The association between income, relationships and psychological distress.

This study used data from the UK Household Longitudinal Study (UKHLS) to investigate potential associations household income and psychological distress, and between relationship quality and being diagnosed with a mental health condition. Psychological distress was measured using the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) and information regarding psychiatric diagnosis status was collected as part of the UKHLS questionnaire. Equivalised household income was calculated by dividing household income by the number of people living in the household. Relationship quality was measured using two subscales from the Revised Dyadic Adjustment Scale (RDAS). The findings suggest that household income was negatively associated with psychological distress; however, effect sizes were small. There was no significant association found between relationship quality and having a mental health condition. The findings are interpreted in the context of social stratification and intersectionality theory, before implications and recommendations for future research are suggested.