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Cited by 217Health disparities and outcomesResilience and Mental HealthChild Abuse and Trauma

Hierarchies of Life Histories and Associated Health Risks

SINGER, BURTON, RYFF, CAROL D.·1999·Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
DOI 10.1111/j.1749-6632.1999.tb08108.x
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Abstract

A bstract: Widely documented inverse associations between socioeconomic standing and incident chronic disease and mortality invite explanation in terms of pathways to these outcomes. Empirical identification of pathways, or histories, requires measures that assess cumulative wear and tear on physiological systems following from psychosocial adversity and genetic predispositions. Such an assessment, allostatic load, has been shown to predict later life mortality, incident cardiovascular disease, and decline in physical and cognitive functioning. Using data from the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study (WLS), we seek precursors to allostatic load via ordered categories of cumulative adversity relative to advantage over the life course. We operationalize these histories via unfolding economic circumstances and social relationship experiences (e.g., parent‐child interactions, quality of spousal ties). Findings reveal a strong direct association between the extent of adversity relative to advantage in an ordering of these histories and likelihood of high allostatic load. Importantly, resilient individuals with economic disadvantage, but compensating positive social relationship histories also show low prevalence of high allostatic load.

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Crossref · 10.1111/j.1749-6632.1999.tb08108.x

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  • Both adult and childhood SES contributed to observed differences in allostatic load for adults in their early 1960s.

    “Building on this initial evidence, Singer and Ryff 184 demonstrated that both adult and childhood SES contributed to observed differences in AL for adults in their early 1960s.”

    From Socio‐economic differentials in peripheral biology: Cumulative allostatic load (2010) · cites this paper as [184]

  • Among those reporting changes in SES, increases in SES from childhood to adulthood are associated with allostatic load levels closer to the consistently high SES group, while downward mobility is associated with levels closer to the consistently low SES group.

    “Among those reporting changes in SES, increases in SES from childhood to adulthood were associated with levels of AL closer to the “consistently high SES” group while downward mobility was associated with levels closer to the “consistently low SES” group.184”

    From Socio‐economic differentials in peripheral biology: Cumulative allostatic load (2010) · cites this paper as [184]

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Authors
SINGER, B., & RYFF, C. D.
Affiliations
  • Princeton University (US)
  • University of Wisconsin–Madison (US)
Corresponding author
SINGER, BURTON
ORCID
Venue
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
Publisher
Wiley
Published
1999-12
Volume
896
Issue
1
Pages
96-115
ISSN
  • 0077-8923 (ISSN-L)
  • 1749-6632
DOI
10.1111/j.1749-6632.1999.tb08108.x
OpenAlex
W2145735444
Cited by
217
References
65
Citations by year
2026: 1 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 1 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 6 · 2020: 4 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 6 · 2017: 8 · 2016: 8 · 2015: 6 · 2014: 12 · 2013: 5 · 2012: 14
FWCI
5.42
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor (vor, 2259 d)
Locations
  • Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
  • John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
  • National Institutes of Health (5r01ag013613-03)
  • National Institute on Aging (AG13613-01)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Health › Health disparities and outcomes
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Resilience and Mental Health
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child Abuse and Trauma
Keywords
allostatic load, life history (social science method), socioeconomic status, cumulative adversity, psychosocial adversity, interpersonal relationships, parent-child relationship, marital relationships, economic disadvantage, resilience, health risks, Wisconsin Longitudinal Study
MeSH terms
Cardiovascular Diseases, Chronic Disease, Cross-Sectional Studies, Family, Female, Health Status, Humans, Income, Life Change Events, Longitudinal Studies, Male, Marriage, Middle Aged, Mortality, Parent-Child Relations, Surveys and Questionnaires, Social Class, Stress, Psychological, Wisconsin, Incidence

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