Kislitsyna O.A.¹, Ferlander S.^2
1 Federal State Institution of Science, Institute of Economics of theRussian Academy of Sciences, Moscow
² The Stockholm Centre for Health and Social Change (SCOHOST), Stockholm

Contacts: Olga Kislitsyna, e-mail:  This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Abstract

Background. Existence of systematic health differences between people with different socio-economic status has been confirmed by many studies. At the same time, social relations have been found to be an important determinant of health. Some scholars consider social relations as mediator between socioeconomic status and health. However, studies on this subject are scattered and inconsistent. At the same time, it remains unclear how social relations are distributed according to socio-economic status. The study, the results of which are presented in this work, is an attempt to examine relationship between socio-economic status, social relations and health.

Purpose. The purposes of the study are: 1) to explore relationship between socio-economic status and social relations; 2) to confirm association between social relations and health; 3) to reveal whether social relations mediate association between socio-economic status and health.

Methods. The study is based on data of the European Social Survey, Round 5. Statistical analysis was performed using logistic regression models. Three indicators were selected to measure social relations: presence of a family partner, confidentiality availability (presence of someone with whom it is possible to discuss intimate and personal matters) and social participation (communication with people for enjoyment rather than for reasons of work or duty). Socioeconomic status was assessed by the level of education, employment and financial situation. Self-rated health on a one-five scale was used as health (illness) indicator.

Results. It was found out that socio-economically disadvantaged persons are at greater risk of social isolation, which, in turn, has negative effect on health. Social relations explain up to 21% of the socio-economic inequalities in self-rated health of the Russian people.

Conclusions. The received results show the need to promote social support and social integration especially among people with low socio-economic status, which can contribute to reduce health inequalities.

Keywords: health inequality; self-rated health; social relations; socio-economic status.

References

1. Vagero D., Kislitsyna O. Svyaz' mezhdu samootsenkoy serdechnykh problem i bednost'yu v Rossii – rezul'taty obsledovaniya v g. Taganroge v 1998 g. [The relation between heart problems and poverty in Russia: the results of survey in Taganrog in 1998]. Narodonaselenie 2003;3. (in Russian).
2. Kislitsyna O., Ferlander S. Vliyanie sotsial'noy podderzhki na zdorov'e moskvichey [The influence of social support on the health of inhabitants of Moscow]. Sotsiologicheskie issledovaniya 2008; 4: 81-84. (in Russian).
3. Rusinova N.L., Panova L.V., Safronov V.V. Zdorov'e i sotsial'nyy kapital (Opyt issledovaniya v Sankt-Peterburge) [Health and social capital (the research experience in St. Petersburg]. Sotsiologicheskie issledovaniya 2010; 1: 87-100. (in Russian).
4. Andreβ H.J., Lipsmeier G., Salentin K. Soziale Isolation und mangelnde soziale Unterstützung im untern Einkommensdereich [Social isolation and lack of social support in low income groups] Zeitschrift für Soziologie 1995; 24: 300-315 (in German).
5. Berkman L.F., Glass T. Social integration, social networks, social support, and health. In: Social epidemiology. Berkman L.F. and I. Kawachi, editors. New York: Oxford University Press; 2000.
6. Bourdieu P. The forms of capital. In: Handbook of Theory and Research for the Sociology of Education. J.G. Richardson, editor. New York: Greenwood Press; 1986.
7. Brennan L.K., Baker E.A., Haire-Joshu D., Brownson R.C. Linking perceptions of the community to behavior: Are protective social factors associated with physical activity? Health Education & Behavior 2003; 30(6): 740–755.
8. Carlson P. The European health divide: a matter of financial or social capital? Social Science & Medicine 2004; 59: 1985-1992.
9. Giles-Corti B., Donovan R.J. Relative influences of individual, social environmental, and physical environmental correlates of walking. American Journal of Public Health 2003; 93: 1583-9.
10. Huisman M., Kunst A.E., Mackenbach J.P. Socioeconomic inequalities in morbidity among the elderly; a European overview. Social Science & Medicine 2003; 57: 861-873.
11. Ichida Y., Kondo K., Hirai H., Hanibuchi T., Yoshikawa G., Murata C. Social capital, income inequality and self-rated health in Chita peninsula, Japan: a multilevel analysis of older people in 25 communities. Social Science & Medicine 2009; 69: 489-499.
12. Kawachi I., Colditz G.A., Ascherio A., Rimm E., Giovannuchi E., Stampfer M.J., Willett W.C. A Prospective study of social networks in relation to total mortality and cardiovascular disease in men in the USA. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health 1996; 50: 245–251.
13. Kawachi I., Kennedy B.P., Lochner K., Prothrow-Stith D. Social capital, income inequality and mortality. American Journal of Public Health 1997; 87: 1491–1498.
14. Kawachi I., Kennedy B.P., Wilkinson R.G. Crime: Social disorganization and relative deprivation. Social Science & Medicine 1999; 48: 719–731.
15. Kennedy B. P., Kawachi I., Prothrow-Stith D., Lochner K., Gupta V. Social capital, income inequality, and firearm violent crime. Social Science & Medicine 1998; 47: 7–17.
16. Kim D.S., Jeon G.S., Jang S.N. Socio-economic status, social support and self-rated health among lone mothers in South Korea. Int J Public Health 2010; 55: 551-559.
17. Klein J., Vonneilich N., Baumeister E., Kohlmann T., von dem Knesebeck O. Do social relations explain health inequalities? Evidence from a longitudinal survey in a changing eastern German region. Int J Public Health 2012; 57(3):619-27.
18. Krause N., Borawski-Clark E. Social class difference in social support among older adults. Gerontologist 1995; 35: 498-508
19. Kubzansky L.D., Berkman L.F., Glass T.A., Seeman T.E. Is education attainment associated with shared determinants of health in the elderly? Findings from MacArthur Studies of Successful Aging. Psychosomatic Medicine 1998; 60: 578-85.
20. Lindstrom M., Hanson B.S., Ostergren P.-O. Socioeconomic differences in leisure-time physical activity: The role of social participation and social capital in shaping health related behavior. Social Science & Medicine 2001; 52: 441–451.
21. Nolte E., McKee M. Changing health inequalities in east and west Germany since unification. Social Science & Medicine 2004; 58: 119-136.
22. Sampson R.J., Raudenbush S.W., Earls F. Neighborhoods and violent crime: A multilevel study of collective efficacy. Science 1997; 277: 918–924.
23. Stansfeld S.A., Head J., Fuhrer R., Wardle J., Cattell V. Social inequalities in depressive symptoms and physical functioning in the Whitehall II study: exploring a common cause explanation. J Epidemiol Community Health 2003; 57(5): 361–367.
24. Sundquist K., Yang M. Linking social capital and self-rated health: A multilevel analysis of 11,175 men and women in Sweden. Health & Place 2007; 13:324-334.
25. Weyers S., Dragano N., Möbus S., Beck E.M., Stang A., Möhlenkamp S., Jöckel K.H., Erbel R., Siegrist J. Low socio-economic position is associated with poor social networks and social support: results from the Heinz Nixdorf Recall Study. Int J Equity Health 2008; 7: 13.
26. Wilkinson R.G. Unhealthy societies. The afflictions of inequality. London: Routledge. 1996.

Write Comment

Please keep the topic of messages relevant to the subject of the article. Personal verbal attacks will be deleted. Please don't use comments to plug your web site. Such material will be removed. Just ensure to *Refresh* your browser for a new security code to be displayed prior to clicking on the 'Send' button. Keep in mind that the above process only applies if you simply entered the wrong security code.
Name:
E-mail
Comment:
Code:*