Abstract
A wealth of past studies documented that individuals of lower socioeconomic status (SES) are more susceptible to both acute and chronic life stress than those of higher SES, but some recent evidence documents that not all individuals from the lower SES group experience immense stress. The present study was grounded in theories of coping and psychological adjustment, and a dual process model was formulated to address some resolved issues regarding socioeconomic disparities in health. For a robust test of the proposed dual process model, data were collected from two Asian countries—Hong Kong and Indonesia—with different socioeconomic heritage and conditions. Consistent with the predictions of our model, the present findings revealed that coping flexibility was a psychological mechanism underlying the positive association between social capital and health for the lower SES group, whereas active coping was a psychological mechanism underlying this positive association for the higher SES group. These patterns of results were largely replicable in both Asian samples, providing robust empirical support for the proposed dual process model.
Highlights
Socioeconomic disparities in health have long been as a major issue of concern in many societies (e.g., [1,2])
Consistent with the predictions of our model, the present findings revealed that coping flexibility was a psychological mechanism underlying the positive association between social capital and health for the lower socioeconomic status (SES) group, whereas active coping was a psychological mechanism underlying this positive association for the higher SES group
The present study extends the literature by proposing coping as a major psychological mechanism that explicates individual differences in health outcomes among distinct SES
Summary
Socioeconomic disparities in health have long been as a major issue of concern in many societies (e.g., [1,2]). Compared with individuals higher in socioeconomic status (SES), those lower in SES are 2.5 times more likely to be hospitalized and 3.5 times more likely to suffer from disability due to diseases [3,4]. In light of recent findings that coping flexibility could foster better health-related quality of life among individuals lower (vs higher) in SES [7], it is necessary to refine the postulation of classic theories with SES as a risk factor of health by considering the influence of coping in stressful encounters. Grounded in the transactional theory of coping [8], we formulate a dual process model to address the unresolved but important issues regarding socioeconomic disparities in health.
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