Subjective socioeconomic status and health in cross-national comparison

Präg, Patrick; Mills, Melinda; Wittek, Rafael

doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2015.11.044

Cited by 153 publications

(115 citation statements)

References 51 publications

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“…In accord with recent research from several countries [24, 32, 35, 69], our findings demonstrate that lower SSS is associated with poorer mental health over and above the associations with objective SES measures. Such an independent association of SSS was previously found for depressive symptoms among adults in the U.S., England, and Hong Kong [70–74].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

“…The current unemployment rate is at its lowest since German reunification [34]. Correspondingly, people in Germany rate their social standing higher than people in other European countries [35]. As objective socioeconomic factors substantially determine people’s perceptions of their social standing, which in turn can independently predict changes in mental health [36], we investigated whether SSS is a potential mediator of the association between objective SES and depressive symptoms.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Social Inequalities and Depressive Symptoms in Adults: The Role of Objective and Subjective Socioeconomic Status

et al. 2017

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BackgroundThere is substantial evidence that lower objective socioeconomic status (SES)—as measured by education, occupation, and income—is associated with a higher risk of depression. Less is known, however, about associations between perceptions of social status and the prevalence of depression. This study investigated associations of both objective SES and subjective social status (SSS) with depressive symptoms among adults in Germany.MethodsData were obtained from the 2013 special wave of the German Health Update study, a national health survey of the adult population in Germany. Objective SES was determined using a composite index based on education, occupation, and income. The three single dimensions of the index were also used individually. SSS was measured using the MacArthur Scale, which asks respondents to place themselves on a 10-rung ‘social ladder’. Regression models were employed to examine associations of objective SES and SSS with current depressive symptoms, as assessed with the eight-item Patient Health Questionnaire depression scale (PHQ-8 sum score ≥10).ResultsAfter mutual adjustment, lower objective SES and lower SSS were independently associated with current depressive symptoms. The associations were found in both sexes and persisted after further adjustment for sociodemographic factors, long-term chronic conditions, and functional limitations. Mediation analyses revealed a significant indirect relationship between objective SES and depressive symptoms through SSS. When the three individual dimensions of objective SES were mutually adjusted, occupation and income were independently associated with depressive symptoms. After additional adjustment for SSS, these associations attenuated but remained significant.ConclusionsThe findings suggest that perceptions of low social status in adults may be involved in the pathogenesis of depression and play a mediating role in the relationship between objective SES and depressive symptoms. Prospective studies are needed to establish the direction of effects and to address questions of causality.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Social Inequalities and Depressive Symptoms in Adults: The Role of Objective and Subjective Socioeconomic Status

et al. 2017

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“…In previous literature, subjective SES is highly correlated with health even after controlling for objectively measured SES (Nobles et al 2013; Prag et al 2015). Thus, one explanation for the current study’s findings may be of reverse causation, in which individual’s assessment of their own SES is mediated by their health status or that both subjective status and health outcomes are affected by a common underlying variable (Garbarski 2010; Nobles et al 2013).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 84%

Childhood conditions and current physical performance among non-institutionalized individuals aged 50+ in Israel

Weinstein

2016

Eur J Ageing

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Adverse socioeconomic conditions in childhood have been previously linked with high risk of various health conditions. However, the association with future physical function has been less studied. Hand grip strength and chair-rising time are objective measures of physical capability indicating current and future health outcomes. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that perceived socio-economic status in childhood is related to current measures of physical function, among Israeli participants of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe project. The study included 2300 participants aged 50 years or older (mean age 68 ± 10; 56 % women). Generalized linear regression models were used to examine the associations of childhood wealth and number of books in residence with grip strength and time to complete five rises from a chair. Logistic regression models were used to assess the relationships between the early life conditions and the ability to perform the physical tests. Adjustment was made for current income or household wealth, and for demographic, anthropometric, health, and life-style measures. Being wealthy and having a large number of books at home in childhood was associated with a stronger hand grip and a better chair-rise test performance. These associations were more robust in women compared to men, and persisted after adjustment for potential covariates. In addition, childhood wealth and number of books were associated with lower risk of being unable to perform the tests. Thus, early-life programming may contribute to physical function indicators in mid- and late-life.

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“…It has been shown to predict mortality and morbidity and has high test-retest reliability in a number of studies (Idler and Benyamini, 1997). Furthermore, this variable has been recommended by the World Health Organization for comparative research (De Bruin et al, 1996) and a large number of researchers have followed this advice Präg et al, 2016). Research has also shown that the associations between objective health indicators and self-perceived health are largely similar across countries (Bardage et al, 2005).…”

Section: Datamentioning

confidence: 99%

The Educational Gradient in Self-Rated Health in Europe: Does the Doctor-Patient Relationship Make a Difference?

Präg¹,

Wittek²,

Mills³

2017

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Self Cite

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Research suggests that doctor-patient relations have evolved from a doctorcentered, paternalistic approach towards a more patient-centered, egalitarian model of interactions between physicians and their patients. Given the longrunning debate on the positive relationship between education and health, the question arises how this development in doctor-patient relations affects social inequalities in health. First, we test to what extent egalitarian (e.g. discussing treatment decisions with patients) doctor-patient relations are underlying the education-self-reported health association. Second, we test whether egalitarian and paternalistic (e.g. withholding some information from patients) doctor-patient relations show differential effects on self-reported health across educational groups. Analyses of the European Social Survey (ESS) 2004/2005 for 24 countries demonstrate that a more egalitarian doctor-patient relationship does not substantially reduce educational inequalities in self-reported health. However, some direct positive effects of egalitarian and direct negative effects of paternalistic doctor-patient relations on health ratings can be found. Finally, results show how the health status of the lower educated can improve with a more egalitarian and less paternalistic doctor-patient relationship.

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Subjective socioeconomic status and health in cross-national comparison

Cited by 153 publications

References 51 publications

Social Inequalities and Depressive Symptoms in Adults: The Role of Objective and Subjective Socioeconomic Status

Social Inequalities and Depressive Symptoms in Adults: The Role of Objective and Subjective Socioeconomic Status

Childhood conditions and current physical performance among non-institutionalized individuals aged 50+ in Israel

The Educational Gradient in Self-Rated Health in Europe: Does the Doctor-Patient Relationship Make a Difference?

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