Youth Who Achieve Upward Socioeconomic Mobility Display Lower Psychological Distress But Higher Metabolic Syndrome Rates as Adults: Prospective Evidence From Add Health and MIDUS

Citation

Miller, Gregory E.; Chen, Edith; Yu, Tianyi; & Brody, Gene H. (2020). Youth Who Achieve Upward Socioeconomic Mobility Display Lower Psychological Distress But Higher Metabolic Syndrome Rates as Adults: Prospective Evidence From Add Health and MIDUS. Journal of the American Heart Association. vol. 9 (9) , PMCID: PMC7428555

Abstract

People with higher socioeconomic status generally enjoy better cardiovascular health across the life course than those with lower status. However, recent studies of upward mobility, where a child goes on to achieve higher socioeconomic status than his or her parents, suggest that it entails a tradeoff between better psychological well‐being and worse cardiometabolic health. In this study, we consider further evidence of this tradeoff in 2 multidecade studies, asking how upward income mobility relates to subsequent perceived stress, depressive symptoms, and metabolic syndrome. We ask parallel questions about downward mobility. Finally, given shifting patterns of mobility in recent generations, we also consider whether mobility's association with health outcomes differs for individuals born in the middle and later parts of the 20th century.

URL

https://doi.org/10.1161/JAHA.119.015698

Keyword(s)

depression

Reference Type

Journal Article

Journal Title

Journal of the American Heart Association

Author(s)

Miller, Gregory E.
Chen, Edith
Yu, Tianyi
Brody, Gene H.

Year Published

2020

Volume Number

9

Issue Number

9

Edition

April 28, 2020

DOI

10.1161/JAHA.119.015698

PMCID

PMC7428555

Reference ID

5943