Controversies, evidence, and prospects in the association between social class and mental health: A meta‐analytic review

Abstract Substantial evidence indicates that social class is closely related to mental health. However, the strength of this relationship remains controversial due to variations in study populations, regional distributions, and measurement indicators across different studies. To further clarify the overall strength of the association between social class and mental health, a systematic meta‐analytic analysis was conducted. Based on the dual‐factor model of mental health, we searched 13 databases for social class and both positive and negative mental health indicators. A total of 61 and 38 eligible studies met the inclusion criteria of positive and negative mental health, respectively. A random‐effects meta‐analytic model was employed, and several moderator analyses were conducted. This study revealed a positive correlation between social class and positive mental health indicators ( r = 0.252), and a negative correlation with negative mental health indicators ( r = −0.104). Furthermore, the relationship between social class and mental health was moderated by the era, age group, and sampling region. Our results indicate a potential direction that individuals from higher socio‐economic backgrounds may exhibit higher levels of mental health.