Mental health is one of several important factors to sustain one's well-being, and as such, poor mental health can lead to significant problems in one’s quality of life. Although mental illnesses are prevalent in middle-aged adults and the importance of mental health in general has been discussed in many studies, mental health across middle-aged adults has received less attention. Levels of depression have changed over time and lack of economic resources influences mental health. The purpose of this study is to examine trajectories of mental health among middle-aged adults, to investigate which factors influence the trajectories of mental health, and to explore the effects of economic well-being on mental health during middle age. The National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 (NLSY79), which is a nation-wide representative data set for individuals in the United States, was used for analysis. A sample of 834 individuals who discussed their mental health status at four points in time (34, 36, 40, and 50 years of age) was analyzed. The latent growth model was conducted using M-plus statistical package. The research questions are as follows: 1) What are the trajectories of mental health among middle aged-adults (34 to 50 years of age)? 2) Is economic well-being (net worth and employment) associated with mental health? Major findings reported in this study were that the trajectories of mental health show non-linear change, with lowest levels of depression at 40 and higher levels of depression at 34, 36, and 50 years of age. Male, self-esteem, cognitive ability, health insurance, employment, and net worth predicted lower intercepts of depression. In addition, even after including time-varying covariates, the trajectories of mental health still show non-linear change. Employment was associated with lower risks of depression at 34, 36, 40, and 50 years, and net worth was also associated with lower risks of depression at 34, 36, and 50 years. This study confirms the trajectories of mental health among middle-aged American adults within longitudinal setting by using four waves. Compared to previous studies, which have been primarily conducted with a cross-sectional approach, this study contributes further evidence in understanding trajectories of mental health among middle-aged adults. In addition, the findings support the hypothesis that employment and net worth have a significant impact on mental health during middle age. Middle age is a stage greatly influenced by economic resources as individuals become more responsible for their lives at an economic level and face economic challenges that can ultimately affect depression. Understanding the effects of economic well-being on depression among middle-aged adults helps to pinpoint a specific period of time for interventions to improve poor mental health. This period of time in life may thus require more attention and care before levels of depression begin to increase. The findings provide a rationale, which calls for increased job and job training opportunities, as well as educational programs regarding saving and wealth accumulation in order to improve poor mental health and achieve social justice. Furthermore, it provides grounds for social workers to further advocate for and protect individuals who suffer from mental health and have poor economic well-being.
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