Parental socioeconomic position and midlife allostatic load: a study of potential mediators

Abstract

BackgroundThe mechanisms underlying the association of parental socioeconomic position with later life allostatic load remain unclear. The present study aims to examine potential pathways underlying this association: personality, social relations, intelligence and education.MethodsThe study comprised 361 members of the Copenhagen Perinatal Cohort who participated in two subsequent follow-ups: the Prenatal Development Project (mean age 27 years) and the Copenhagen Aging and Midlife Biobank study (mean age 50 years). Allostatic load was based on 14 biomarkers representing the inflammatory, metabolic and cardiovascular system measured at midlife. Information on potential mediators was collected in young adulthood, and their role in the association of parental socioeconomic position with midlife allostatic load were examined in linear regression path analyses.ResultsParental socioeconomic position at one year was inversely associated with midlife allostatic load (β = − 0.238, p < .001). No mediation effects were found for personality or social relations. In a model including intelligence and education, a significant indirect effect was found for education (β = − 0.151, p < .001). A significant direct effect remained (β = − 0.111, p = .040).ConclusionsParental socioeconomic position was inversely associated with allostatic load in midlife. Results suggest that part of this association was mediated by education. A better understanding of the non-cognitive pathways related to education is an important prerequisite for the development of effective intervention strategies.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s12889-018-5956-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Allostatic Load and Its Impact on Health: A Systematic Review

“…Low socioeconomic status was associated with high levels of allostatic load [59][60][61][62][63][64][65][66][67][68]. The findings were con firmed by other investigations where high socioeconom ic position appeared to be related to low allostatic load [45,53,[69][70][71][72].…”

Greater social adversity is associated with more disordered eating attitudes and behaviors among children from Southeast Michigan

“…These indicators were dichotomized with caregivers of color, ≤130% of the federal poverty line, food insecurity, and lower primary female caregiver education scored as one. Each variable was selected because of evidence suggesting its association with higher chronic and acute stress (Christensen et al, 2018 ; Pak & Kim, 2021 ; Prior, 2021 ; Whelan et al, 2021 ). Our summation approach is similar to that used in other psychological fields; specifically, previous studies have summed life stressors (Mayer et al, 2019 ), genetic risk alleles (Shabana et al, 2018 ), or adverse childhood experiences (Dube et al, 2003 ) to show associations with a health outcome.…”

“…Factors related to social adversity include race/ethnicity, parental education status, household income, and food insecurity. Social adversity can increase exposure to chronic and acute stress, also called allostatic load (Christensen et al, 2018 ; Pak & Kim, 2021 ; Prior, 2021 ; Whelan et al, 2021 ). Higher levels of chronic stress or measured allostatic load are associated with increased risk of mental illness (Gallagher et al, 2021 ; Guidi et al, 2021 ; Reiss et al, 2019 ).…”

Buffering Effect of Spousal Support on Stress Levels in Mothers of Children with a Diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder in Kerala, India

“…Unfavorable allostasis, the persistent stimulation of biological systems related to the response to stress, will cause negative psychological and physical outcomes. 2 Social and material resources may have a role in the progression to a stage of physical or psychological dysfunction. Unfavorable health outcomes were found to be higher in mothers from poor socio-economic situations, 3 and economic hardship was considered as a strong predictor of parental wellbeing.…”