Abstract:

This paper maps psychosocial wellbeing in Mexico and explores its relationship with the characteristics of the place where a person lives, using multilevel models. Psychosocial wellbeing is measured as self-reported depressive symptoms, feelings of sadness and experience of stress. Results suggest a negative relationship between psychosocial wellbeing and local levels of unemployment, and heterogeneity in the role of place characteristics depending on individual characteristics. First, local unemployment levels tend to harm women more than men, and older more than younger people. Second, local poverty increases the depression symptoms and feelings of sadness of wealthier people, but, at high levels of local poverty, poorer people are significantly more likely to experience stress compared to wealthier people. Moreover, local poverty significantly worsens the psychosocial wellbeing of unemployed people. Third, an increase in local inequality harms the psychosocial wellbeing of younger people, while it does not seem to affect individuals older than 35. Fourth, an increase in the provision of local amenities can improve psychosocial wellbeing among people younger than 50, but it does not seem to moderate the relationship between age and depression among older people.