We propose a novel approach to test the fundamental cause theory (FCT) by analyzing the association between socioeconomic status (SES), as measured by the order titles “brothers” and “padres,” and mortality in 2,421 German Catholic monks born between 1840 and 1959. This quasi-experiment allows us to study the effect of SES on mortality in a population with largely standardized living conditions. Mortality analyses based on Kaplan-Meier product limit estimation show that there were no statistically significant survival differences between the high and lower SES monks. This holds for all birth cohorts, indicating that monastic life offers health protection for monks with a lower SES regardless the disease patterns, causes of death, or main risk factors in a given period. These findings support the FCT: Whereas SES-related differences in mortality are a widely confirmed finding in the general population, a context with largely standardized conditions eliminates the importance of SES-related resources.

中文翻译：

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天主教僧侣死亡率没有社会经济不平等：为根本原因理论提供证据的准实验


我们提出了一种新的方法来检验根本原因理论 （FCT），通过分析社会经济地位 （SES）（以 1840 年至 1959 年出生的 2,421 名德国天主教僧侣的订单标题衡量）与死亡率之间的关联。这个准实验使我们能够研究 SES 对基本标准化生活条件人群死亡率的影响。基于 Kaplan-Meier 乘积极限估计的死亡率分析表明，高 SES 和低 SES 僧侣之间没有统计学意义的生存差异。这适用于所有出生队列，表明修道院生活为 SES 较低的僧侣提供健康保护，无论特定时期的疾病模式、死亡原因或主要风险因素如何。这些发现支持 FCT：虽然 SES 相关的死亡率差异在普通人群中得到了广泛证实，但条件基本标准化的环境消除了 SES 相关资源的重要性。