status in Terms of Behavioral Health Among Latinx Adults in a Federally Qualified Health Center

Abstract

There is a growing recognition that Social Determinants of Health (SDoH) can inform some sources of physical and mental health disparities among the Latinx population. The current study sought to expand previous research by exploring the singular and interactive influence of financial strain and subjective social status—two common and clinically important SDoH factors—on pain intensity, pain disability, general depression, social anxiety, and anxious arousal. The current sample consisted of 155 Latinx adults (81.3% female; M_age = 40.02 years, SD = 10.61) presenting for care at a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC). Multivariate results demonstrated that financial strain was statistically significantly associated with greater pain intensity, pain disability, general depression, and anxious arousal, but not social anxiety. Further, lower subjective social status was related to greater general depression, social anxiety, and anxious arousal but not with higher levels of pain indices. An interactive effect was found wherein the combination of higher levels of financial strain and low levels of subjective social status was related to general depression and anxious arousal. This is the first study to empirically evaluate the main and interactive effects of financial strain and subjective social status regarding numerous physical and mental health symptoms. These findings clarify how two prevalent SDoH factors influence health outcomes. Specifically, the results suggest that a multi-risk conceptualization can advance a fine-grained understanding of Latinx health disparities by showing differential associations between SDoH factors and clinical outcomes that are frequently the source of health inequities in the Latinx population.