Increasing prevalence of emotional symptoms in higher socioeconomic strata. Trend study among Danish schoolchildren 1991-2014

Aim: To examine trends in social inequality in emotional symptoms among 11-15-year-olds in Denmark from 1991 to 2014.

Methods: We combined seven comparable cross-sectional HBSC (Health Behaviour in School-aged Children) surveys, N=31,169. Daily emotional symptoms were measured by the HBSC Symptom Check List and occupational social class (OSC) by students’ reports about parents’ occupation.

Results: There was an increasing prevalence of emotional symptoms in the high and middle OSC but no change in the low OSC. In the combined study population there was a significant and graded increase in daily emotional symptoms with decreasing OSC: OR=1.23 (95% CI: 1.10-1.38) in middle and OR=1.83 (1.62-2.08) in low compared with high OSC. This relative social inequality in emotional symptoms was lower in the last than in the six earlier surveys.

Conclusions: There was a diminishing social inequality in prevalence of emotional symptoms from 1991 to 2014, both in terms of absolute and relative social inequality.