Paradox and privilege: A 55-year follow-up of the mortality of Yale College graduates

摘要

Objective Two hypotheses were tested: 1. People from privileged backgrounds had better survival than those from less privileged backgrounds. 2. The advantages of privilege were vitiated by fraternity membership. Methods A 55-year retrospective cohort study of survival since 1960 of 945 graduates of Yale College followed to 2015. Results The survival of graduates of private secondary schools (the privileged group) did not differ from that of public school graduates. However, graduates of private secondary schools who had not joined a fraternity in college had significantly better survival than private school graduates who had joined fraternities and than public school graduates, whether fraternity members or not. Conclusions The benefits of a privileged background in respect of survival were undermined by fraternity membership. It is suggested that both self-selection and substance mis-use may have contributed to the survival difference. Highlights ? Membership in college fraternities is associated with an increased risk of death. ? Privileged background is not associated with reduced risk of death. ? Privileged background and not being in a fraternity had the lowest mortality. ? The advantage of privilege may be undermined by fraternity membership.