The reciprocal relationship between political participation and mental health in Germany: A random-intercept cross-lagged panel analysis

Purpose: Political participation has been identified as a predictor of mental health. Previous research studies have reported mixed results concerning the relationship between political participation and mental health. Moreover, findings have generally been confined to the between-individual level. The few studies that investigated within-person associations have not examined bidirectionality. In the current study, the bidirectional relationship between political participation and mental health was investigated. Methods: Data from the GESIS Panel study were used to assess the bidirectional association between political participation and mental health. The GESIS Panel study is a probability-based panel representative of the German-speaking population residing in Germany and aged between 18 and 70 years (M = 44.52; SD = 14.67; 52 percent female participants). Mental health was assessed using measures of depression symptoms and subjective well-being. Results: Using up to nine waves of longitudinal survey data, a random-intercept cross-lagged panel model indicated little evidence for cross-lagged effects from political participation to mental health or vice versa. Notwithstanding, few significant cross-lagged paths were observed. Conclusions: Overall, the findings were not consistent with the theorized effect of political participation on mental health. Moreover, there is little evidence that mental health affects political participation.