BackgroundObjective, subjective, and neighborhood socioeconomic status (SES) are associated with perceived health, morbidity, and mortality.PurposeWe investigated whether perceived stress and health behaviors mediated the relation between the three types of SES and perceived health.MethodsParticipants (N = 508) attending a public clinic completed a computerized survey assessing objective SES (income, education, employment); health behaviors; perceived stress; and perceived health. They also indicated their social standing relative to others (subjective SES) and provided their current address to determine neighborhood SES.ResultsIn a structural equation model including all three SES types, lower objective and subjective SES were related to poorer perceived health. When mediators were included in the model, there were significant indirect effects of (a) SES on health through stress and (b) SES on health through stress and health-compromising behaviors.ConclusionsInterventions to reduce the impact of stressors could improve the health of socioeconomically disadvantaged individuals.
The Mediating Roles of Perceived Stress and Health Behaviors in the Relation Between Objective, Subjective, and Neighborhood Socioeconomic Status and Perceived Health
Published 2014 in Annals of Behavioral Medicine
ABSTRACT
PUBLICATION RECORD
- Publication year
2014
- Venue
Annals of Behavioral Medicine
- Publication date
2014-03-20
- Fields of study
Sociology, Medicine, Psychology
- Identifiers
- External record
- Source metadata
Semantic Scholar, PubMed
CITATION MAP
EXTRACTION MAP
CLAIMS
CONCEPTS
- health behaviors
Self-reported behaviors related to health that were assessed in the survey.
Aliases: behavioral factors
- health-compromising behaviors
Behaviors assessed as part of the health behavior measures that can undermine health.
- neighborhood socioeconomic status
A socioeconomic measure derived from participants' current address to characterize the surrounding neighborhood.
Aliases: neighborhood SES
- objective socioeconomic status
A measured socioeconomic indicator based on participants' income, education, and employment status in the survey.
Aliases: objective SES, SES
- perceived stress
Participants' self-reported level of stress used as a mediator in the model.
Aliases: stress
- subjective socioeconomic status
Participants' self-rated social standing relative to other people.
Aliases: subjective SES
REFERENCES
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