Carlyn Graham

Literature indicates that subjective social status (SSS) is a robust predictor of health outcomes net of objective social status (OSS). However, research that has considered gender in the relationship between SSS and health is limited. Using 2016–2018 data from the Wave V biomarker sample of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health, we investigate the relationship between SSS and two health outcomes—allostatic load and depressive symptoms—and the moderating role of gender in these relationships among a nationally representative sample of U.S. adults (ages 33–44 years) ( n = 5,269). We find that SSS is inversely associated with both allostatic load and depressive symptoms, net of OSS. Moreover, we find that gender significantly moderates the SSS-allostatic load relationship but not the SSS-depressive symptoms relationship. Specifically, SSS has a greater impact on allostatic load among women than men. Future research should explore the underlying psychosocial mechanisms that contribute to these gender differences.

Extant research has investigated the relationship between body weight and suicidality because obesity is highly stigmatized, leading to social marginalization and discrimination, yet has produced mixed results. Scholars have speculated that factors associated with body weight, such as weight discrimination, may better predict suicidality than body weight itself. We consider this possibility among a sample of 12,057 adult participants ages 33 to 43 in Wave V of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health through investigation of the relationships between weight discrimination and two dimensions of suicidality—suicide ideation and attempts. We also examine gender as a moderator of these relationships. We find that weight discrimination is positively associated with both suicide ideation and attempts, and this relationship is similar among men and women. Our findings underscore the need to address issues of weight discrimination in our society to better promote mental well-being.

Poor physical health places adults at greater risk for suicide ideation. However, the linkage between health and suicidal thoughts may emerge and become established during early adulthood, concomitant with other social processes underlying suicidality. Using nationally representative survey data from Waves III through V of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (n = 8,331), we examine the emergence of health as a predictor of suicide ideation across the early adult life course (ages 18–43). We find that worsening health does not significantly predict suicide ideation until young adults approach the transition into midlife. Our findings suggest this may be due to the increasing severity of health problems, reduced social network engagement, and disruption of social responsibilities later in early adulthood. Our findings underscore the need for social science research to examine the relationship between mental and physical health from a life course perspective.