Socioeconomic status and stress in Mexican–American women: a multi-method perspective

Abstract

Stress is a hypothesized pathway in socioeconomic status (SES)-physical health associations, but the available empirical data are inconsistent. In part, this may reflect discrepancies in the approach to measuring stress across studies, and differences in the nature of SES-stress associations across demographic groups. We examined associations of SES (education, income) with general and domain-specific chronic stressors, stressful life events, perceived stress, and stressful daily experiences in 318 Mexican–American women (40–65 years old). Women with higher SES reported lower perceived stress and fewer low-control experiences in everyday life (ps < .05), but greater chronic stress (education only, p < .05). Domain-specific analyses showed negative associations of income with chronic housing and financial stress (ps < .05), but positive associations of SES with chronic work and care-giving stress (all ps < .05 except for income and caregiving stress, p < .10). Sensitivity analyses showed that most SES-stress associations were consistent across acculturation levels. Future research should adopt a multi-dimensional assessment approach to better understand links among SES, stress, and physical health, and should consider the sociodemographic context in conceptualizing the role of stress in SES-related health inequalities.

Sociocultural variability in the Latino population: Age patterns and differences in morbidity among older US adults

“…Santiago and Galster (1995) provide a thorough analysis of the deteriorating economic status of Puerto Ricans, which selects them into segregated neighborhoods with inadequate access to health care facilities, limited options for nutritious food, lack of recreational activities, and the absence of generational socioeconomic upward mobility. Conversely, US-born Mexicans may be at greater risk for morbidity due to experiencing greater stress related to their low socioeconomic status (Gallo et al 2013). Among Mexican American women, financial stress has been found to be associated with elevated levels of allostatic load – an indicator of physiological dysregulation across multiple systems that predicts greater morbidity (Gallo et al 2011).…”

Relationship between the number of family members and stress by gender: Cross-sectional analysis of the fifth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey

“…In regard to education level, participants with a higher level of education had less stress, not including university graduates. It has been reported that people with higher education levels have more control over their lives and a lower level of perception of their own stress [ 27 ], but there are insufficient studies to accurately explain the correlation between education level and stress by gender.…”

Socioeconomic Status, Daily Affective and Social Experiences, and Inflammation During Adolescence

“…The discrepancy among findings may stem from the fact that stress is multi-faceted and therefore has been operationalized in various ways (82). Indeed, in a recent study, higher SES was related to greater chronic stress, but lower perceived stress and low-control daily stress, and was unrelated to daily demands (83). More studies are needed to identify which aspects of stress are related to higher SES and why.…”