Cited by 196Health disparities and outcomesStress Responses and CortisolResilience and Mental Health

Socioeconomic status, hostility, and risk factor clustering in the normative aging study: Any help from the concept of allostatic load?

Kubzansky, Laura D., Kawachi, Ichiro, Sparrow, David·1999·Annals of Behavioral Medicine

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To examine the relationships between socioeconomic status (SES), psychosocial vulnerability (hostility), and allostatic load. Allostatic load refers to the cumulative physiological cost of adaptation to stress. METHOD: We examined the relationships between SES (as measured by educational attainment), hostility, and allostatic load in the Normative Aging Study, a longitudinal study of community-dwelling men aged 21 to 80 years and free of known chronic medical conditions at entry in the 1960s. In 1986, the revised Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory was administered by mail, from which a hostility measure was derived by summing the scores from three Cook-Medley subscales: Hostile Affect, Hostile Attribution, Aggressive Responding. An index of allostatic load was constructed from data collected during physical exams conducted between 1987 and 1990 (i.e. measures reflecting "wear and tear" on the cardiovascular, endocrine, and metabolic systems). Cross-sectional relationships between education, hostility, and allostatic load were examined in 818 men. RESULTS: Separate linear regression analyses indicated that lower levels of educational attainment and greater hostility were both associated with higher allostatic load scores (p < .05 and p < .01, respectively). Less education was also associated with higher hostility (p < .001). When allostatic load was regressed simultaneously on education and hostility, the effect of education was attenuated, while hostility (p < .05) maintained an independent effect. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that lower levels of education and greater hostility are associated with greater "wear and tear" on the body. The effects of education on allostatic load may be mediated by hostility.

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Research works printed but not linked: 3

  1. Davey Smith G, Blane D, Bartley M: Explanations for socioeco- nomic differentials in mortality. Evidence from Britain and else- where. European Journal of Public Health. 1994, 4:131-144.
  2. Cohen S, Williamson GM: Stress and infectious disease. Psychologi- cal Bulletin. 1991, 109(1):5-24.
  3. SAS Institute: SAS/STAT User's Guide. Version 6. (4th Ed.). Cary, NC: SAS Institute Inc., 1990.

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Authors
Kubzansky, L. D., Kawachi, I., & Sparrow, D.
Affiliations
  • Harvard University (US)
  • United States Department of Veterans Affairs (US)
Corresponding author
Kubzansky, Laura D.
Venue
Annals of Behavioral Medicine
Published
1999-12
Volume
21
Issue
4
Pages
330-338
ISSN
  • 0742-5554 (ISSN-L)
  • 0883-6612
  • 1532-4796
OpenAlex
W1964214903
Cited by
196
References
55
Citations by year
2026: 2 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 1 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 9 · 2021: 7 · 2020: 3 · 2019: 9 · 2018: 8 · 2017: 7 · 2016: 11 · 2015: 10 · 2014: 11 · 2013: 9 · 2012: 11
FWCI
3.59
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Annals of Behavioral Medicine (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
  • U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
  • John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
  • National Institutes of Health (5r01hl054098-03, 2r01ag002287-08a1)
  • National Institute on Aging (AG 02287)
  • National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (HL54098)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Health › Health disparities and outcomes
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Behavioral Neuroscience › Stress Responses and Cortisol
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Resilience and Mental Health
Keywords
socioeconomic status, hostility, allostatic load, educational attainment, psychosocial vulnerability, risk factor clustering, stress adaptation, men, Normative Aging Study
MeSH terms
Adaptation, Physiological, Adaptation, Psychological, Adult, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Aging, Blood Glucose, Blood Pressure, Body Constitution, Catecholamines, Educational Status, Factor Analysis, Statistical, Follow-Up Studies, Hostility, Humans, Lipids, Longitudinal Studies, Male, Middle Aged, MMPI, Socioeconomic Factors, Stress, Psychological, United States, Linear Models

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