Social Status, Social Relations, and Health

Abstract

AbstractThis chapter summarizes the current state of research on social status, social relations, and health. The focus is on two questions: (1) Is there evidence of an explanatory contribution of social relationships on the association of social status and health (mediating effect of social relationships), and (2) do associations of social relations and health vary in different social status groups (moderating effect of social status)? There is evidence that social relationships can help explain health inequalities. The current state of research on the moderating effect is less clear. Although there are indications of a moderating effect, the results for both questions vary greatly regarding indicators used for social relationships or health. Research on these questions has so far neglected a more complex measurement of social relations, such as in social networks. Complex assessments of social relations might help in finding more detailed insights.