39 Ethno-racial inequality in mental health: heterogeneity in the prevalence of anxiety in France

Abstract OP 23: Mental Health 3, B304 (FCSH), September 4, 2025, 14:45 - 15:45 Aims Theories of social stratification consider that individuals in more disadvantaged social positions are more exposed to risk factors that lead to worse mental health, including higher levels of anxiety. As such, disadvantaged groups across multiple domains of social position including gender, race and class, would be at higher risk. This study aims to shed light on mental health inequality across ethno-racial groups in France. Methods We use recent data from the 2020 French EpiCov study and logistic regression to explore heterogeneity in anxiety levels by migration status among women living in France. We tested several interactions and calculated marginal effects. Results Analyses showed that most first- and second-generation immigrant women exhibit significantly higher levels of anxiety relative to the majority population. Socioeconomic factors partly explained this health disadvantaged, particularly for second generation racialized women. Surprisingly, first-generation racialized women did not differ in anxiety levels from the majority population, while women from French overseas departments (FOD) exhibited a mental health advantage. Analyses using interaction marginal effects revealed that socioeconomic factors differently modified anxiety levels across migration status groups. For instance, first-generation non-racialized immigrant women in a decent financial situation exhibited significantly higher anxiety than their counterparts in the majority population, retirement did not translate into lower anxiety for second-generation non-racialized or first-generation racialized women compared with the French majority. By contrast, FOD women seem to be shielded from the negative effect of unemployment on anxiety. Conclusions We conclude that while ethno-racial position is associated with anxiety in the French EpiCov study, these effects may be modified by socioeconomic factors.