The Mediating Roles of Perceived Stress and Health Behaviors in the Relation Between Objective, Subjective, and Neighborhood Socioeconomic Status and Perceived Health

摘要

Background Objective, subjective, and neighborhood socio-economic status (SES) are associated with perceived health, morbidity, and mortality.Purpose We investigated whether perceived stress and health behaviors mediated the relation between the three types of SES and perceived health.Methods Participants (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. Results In 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.Conclusions Interventions to reduce the impact of stressors could improve the health of socioeconomically disadvantaged individuals.