Income inequality is frequently cited as a forceful determinant of mental health and as a possible contributor to the rising trend in adolescent depressive symptoms. However, research findings often rely on low-powered crosssectional designs. We conducted a preregistered study of the within-municipality effect of income inequality on adolescent depressive symptoms in Norway, covering ≈550,000 respondents nested within 863 municipality years and 340 municipalities. Using multilevel modeling and equivalence testing, the overall within-municipality effect of income inequality was neither statistically significant nor practically meaningful and did not significantly interact with family financial situation. A significant gender interaction showed that rising inequality predicted slightly higher depressive symptoms among females and slightly lower among males; however, the main gender effects were also probably too small to be meaningful. We conclude that changes in income inequality likely do not meaningfully predict nor help explain changes in adolescent depressive symptoms in Norway from 2010 to 2019.
CREATE Open Seminar - Does Income Inequality Predict Adolescent Depressive Symptoms?
This seminar will be held by Sondre Aasen Nilsen. In this talk, he will present research on whether income inequality influences adolescent depressive symptoms. Using large-scale Norwegian data, the seminar explores how changes in inequality relate to mental health over time, and what the findings suggest about the role of socioeconomic factors in shaping adolescents’ wellbeing.
Sondre Aasen Nilsen, Associate Professor, Department of Special Needs Education, University of Oslo.
Published Apr. 16, 2026 9:56 AM
- Last modified Apr. 16, 2026 9:56 AM