The Relationship Between Subjective Social Status, Mental Health Disparities, and the Mediating Role of Discrimination Among Latinx Populations.

Abstract

Subjec tive social status (SSS) has consistently been linked to health outcomes among Latinx populations, but less is known about how discrimination explains the relationship between SSS and health disparities. While SSS, an individual's perception of her socioeconomic standing, is a robust predictor of health disparities in many societies, discriminatory experiences may impact the relationship between SSS and mental health and health outcomes. Subjective social status can negatively contribute to health disparities through several pathways including the stigma associated with lower social status and poverty. Experiencing discrimination can contribute to feelings of marginalization and therefore decrease individuals' perception of their social status. This study tested discrimination as a mediator of SSS and health disparities among Latinx populations. Using the National Latino and Asian American Study (NLAAS), we identified 2554 Latinx participants to be included in the sample. Participants reported ratings of mental and physical health and exposure to everyday discrimination. Mediation models were used to analyze everyday discrimination as a mediator of SSS and health outcomes. The present results support that SSS is directly associated with ratings of mental and physical health in Latinx individuals. Discrimination was also found to mediate the relationship between SSS and health outcomes. These findings have practice implications for health disparities among Latinx populations. In particular, discrimination may be a major contributing factor to the role of SSS on health outcomes.