title: Social status and biological dysregulation: the "status syndrome" and allostatic load.
abstract: Data from a national sample of 1255 adults who were part of the MIDUS (Mid-life in the U.S.) follow-up study and agreed to participate in a clinic-based in-depth assessment of their health status were used to test the hypothesis that, quite part from income or educational status, perceptions of lower achieved rank relative to others and of relative inequality in key life domains would be associated with greater evidence of biological health risks (i.e., higher allostatic load). Results indicate that over a variety of status indices (including, for example, the person's sense of control, placement in the community rank hierarchy, perception of inequality in the workplace) a syndrome of perceived relative deprivation is associated with higher levels of biological dysregulation. The evidence is interpreted in light of the well-established associations between lower socio-economic status and various clinically identified health morbidities. The present evidence serves, in effect, both as a part of the explanation of how socio-economic disparities produce downstream morbidity, and as an early warning system regarding the ultimate health effects of currently increasing status inequalities.
authors.affiliation: Department of Sociology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Melvin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Seeman
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine/Division of Geriatrics, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Sharon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Stein Merkin
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine/Division of Geriatrics, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Arun
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Karlamangla
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine/Division of Geriatrics, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Brandon
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Koretz
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine/Division of Geriatrics, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA. Electronic address: tseeman@mednet.ucla.edu.
authors.forename: Teresa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Seeman
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D052636:Allostasis; D015415:Biomarkers; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012737:Sex Factors; D012923:Social Class; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014481:United States
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers
keywords: Allostatic load; Inequality; Perceived control; Social status
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