Graduate Studies
Subjective social status and its associations with social vulnerabilities and health
Abstract
dc:description.abstractBACKGROUND: Subjective social status (SSS) is the perception of where one stands in a social hierarchy, distinct from one’s actual, objective position in this hierarchy. SSS may influence health through behavioral and psychosocial mechanisms. METHODS: We conducted three sub-studies to examine whether SSS affects risk of and outcomes in chronic disease, and to explore the role of health care access and experience of social vulnerabilities in the SSS-health pathway. RESULTS: We found that low SSS is associated with increased risk of 1) cardiovascular disease; 2) hospital readmissions and barriers to health care access; and 3) social vulnerabilities that affect health care access. Having high perceived status in the community appears to mitigate the experience of social vulnerabilities through the ability to mobilize social supports. CONCLUSION: Subjective social status has important associations with health and clinical outcomes. These findings have implications to the development of interventions that aim to reduce disparities.
Degree
thesis:*- Name thesis:degree_name
- Master of Science (MSc)
- Discipline thesis:degree_discipline
- Community Health Sciences
- Grantor dc:publisher.institution
- Graduate Studies
- Year dc:date.issued
- 2017
Author and committee
dc:creator, dc:contributor.*- Author dc:creator
-
- Tang, Karen
- Advisor dc:contributor.advisor
-
- Ghali, William
- Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember
-
- Manns, Braden
- Rabi, Doreen
- Santana, Maria
Subjects
dc:subject × 2Rights
dc:rights- Statement dc:rights
-
- University of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.
- Language dc:language.iso
- eng
Identifiers
dc:identifier.*- OAI identifier oai:identifier
- oai:ucalgary.scholaris.ca:11023/3740