Exploring the socio-economic determinants of mental well-being of marginalized Roma communities in Slovakia

Abstract

Health and mental well-being are essential dimensions of social inclusion in labour market and education. Despite the Roma marginalized communities in Slovakia encounter adverse health conditions that negatively affect their work integration and educational prospects, a little attention is paid to exploring the determinants of mental health of this vulnerable group. The aim of the paper is to explore socio-economic determinants of mental well-being of marginalized Roma communities in Slovakia by utilizing regression analysis of the EU-SILC MRC 2018 module survey data about the living conditions of the marginalized Roma communities. The results of the analysis show that there is a significant impact of the poor housing conditions, and dissatisfaction with the financial situation on the self-perceived feelings of anxiety and depression, and nervousness among the inhabitants of the marginalized Roma communities. At the same time, possessing social capital in terms of being satisfied with relationships with the family relatives, friends, and other people around, decreases the probability of feelings of anxiety and nervousness which refers to the benefits of social capital for copying with hardships. Based on the intersectionality theoretical framework and social ecosystem approach to social inclusion of disadvantaged groups, these findings call for an awareness of policy makers of a crucial part of the social inclusion, including the integration of this cohort at the labour market.