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Thanaraju A, Marzuki AA, Chan JK, Wong KY, Phon-Amnuaisuk P, Vafa S, Chew J, Chia YC, Jenkins M. Structural and functional brain correlates of socioeconomic status across the life span: A systematic review. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2024; 162:105716. [PMID: 38729281 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2024.105716] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2024] [Revised: 04/08/2024] [Accepted: 05/06/2024] [Indexed: 05/12/2024]
Abstract
It is well-established that higher socioeconomic status (SES) is associated with improved brain health. However, the effects of SES across different life stages on brain structure and function is still equivocal. In this systematic review, we aimed to synthesise findings from life course neuroimaging studies that investigated the structural and functional brain correlates of SES across the life span. The results indicated that higher SES across different life stages were independently and cumulatively related to neural outcomes typically reflective of greater brain health (e.g., increased cortical thickness, grey matter volume, fractional anisotropy, and network segregation) in adult individuals. The results also demonstrated that the corticolimbic system was most commonly impacted by socioeconomic disadvantages across the life span. This review highlights the importance of taking into account SES across the life span when studying its effects on brain health. It also provides directions for future research including the need for longitudinal and multimodal research that can inform effective policy interventions tailored to specific life stages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arjun Thanaraju
- Department of Biological Sciences, School of Medical and Life Sciences, Sunway University, Malaysia.
| | - Aleya A Marzuki
- Department for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical School and University Hospital, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Germany
| | - Jee Kei Chan
- Department of Psychology, Jeffrey Cheah School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Monash University Malaysia, Malaysia
| | - Kean Yung Wong
- Sensory Neuroscience and Nutrition Lab, University of Otago, New Zealand
| | - Paveen Phon-Amnuaisuk
- Department of Psychology, Jeffrey Cheah School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Monash University Malaysia, Malaysia
| | - Samira Vafa
- Department of Psychology, School of Medical and Life Sciences, Sunway University, Malaysia
| | - Jactty Chew
- Department of Biological Sciences, School of Medical and Life Sciences, Sunway University, Malaysia
| | - Yook Chin Chia
- Department of Medical Sciences, School of Medical and Life Sciences, Sunway University, Malaysia
| | - Michael Jenkins
- Department of Psychology, School of Medical and Life Sciences, Sunway University, Malaysia
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Chen E, Yu T, Ehrlich KB, Lam PH, Jiang T, McDade TW, Miller GE, Brody GH. Family Disadvantage, Education, and Health Outcomes Among Black Youths Over a 20-Year Period. JAMA Netw Open 2024; 7:e242289. [PMID: 38551566 PMCID: PMC10980964 DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.2289] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2023] [Accepted: 01/23/2024] [Indexed: 04/01/2024] Open
Abstract
Importance Upward mobility (via educational attainment) is highly valued, but longitudinal associations with mental and physical health among Black youths are less understood. Objective To examine associations of childhood family disadvantage and college graduation with adult mental and physical health in Black youths followed up into adulthood. Design, Setting, and Participants This longitudinal, prospective cohort study of Black youths from the state of Georgia who were studied for 20 years (ages 11 to 31 years) was conducted between 2001 and 2022. Participants for this study were drawn from the Strong African American Healthy Adults Program. Data analysis was conducted from April 2023 to January 2024. Exposures Family economic disadvantage (measured during the adolescent years) and college graduation (indicating upward mobility). Main Outcomes and Measures Primary outcomes included mental health, substance use, and physical health. Mental health included a composite of internalizing and disruptive problems (anxiety, depression, anger, aggressive behaviors, and emotional reactivity). Substance use included a composite of smoking, drinking, and drug use. Physical health included metabolic syndrome (MetS) and proinflammatory phenotypes (immune cells mounting exaggerated cytokine responses to bacterial challenge and being insensitive to inhibitory signals from glucocorticoids). Mental and physical health measures were taken at age 31 and during the adolescent years. Linear and logistic regression analyses, as well as mediated moderation analyses, were conducted. Results The study population consisted of 329 Black youths (212 women [64%]; 117 men [36%]; mean [SD] age at follow-up, 31 [1] years). Compared with those who did not graduate college, those who graduated from college had 0.14 SD fewer mental health problems (b = -1.377; 95% CI, -2.529 to -0.226; β = -0.137; P = .02) and 0.13 SD lower levels of substance use (b = -0.114; 95% CI, -0.210 to -0.018; β = -0.131; P = .02). Residualized change scores revealed that college graduates showed greater decreases from age 16 to 31 years in mental health problems (b = -1.267; 95% CI, -2.360 to -0.174; β = -0.133; P = .02) and substance use problems (b = -0.116; 95% CI, -0.211 to -0.021; β = -0.136; P = .02). For physical health, significant interactions between childhood family disadvantage and college completion emerged in association with MetS (OR, 1.495; 95% CI, 1.111-2.012; P = .008) and proinflammatory phenotype (b = 0.051; 95% CI, 0.003 to 0.099; β = 0.131; P = .04). Among youths growing up in disadvantaged households, college completion was associated with a 32.6% greater likelihood of MetS (OR, 3.947; 95% CI, 1.003-15.502; P = .049) and 0.59 SD more proinflammatory phenotype (mean difference, 0.249, 95% CI, 0.001 to 0.497; P = .049). Conversely, among those from economically advantaged backgrounds, college completion was correlated with lower MetS and less proinflammatory phenotype. Findings held after controlling for body mass index at age 19 years. Conclusions and Relevance In this longitudinal cohort study of Black youths, graduating from college was associated with an adult profile of better mental health but poorer physical health among those from economic disadvantage. These findings suggest that developing interventions that foster healthy outcomes across multiple life domains may be important for ensuring that striving for upward mobility is not accompanied by unintended cardiometabolic risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edith Chen
- Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois
- Department of Psychology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois
| | - Tianyi Yu
- Center for Family Research, University of Georgia, Athens
| | - Katherine B. Ehrlich
- Center for Family Research, University of Georgia, Athens
- Department of Psychology, University of Georgia, Athens
| | - Phoebe H. Lam
- Department of Psychology, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Tao Jiang
- Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois
- Department of Psychology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois
| | - Thomas W. McDade
- Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois
| | - Gregory E. Miller
- Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois
- Department of Psychology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois
| | - Gene H. Brody
- Center for Family Research, University of Georgia, Athens
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Tran MH, van Zwieten A, Kiely KM, Blyth FM, Naganathan V, Le Couteur DG, Handelsman DJ, Seibel MJ, Waite LM, Cumming RG, Khalatbari-Soltani S. Intra-generational social mobility and mortality among older men in the Concord Health and Ageing in Men Project: A cohort study. SSM Popul Health 2024; 25:101581. [PMID: 38264197 PMCID: PMC10803938 DOI: 10.1016/j.ssmph.2023.101581] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2023] [Revised: 10/16/2023] [Accepted: 12/06/2023] [Indexed: 01/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Objectives We examined associations between intra-generational social mobility (reflected in life-course socioeconomic trajectories) and mortality, among older men. Methods Data came from a prospective Australian community-based cohort of older men. Social mobility was defined by socioeconomic indicators from three points in the life-course: educational attainment (late adolescence-early adulthood), occupation (mid-life), and current sources of income (older age). We defined indicators of social mobility trajectory (6 categories; reflecting the direction of social mobility) and social mobility status (2 categories; mobile or non-mobile). We used Cox regression to examine associations with mortality, adjusting for age, country of birth, and living arrangement. Results We followed 1568 men (mean age 76.8, SD 5.4) for a mean duration of 9.1 years, with 797 deaths recorded. Moving upward was the predominant social mobility trajectory (36.0%), followed by mixed trajectories (25.1%), downward (15.1%), stable low (12.2%), stable high (7.6%), and stable middle (4.0%). Men with downward (Hazard ratio 1.58, 95% CI 1.13 to 2.19) and stable low socioeconomic trajectories (1.77, 1.25 to 2.50) had higher mortality risks than men with stable high socioeconomic trajectories, while men with upward trajectories had similar risks to those with stable high trajectories. 76.2% of the participants were classified as having mobile status; no associations were evident between binary social mobility status and mortality. Discussions These findings suggest cumulative and persistent exposure to disadvantaged socioeconomic conditions across the life-course, rather than social mobility, is associated with increased mortality. For each stage of the life-course, addressing socioeconomic disadvantage may reduce inequities in mortality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Minh-Hoang Tran
- School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- NTT Hi-Tech Institute, Nguyen Tat Thanh University, HCMC, Viet Nam
| | - Anita van Zwieten
- School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- Centre for Kidney Research, Children's Hospital at Westmead, Westmead, NSW, Australia
| | - Kim M. Kiely
- Ageing Futures Institute, University of New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney, (NSW), Australia
- ARC Centre of Excellence in Population Ageing Research (CEPAR), University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- School of Health and Society and School of Mathematics and Applied Statistics, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, (NSW), Australia
| | - Fiona M. Blyth
- School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- ARC Centre of Excellence in Population Ageing Research (CEPAR), University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Vasi Naganathan
- Concord Clinical School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, NSW, Australia
- Centre for Education and Research on Ageing, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Ageing and Alzheimer's Institute, Concord Repatriation and General Hospital, Sydney Local Health District, Concord, New South Wales, Australia
| | - David G. Le Couteur
- Concord Clinical School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - David J. Handelsman
- ANZAC Research Institute, University of Sydney and Concord Hospital, Sydney, Australia
| | - Markus J. Seibel
- ANZAC Research Institute, University of Sydney and Concord Hospital, Sydney, Australia
| | - Louise M. Waite
- Concord Clinical School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, NSW, Australia
- Centre for Education and Research on Ageing, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Ageing and Alzheimer's Institute, Concord Repatriation and General Hospital, Sydney Local Health District, Concord, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Robert G. Cumming
- School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Saman Khalatbari-Soltani
- School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- ARC Centre of Excellence in Population Ageing Research (CEPAR), University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
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McGinnis EW, Halvorson-Phelan J, Shanahan L, Guangyu T, Copeland W. Parental supervision positively impacts children's economic prospects two decades later: A prospective longitudinal study. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0286218. [PMID: 37224161 PMCID: PMC10208455 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0286218] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2022] [Accepted: 05/11/2023] [Indexed: 05/26/2023] Open
Abstract
IMPORTANCE Upward income mobility is associated with better health outcomes and reduced stress. However, opportunities are unequally distributed, particularly so for those in rural communities and whose family have lower educational attainment. OBJECTIVE To test the impact of parental supervision on their children's income two decades later adjusting for parental economic and educational status. DESIGN This study is a longitudinal, representative cohort study. From 1993-2000, annual assessments of 1,420 children were completed until age 16, then followed up at age 35, 2018-2021, for further assessment. Models tested direct effects of parental supervision on child income, and indirect effects via child educational attainment. SETTING This study is an ongoing longitudinal population-based study of families in 11 predominately rural counties of the Southeastern U.S. PARTICIPANTS About 8% of the residents and sample are African American and fewer than 1% are Hispanic. American Indians make up 4% of the population in study but were oversampled to make up 25% of the sample. 49% of the 1,420 participants are female. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES 1258 children and parents were assessed for sex, race/ethnicity, household income, parent educational attainment, family structure, child behavioral problems, and parental supervision. The children were followed up at age 35 to assess their household income and educational attainment. RESULTS Parental educational attainment, income, and family structure were strongly associated with their children's household income at age 35 (e.g., r = .392, p < .05). Parental supervision of the child was associated with increased household income for the child at age 35, adjusting for SES of the family of origin. Children of parents who did not engage in adequate supervision earned approximately $14,000 less/year (i.e., ~13% of the sample's median household income) than those who did. The association of parental supervision and child income at 35 was mediated by the child's educational attainment. CONCLUSION AND RELEVANCE This study suggests adequate parental supervision during early adolescence is associated with children's economic prospects two decades later, in part by improving their educational prospects. This is particularly important in areas such as rural Southeast U.S.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ellen W. McGinnis
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont, United States of America
| | - Julia Halvorson-Phelan
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont, United States of America
| | - Lilly Shanahan
- Psychology & Jacobs Center for Productive Youth Development, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Tong Guangyu
- Department of Biostatistics, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America
| | - William Copeland
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont, United States of America
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Zang E, Sobel ME, Luo L. The mobility effects hypothesis: Methods and applications. SOCIAL SCIENCE RESEARCH 2023; 110:102818. [PMID: 36796994 PMCID: PMC9936082 DOI: 10.1016/j.ssresearch.2022.102818] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2022] [Revised: 10/20/2022] [Accepted: 10/21/2022] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
We discuss hypotheses researchers have put forth to explain how outcomes of socially mobile and immobile individuals might differ and/or how mobility experiences are related to outcomes of interest. Next, we examine the methodological literature on this topic, culminating in the development of the diagonal mobility model (DMM, also called the diagonal reference model in some studies), the primary tool of use since the 1980's. We then discuss some of the many applications of the DMM. Although the model was proposed to examine the effects of social mobility on outcomes of interest, the estimated relationships between mobility and outcomes that researchers have called mobility effects are more appropriately regarded as partial associations. When mobility is not associated with outcomes, as is often found in empirical work, the outcomes of movers from origin o to destination d are a weighted average of the outcomes of individuals who remained in states o and d respectively, and the weights capture the relative salience of origins and destinations in the acculturation process. In light of this attractive feature of the model, we briefly develop several generalizations of the current DMM that future researchers should also find useful. Finally, we propose new estimands of mobility effects, based on the explicit notion that a unit effect of mobility is a comparison of an individual with herself under two conditions, one in which she is mobile, the other in which she is immobile, and we discuss some of the challenges in identifying such effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma Zang
- Department of Sociology, Yale University, USA.
| | | | - Liying Luo
- Department of Sociology and Criminology, Pennsylvania State University, USA
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Leontopoulou S, Chletsos M. Intergenerational Social Mobility and Youth Well-Being in the Context of the Greek Socio-Economic Crisis. SOCIAL INDICATORS RESEARCH 2022; 165:333-353. [PMID: 36312795 PMCID: PMC9589641 DOI: 10.1007/s11205-022-03016-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/01/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Intergenerational social mobility and its associations with youth well-being has scarcely been examined in Greece. This study examines educational and income mobility across generations, its relations with emerging adults' well-being, and the impact of interpersonal and contextual factors on this relationship, such as parental school involvement and the recent severe socio-economic crisis in Greece. 468 female and male University students and graduates completed a questionnaire battery, using two different modes: pen-and-pencil and online. The questionnaire assessed demographics, including information about educational levels for youths, parents and grandparents of both genders, and income (for the former two), flourishing and quality of life, as well as parental involvement, and the impact of the crisis on youths. The results revealed upward educational mobility across three generations. Intergenerational mobility was significantly, and positively associated with youth well-being. Parental involvement mediated the relation between social mobility and flourishing, while the impact of the socio-economic crisis mediated the relationship among mobility, flourishing, and quality of life in emerging adulthood. The implications of these findings on educational, mental health and other types of interventions are discussed. Lastly, the two modes of questionnaire assessment were found to be equivalent, a finding that can facilitate research in other trying times, such as health pandemics.
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Tarrence J. Is educational mobility harmful for health? SOCIAL SCIENCE RESEARCH 2022; 107:102741. [PMID: 36058605 DOI: 10.1016/j.ssresearch.2022.102741] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2021] [Revised: 04/10/2022] [Accepted: 04/17/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
"Mobility effects" research to date provides mixed evidence about the health consequences of social mobility and pays limited attention to race differences in mobility effects. To address this gap in the literature, this study explores the association between downward mobility and upward mobility with health and how these associations vary between Black people and White people. Diagonal reference models are used to estimate the effects of intergenerational educational mobility on self-rated health and mortality using data from the U.S. General Social Survey (1972-2016) with linked mortality records (1978-2014). Results show that downward mobility is associated with worse self-rated health and higher mortality risk. Downward mobility appears more damaging to the health of White people relative to Black people. Upward mobility appears less beneficial to the health of Black people. These findings indicate that social mobility itself is consequential for health and suggest that downward mobility is detrimental to health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jake Tarrence
- Department of Sociology, The Ohio State University, 238 Townshend Hall, 1885 Neil Ave. Mall, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA.
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