Subjective social status, objective socioeconomic status, and cardiovascular risk in women.
OBJECTIVE
Subjective perceptions of personal social status may relate to health beyond the effects of objective socioeconomic status (SES). The authors examined the relationship between subjective social status (SSS) and psychosocial, behavioral, and physical cardiovascular risk factors in middle-aged women.


METHODS
Ninety-two women (90.2% White) completed ladder-based, pictorial self-report measures of SSS relative to others in their community and in the United States. Psychosocial measures of depression, anxiety, pessimism, stress, and social support and behavioral risk factors of fruit and vegetable consumption, leisure physical activity, and body-mass index were obtained. In addition, women underwent measurement of clinic blood pressure and assessment of daytime ambulatory systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP; DBP) over 2 consecutive days.


RESULTS
Community SSS was significantly inversely related to anxiety, pessimism, stress, and daytime ambulatory DBP after controlling for objective SES and U.S. SSS. Women with lower U.S. SSS showed less healthy dietary and exercise behaviors and, contrary to predictions, lower clinic and ambulatory DBP.


CONCLUSIONS
This study provides additional evidence that perceptions of one's position in the social hierarchy could have important health implications beyond the impact of objective SES. Further, the cardiovascular risk implications of perceived community versus U.S. social status appear to be distinct.
Ghaed
Shiva G
SG
Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology, San Diego State University, 6363 Alvarado Court, San Diego, CA 92120, USA.
Gallo
Linda C
LC
D000328:Adult; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D012306:Risk; D012649:Self Concept; D012923:Social Class; D012944:Social Support; D014481:United States