Do Local Social Hierarchies Matter for Mental Health? A Study of Neighborhood Social Status and Depressive Symptoms in Older Adults

The Journals of Gerontology. Series B, Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences
Jessica A Kelley-MooreCarlos F Mendes de Leon

Abstract

Despite a well-established association between relative social position and health, stratification at smaller levels of social organization has received scant attention. Neighborhood is a localized context that has increasing relevance for adults as they age, thus one's relative position within this type of mesolevel group may have an effect on mental health, independent of absolute level of social and economic resources. We examine the relationship between an older adult's relative rank within their neighborhoods on two criteria and depressive symptoms. Using data from the Chicago Health and Aging Project, neighborhood relative social position was ascertained for two social domains: income and social reputation (number of neighbors one knows well enough to visit). Using multilevel models, we estimated the effect of relative position within the neighborhood on depressive symptoms, net of absolute level for each domain and average neighborhood level. Higher neighborhood relative rankings on both income and visiting neighbors were associated with fewer depressive symptoms. Although both were modest in effect, the gradient in depressive symptoms was three times steeper for the relative rank of visiting neighbors than for income. M...Continue Reading

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Mar 4, 2009·The Journals of Gerontology. Series B, Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences·Kathleen A CagneyCarlos F Mendes de Leon
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Citations

Jun 14, 2018·Brain Sciences·Shervin AssariRonald Simons
Feb 23, 2018·The Journals of Gerontology. Series B, Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences·Heather FritzEmily R Cummins
Feb 13, 2021·International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health·Katherine L ForthmanMartin P Paulus

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