Capital Relations and Health: Mediating and Moderating Effects of Cultural, Economic, and Social Capitals on Mortality in Alameda County, California

Abstract

Inspired by Bourdieu's theories on various forms of capital, conversions among them, and the fields (social spaces) delineated by possession of them, the authors investigate distinct and interconnected effects of cultural, economic, and social capitals on risk of mortality. Using 35 years of longitudinal data from the Alameda County Study (n = 6,157), they created discrete-time hazard models to predict all-cause mortality from educational attainment (institutionalized cultural capital), household income (economic capital), and different forms of personal ties (social capital). The results show that education, income, having three or more close friends, regularity of church attendance, and participation in social/recreational groups were all negatively and significantly associated with risk of mortality. Income mediated a significant portion of the education effect. None of the personal ties variables mediated the effects of education or income. Relative composition of the sum total of education and income did not have an effect. Lastly, examination of statistical interactions between capitals determined that protective effects of church attendance and participation in community betterment groups applied only to non-wealthy people. These findings speak to the structure of the U.S. social space within which health-delimiting relationally defined social classes may be made manifest.