Social Class Discrimination
Perceived discrimination has largely been studies in the context of race and racial health disparities. Much less is know about the role of discrimination or unfair treatment in socioeconomic health inequality. Beginning to address this knowledge gap, a recent study led by the Health Equity Research Lab examined whether experiences of discrimination account for socioeconomic differences in health that are evident across the life span and widen with age.
The study focused on a large national sample of adults and considered socioeconomic status at the initial assessment as a predictor of changes in health over an 18 year follow up period. The authors then considered the degree to which experiences of unfair treatment accounted for socioeconomic differences in health.
The findings showed that the health of those residing in families with higher levels of socioeconomic disadvantage (e.g., had lower income or occupational prestige) tended to decline more quickly than those in more affluent households. The authors then went on to report the main finding that experiences of discrimination accounted for nearly a quarter of this association.
According to the first authors, the results of this study "are intriguing because they suggest that a substantial portion of socioeconomic differences in health across the life span may be due to differences in unfair treatment that are experienced in workplace and community settings." In other words, the findings indicate that everyday discrimination based on social class is partly responsible for socioeconomic inequalities in health.
These findings are notable because they indicate an additional reason for social class differences in health that has often been ignored. The prevailing wisdom has suggested that it is things like access to healthy food, family environment, and health care quality that are responsible for social class differences in health. While these factors are all important, the results of this study suggest that the role of discrimination and unfair treatment also deserves considerable attention.
Relevant Citations
Fuller-Rowell, T. E., *Curtis, D. S., Chae, D. H., & Ryff, C. D. (2018). Longitudinal health consequences of socioeconomic disadvantage: Examining perceived discrimination as a mediator. Health Psychology, 37, 491. DOI: 10.1037/hea0000616. (IF = 3.458)
Fuller-Rowell, T. E., Evans, G. W., & Ong, A. D. (2012). Poverty and health: The mediating role of perceived discrimination. Psychological Science, 23, 734-739. DOI: 10.1177/0956797612439720. (IF = 4.864)
