Although research has identified how stressors are related to either physical or cognitive function in later life, we bridge these literatures by examining dual functionality (neither physical nor cognitive impairment) among Black, White, and Hispanic adults. Using data from the Health and Retirement Study (2006–2016), we investigated whether stressors and resources during childhood and adulthood are

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

College education features prominently in research on determinants of deaths from substance use disorders and self-harm—outcomes collectively referred to as “deaths of despair” (DoD). Limited attention has been given to whether the protective effects of college education on indicators of despair vary by individuals’ likelihood of college completion. We use data from the National Longitudinal Study

Most research on the strong relationship between education and cognitive aging has focused on years of schooling. Using data from the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study—a sample of White persons born in 1939—we explored whether greater curricular rigor in high school was also associated with better cognitive function in later life. We estimated multilevel structural equation models in data from 2,749 participants

This research adopts an analytical spatial perspective to explain ethno-national health inequality between Palestinians and Jews in Israel. The work identifies the forces that instigated and maintained the spatial segregation of Palestinians and elaborates the role of segregation in generating health gaps between Palestinians and Jews. The analysis suggests a novel conceptualization of two types of

The “countervailing powers” framework conceptualizes health care as an arena for power contests among key stakeholders, drawing attention to the moves, countermoves, and alliances that have challenged physicians’ dominance since the 1970s. Here, we focus on one of the lesser known micro-level consequences of such forces for physicians: emotional distress. We draw on 145 interviews with frontline physicians

Although clinicians have been the focus of research on trust in health care, much of the health guidance Americans receive occurs outside clinical settings. School-based health education is one such setting. Given the importance of interpersonal dynamics to clinicians’ work, trust likely features heavily in achieving health educators’ outcomes. This study asks: How do health educators approach building

Although there is robust evidence that socioeconomic position influences later-life cognitive function, two issues limit knowledge regarding the nature and magnitude of these relationships and potential policy interventions. First, most social science research tends to treat cognition as a unitary concept despite evidence that cognitive outcomes are not interchangeable. Second, most biomedical research

Black Americans experience the death of a parent much earlier in the life course than White Americans on average. However, studies have not considered whether the cardiovascular health consequences of early parental death vary by race. Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health, we explore associations between early parental death and cardiovascular disease (CVD)

This article examines variables that predict mental health care enrollment and engagement among refugees. The authors explore a mental health care model designed to identify mental health needs early among refugee arrivals that may interfere with adjustment and overall health outcomes using data from a Midwest refugee resettlement program. Using ecological models of mental distress and theories on

The contextual predictors of mortality in the United States are well documented, but the COVID-19 pandemic may have upended those associations. Informed by the social history of disease framework (SHDF), this study examined how the importance of county contexts on adult deaths from all causes, drug poisonings, and COVID-19-related causes fluctuated during the pandemic. Using 2018 to 2021 vital statistics

Few studies examine how high-achieving Black women navigate chronic reproductive health morbidities. Black women are disproportionately more likely to experience uterine fibroids, with earlier onset and more severe symptoms. This study leverages a national mixed-methods data set of Black women academics to examine how they describe symptomatic fibroids impacting their careers and lives. We find that

The debt collection industry in the United States has grown in tandem with rising indebtedness. Prior research on debt and mental health mainly treats debt as a resource and liability rather than a power relationship between creditors and debtors. We study the mental health consequences of debt collection pressure using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth-1997 Cohort (N = 7,236). Drawing

Patient-centered care is widely cited as a component of quality contraceptive health care, but its operationalization in clinical interaction is contested. This article examines patient-centered care as an interactional phenomenon using the case of patient dissatisfaction with side effects of hormonal contraceptive medications. Drawing on transcript data from 109 tape-recorded reproductive health visits

Cannabis can provide patients benefits for pain and symptom management, improve their functionality, and enhance their well-being. Yet restrictive medical cannabis programs can limit these potential benefits. This article draws on four years of research into Minnesota’s medical cannabis program—one of the most restrictive in the United States—including in-depth interviews with patients and a survey

With most scholarly attention directed toward understanding the stigma experiences of individuals with mental illness, less attention has been given to associative stigma: an understudied form of social exclusion and devaluation experienced by the social ties of stigmatized individuals. This study advances scholarly understanding of associative stigma by drawing on social network methods to better

There are competing perspectives on the impact of Hispanic immigrants’ social networks on health; the Hispanic health paradox views networks as sources of resilience, whereas the tenuous ties perspective views networks as sources of risk. In this study, I explore the effect of networks on health by examining three network pathways: social capital, social bonding, and network stress. Using egocentric

This study employs multichannel sequence analysis of data from the Survey of Health, Ageing, and Retirement in Europe to explore variations in the association between work–family life trajectories and women’s mental health across European cohorts born between 1924 and 1965 within different policy contexts. It finds that trajectories characterized by prolonged employment and delayed familial commitments

Scholars cite racist political-economic systems as drivers of health inequities in the United States (i.e., racial capitalism). But how does racial capitalism generate health inequities? I address this open question within the historical context of predatory lending during the 2008 financial crisis. Relevant hypotheses are tested with multiple waves of data from Black and White participants of the

This article examines how U.S. immigration law extends into the health care safety net, enacting medical legal violence that diminishes noncitizens’ health chances and transforms clinical practices. Drawing on interviews with health care workers in three U.S. states from 2015 to 2020, I ask how federal citizenship-based exclusions within an already stratified health care system shape the clinical trajectories

Scholars of social determinants of health have long been interested in how parent's and own education influence health. However, the differing effects of parent's and own education on health-that is, for what socioeconomic group education conveys health benefits-are relatively less studied. Using multilevel marginal structural models, we estimate the heterogeneous effects of parent's and own education

"Solidarity outpatient clinics" (SOCs) emerged in Greece as a novel community-based health care resource during the global economic crisis that started in 2008. They have provided crucial social support to diverse vulnerable populations. Solidarity is a critical organizational principle underlying SOCs' operation. It is juxtaposed to charity to emphasize, among other things, building symmetrical relationships

Medical sociologists have much to gain by bringing in global health. In this article, I make the case for expanding our field by furthering sociological perspectives on global health. I reflect on my career, the influence of scholar-activist mentors, and my contributions to the development of scholarship about medicalization, narrative, and global health in medical sociology. First, I focus on medicalization

At a time when educational attainment in young adulthood forecasts long-term trajectories of economic mobility, better health, and stable partnership, there is more pressure on mothers to provide labor and support to advance their children’s interests in the K–12 system. As a result, poor health among mothers when children are growing up may interfere with how far they progress educationally. Applying

Restrictive immigration policies harm the mental health of undocumented immigrants and their U.S. citizen family members. As a sociopolitical stressor, threat to family due to immigration policy can heighten anxiety, yet it is unclear whether political engagement helps immigrant-origin students to cope. We used a cross-sectional survey of college students from immigrant families (N = 2,511) to investigate

In low-income countries, intergenerational processes can culminate in the replication of extreme forms of health disadvantage between mothers and adult daughters, including experiencing a young child’s death. The preventable nature of most child deaths raises questions of whether social resources can protect women from enduring this adversity like their mothers. This study examined whether education—widely

Joining a growing body of research calling for the integration of social analysis and postcolonial theory, recent work in medical sociology has analyzed health, illness, and medicine from a postcolonial lens. In this article, I argue for a postcolonial feminist approach to medical sociology that builds on this extant work while challenging methodological nationalism and cultural essentialism. Based

Early initiation and consistent use of prenatal care is linked with improved health outcomes. American Indian birthing people have higher rates of inadequate prenatal care (IPNC), but limited research has examined IPNC among people living on American Indian reservations. The current study uses birth certificate data from the state of Montana (n = 57,006) to examine predictors of IPNC. Data on the community

Immigrants typically have more favorable health outcomes than their U.S.-born counterparts of the same race-ethnicity. However, little is known about how race-ethnicity and region of birth moderate the health outcomes of different immigrant groups as their tenure of U.S. residence increases. We study the association between time spent in the United States and health outcomes among non-Hispanic Black

Observing an association between socioeconomic status (SES) and health reliably leads to the question, “What are the pathways involved?” Despite enormous investment in research on the characteristics, behaviors, and traits of people disadvantaged with respect to health inequalities, the issue remains unresolved. We turn our attention to actions of more advantaged groups by asking people to self-report

Racial inequalities in breastfeeding have been a U.S. national concern, prompting health science research and public discourse. Social science research reveals structural causes, including racism in labor conditions, maternity care practices, and lactation support. Yet research shows that popular and health science discourses disproportionately focus on individual and community factors, blaming Black

During the COVID-19 pandemic, parents experienced difficulties around employment and children’s schooling, likely with detrimental mental health implications. We analyze National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 data (N = 2,829) to estimate depressive symptom changes from 2019 to 2021 by paid work status and children’s schooling modality, considering partnership status, gender, and race-ethnicity

Research shows that restrictive immigration policies and practices are associated with poor health, but far less is known about the relationship between inclusive immigration policies and health. Using data from the United States natality files, we estimate associations between state laws granting undocumented immigrants access to driver’s licenses and perinatal outcomes among 4,047,067 singleton births

Changes in family structure (e.g., parental separation or stepfamily formation) are associated with a deterioration in children’s well-being. Most researchers have focused on the impact of such changes on children’s educational and psychosocial outcomes, whereas the effects on children’s biological processes have been studied less often. We analyze the effects of changes in family structure on children’s

Less than 1% of studies on racialized health inequities have empirically examined their root cause: structural racism. Moreover, there has been a disconnect between the conceptualization and measurement of structural racism. This study advances the field by (1) distilling central tenets of theories of structural racism to inform measurement approaches, (2) conceptualizing U.S. states as racializing

We investigate how loneliness develops over the marital dissolution process in older age (i.e., transition at or after age 50) while paying close attention to heterogeneities by the dissolution pathway—widowhood and separation—and gender. Using data from over 8,000 Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia survey respondents, we assess the association of interest using fixed effects regressions

Despite physicians’ near monopoly over medicalization historically, various stakeholder groups shape an increasingly complex process today. This study examines a relatively new initiative, “health coaching,” within the context of the changing nature of medicalization. Utilizing 51 in-depth interviews with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) coaches, participant observation from seven ADHD

This study investigates how upward mobility context affects health during transition to adulthood and its variations by race and sex. Using county-level upward mobility measures and data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics, we apply propensity score weighting techniques to examine these relationships. Results show that low upward mobility context increases the likelihood of poor self-rated health

We investigate recent trends in U.S. suicide mortality using a “structural determinants of health” framework. We access restricted-use multiple cause of death files to track suicide rates among U.S. Black, White, American Indian/Alaska Native, and Latino/a men and women between 1990 and 2017. We examine suicide deaths separately by poisonings and nonpoisonings to illustrate that (1) women’s suicide

The increased politicization of sexual and reproductive health has created barriers to medically necessary care. In absence of formal health care, social ties become critical sources of information and resources, yet the disclosure of stigmatized health needs carries significant risk. How do people navigate the risks and benefits of disclosure when seeking care for stigmatized needs? Drawing on original

In the United States, natural disasters have increased in frequency and intensity, causing significant damage to communities, infrastructure, and human life. Migrant workers form part of a growing occupational group that rebuilds in the aftermath of natural disasters like hurricanes and tornadoes. The work these migrant workers perform is essential but also unstable, exploitative, and dangerous, which

On average, incarcerated people have higher rates of poor health, mental illness, and histories of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) than the general population. This mixed-methods analysis examines the relationship between ACEs and poor adult health among a sample of formerly incarcerated people. The quantitative analysis (N = 122) shows childhood adversity is associated with various health conditions

Doctors (and sociologists) have a long history of struggling to understand why patients seek medical help yet resist treatment recommendations. Explanations for resistance have pointed to macrostructural changes, such as the rise of the engaged patient or decline of physician authority. Rather than assuming that concepts such as resistance, authority, or engagement are exogenous phenomena transmitted

Sexual and gender minorities (SGMs) have experienced progressive change over the last 50 years. However, this group still reports worse health and health care experiences. An innovative survey instrument that applies stereotype threat to the health care setting, health care stereotype threat (HCST), offers a new avenue to examine these disparities. We harmonized two national probability data sets of

Whereas previous research shows that union membership is associated with improved health, static measurements have been used to test dynamic theories linking the two. We construct a novel measure of cumulative unionization, tracking individuals across their entire careers, to examine health consequences in older adulthood. We use data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (1970-2019) and predict

In pediatric medical visits, parents may assume the role of co-caregiver with clinicians. At times, parents challenge physicians' authority to determine diagnoses and treatments for their children. The present study uses conversation analysis to examine parents' accounts for their intrusions on medical authority in a corpus of 35 video-recorded pediatric neurology visits for overnight video-electroencephalogram

Republicans and conservatives report better self-rated health and well-being compared to Democrats and liberals, yet they are more likely to reside in geographic areas with heavy COVID-19 morbidity and mortality. This harmed health on "both sides" of political divides, occurring in a time of rapid sociopolitical upheaval, warrants the revisiting of psychosocial mechanisms linked to political health

We examine whether the COVID-19 pandemic was associated with changes to daily activity limitations due to poor physical or mental health and whether those changes were different within and between gendered and racialized groups. We analyze 497,302 observations across the 2019 and 2020 waves of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System survey. Among White

Changes to work and family norms and polices over the last several decades have reshaped both the job quality and the nature of job and family formation in the United States. Neoliberal policies have generated a slew of flexible but precarious working conditions; labor force participation is now the modal path for all genders regardless of parental or marital status. Leveraging data on 3,419 working

Sleep duration changes across the life course and differs by education in the United States. However, little research has examined whether educational differences in sleep duration change over age-or whether sleep duration trajectories over age differ by education. This study uses a life course approach to analyze American Time Use Survey data (N = 60,908), examining how educational differences in

Health care research has long overlooked the intersection of multiple social inequalities. This study examines influenza vaccination inequities at the intersection of sexuality, gender, and race-ethnicity. Using data from the 2013 to 2018 National Health Interview Survey (N = 166,908), the study shows that sexual, gender, and racial-ethnic identities jointly shaped flu vaccination. Specifically, White

Extant research has investigated the relationship between body weight and suicidality because obesity is highly stigmatized, leading to social marginalization and discrimination, yet has produced mixed results. Scholars have speculated that factors associated with body weight, such as weight discrimination, may better predict suicidality than body weight itself. We consider this possibility among a

Preventive health care use can reduce the risk of disease, disability, and death. Thus, it is critical to understand factors that shape preventive care use. A growing body of research identifies structural sexism as a driver of population health, but it remains unknown if structural sexism is linked to preventive care use and, if so, whether the relationship differs for women and men. Gender performance

Synthesizing prior gene-by-cohort (G×C) interaction studies, we theorize that changes in genetic effects by social conditions depend on the level of resource constraints, the distribution and use of resources, structural constraints, and constraints on individual choice. Motivated by the theory, we explored several sex-specific G×C trends across a set of outcomes using 30 birth cohorts of UK Biobank

Recent scientific and policy initiatives frame clinical settings as sites for intervening upon inequality. Electronic health records and data analytic technologies offer opportunity to record standard data on education, employment, social support, and race-ethnicity, and numerous audiences expect biomedicine to redress social determinants based on newly available data. However, little is known on how

Research on "the widowhood effect" shows that mortality rates are greater among people who have recently lost a spouse. There are several medical and psychological explanations for this (e.g., "broken heart syndrome") and sociological explanations that focus on spouses' shared social-environmental exposures. We expand on sociological perspectives by arguing that couples' social connections to others