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Psychological Resources as Mediators of the Association Between Social Class and Health: Comparative Findings from Japan and the USA

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Abstract

Background

Recently, researchers have proposed that psychological resources might be key concept in explaining the association between social class and health. However, empirical examinations of the extent to which psychological resources to social class in health are still few.

Purpose

This study investigated mediating effects of selected psychological resources (sense of control, self-esteem, optimism, and neuroticism) on the association of social class [education and subjective social status (SSS)] with current health status (self-rated health and the number of chronic conditions).

Method

This sample consisted of 1,805 Americans (818 males and 987 females) from the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) survey, 2004–2006 and 1,027 Japanese (505 males and 522 females) from the Midlife in Japan (MIDJA) survey in Tokyo, Japan, 2008–2010. Information on social class, psychological resources, and health status was obtained using telephone interviews or written questionnaires.

Results

A mediation analysis was conducted separately for males and females in Japan and the USA. Neuroticism significantly mediated the association of education and SSS with self-rated health and chronic conditions among males and females in both countries, with one exception (not for chronic conditions among Japanese females). Sense of control significantly mediated the association of education and SSS with self-rated health among males and females in both countries. As hypothesized, self-esteem significantly mediated almost all of the associations of education and SSS with self-rated health and chronic conditions among men and women in the USA, but very few such associations in Japan. Optimism significantly mediated most associations of social class and health status in both countries, but only among females.

Conclusions

Overall, the findings underscore important culture- and gender specificity in the ways in which psychosocial resources mediate the links between social class and health.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by a grant from the National Institute on Aging (5R37AG027343) to conduct a study of Midlife in Japan (MIDJA) for comparative analysis with MIDUS (Midlife in the United States, P01-AG020166). The data analysis and preparation of the manuscript was supported by a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (A) 2009-2013 (No. 20240062) from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Japan.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan

    Chiemi Kan & Norito Kawakami

  2. Tokyo Woman’s Christian University, Tokyo, Japan

    Mayumi Karasawa

  3. University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA

    Gayle Dienberg Love, Christopher L. Coe, Yuri Miyamoto & Carol D. Ryff

  4. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

    Shinobu Kitayama

  5. Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA

    Katherine B. Curhan & Hazel Rose Markus

Authors
  1. Chiemi Kan
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  2. Norito Kawakami
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  3. Mayumi Karasawa
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  4. Gayle Dienberg Love
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  5. Christopher L. Coe
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  6. Yuri Miyamoto
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  7. Carol D. Ryff
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  8. Shinobu Kitayama
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Chiemi Kan.

Appendices

Appendix 1.

Pearson’s partial correlation coefficients adjusted for age and marital status among social class, psychological resources, and health outcome variables by gender among respondents in Japan and the USA

Table 5 For education (482 men and 506 women in Japan and 800 men and 951 women in the USA)
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Table 6 For subjective social status (469 men and 487 women in Japan and 794 men and 935 women in the USA)
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Appendix 2

Table 7 Inter-item correlation coefficients for neuroticism adjusted for age and marital status by gender among respondents in Japan and the USA
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Appendix 3

Table 8 Inter-item correlation coefficients for optimism adjusted for age and marital status by gender among respondents in Japan and the USA
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Appendix 4

Table 9 Mediation effects of social class on health status through neuroticism which consisted of three items or each item of optimism among the USA
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Appendix 5

Table 10 Mediation effects of social class on health status through neuroticism which consisted of three items or each item of optimism in Japan
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Kan, C., Kawakami, N., Karasawa, M. et al. Psychological Resources as Mediators of the Association Between Social Class and Health: Comparative Findings from Japan and the USA. Int.J. Behav. Med. 21, 53–65 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12529-012-9249-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12529-012-9249-y

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