Genetic and Social Determinants of Psychological Distress by time and place: evidence from the U.K. British Birth Cohorts, SHARE and PISA

This project explores the role social and genetic factors play in changes or stability of psychological distress across time and place. Study 1 focuses on using the PISA dataset to understand whether there is a homogenous social gradient in psychological distress outcomes across 72 countries including ~500,000 15- to 16-year-olds in 2018. This study uses cross-sectional big data to better understand the prevalence and heterogeneity of contexts using meta-analysis methods. Study 2 uses the U.K. British Birth Cohorts from 1946, 1958, 1970 and 2000 to better understand the role genetics play in changes in psychological distress liability by age, cohort and whether this fluctuates on a social gradient. This study uses longitudinal and genetic epidemiology methods to tease out how much the environment is contributing to increased psychological distress in the British population since 1946, when accounting for genetic predisposition. Study 3 uses the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe to explore distributional changes in ~30,000 older people's mental health across 27 European countries between 2004 and 2020. This study utilises both cross-sectional and longitudinal methods. Cross-sectionally GAMLSS are used to better understand the location, scale and shape of psychological distress by age, country and socioeconomic risk factors. Longitudinally stability or change in psychological distress will be explored over time by country.