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

SUBMITTER: Seeman M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4167677 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature