Mental Health Inequality: the Case of Russia

This study assesses the inequality of mental health and the factors affecting it in Russia. The study was conducted on the data of Russian Longitudinal Monitoring Survey (RLMS) 21 wave (2012). The mental health variable is formed from a block of questions from an adult 2012 RLMS questionnaire. To estimate inequality, concentration indices were calculated for the entire sample and separately for men and women. Using the decomposition method, this paper evaluates the impact of socio-economic factors on mental health inequality and identifies its main channels. The work reveals the existence of inequality in Russia (for men - 0.079, for women - -0.019). Differences in the subjective material position, education and age of individuals have the greatest effect in inequality. The relationship between socio-economic factors and people's mental health have a great practical sense. Studying mental health inequalities can help to understand the mechanism of this phenomenon and methods for overcoming it. Results may allow policy makers to direct efforts to areas that are most conducive to mental health inequalities.