Family Social Class Research Articles

School District Housing Buyers and Educational Investment Returns: A Case Study of X District in Shanghai

As a dual carrier of educational resources and economic assets, school district housing has become an important tool for family educational investment and social class reproduction. This paper takes Shanghai's X District as an example to explore, from a sociological perspective, the purchasing behaviors of different groups regarding school district housing and their educational investment returns. It reveals the key role of school district housing in the accumulation of cultural and social capital. The study finds that high-income families, the middle class, and the working class in X District exhibit different demand tendencies when purchasing school district housing, reflecting goals of obtaining high-quality educational resources, expanding social capital, and achieving upward social mobility, respectively. The phenomenon of school district housing exacerbates the imbalance in the distribution of educational resources and limits social mobility.

Don't skip class: A new conceptual model for examining classism among adolescents and families

AbstractThis article introduces a new conceptual model for examining classism among adolescents and families. Classism refers to the discrimination that individuals experience because of their social class. For adolescents, social class refers to their family's social class and includes income, education, occupation, and position in society. Despite extensive research that has shown how social class is associated with adolescent development, there remains a gap in the knowledge about how classism might explain this association. To advance scholarship about classism among adolescents and families, I present a new model. This model integrates theories on (a) classism among adults, (b) discrimination among adolescents, (c) family science, (d) social class, and (e) intersectionality. I include hypotheses about the associations between classism and adolescent developmental outcomes and conclude with directions for future research.

Symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Oral Health Problems among Children in Spain

Introduction: The aim of this study was to explore the association between symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and oral health in a representative sample of the Spanish population aged 6–14 years. We also examined the contribution of several sociodemographic and behavioral determinants of children/adolescents and their family environment. Methods: A cross-sectional study involving 3,402 subjects aged between 6 and 14 years from the Spanish National Health Survey. The presence of ADHD symptoms was determined using the self-reported hyperactivity/inattention subscale of the Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire. Oral health was assessed using five indicators: caries, extraction, restorations, gingival bleeding, and the presence of teeth in poor condition (e.g., broken or misaligned). Logistic regressions were used to examine the association between the presence of ADHD symptoms and oral health indicators. These models were adjusted for sociodemographic factors, lifestyle variables, and oral hygiene behaviors relating to both the children and their parents. Results: Compared to children without ADHD symptoms, children with ADHD symptoms had a higher risk of caries (fully adjusted odds ratio: 2.16; 95% confidence interval: 1.66–2.82), extraction (1.42; 1.09–1.85), restoration (1.47; 1.19–1.82) and gingival bleeding (1.64; 1.11–2.41). The increased risk of caries was maintained when the analyses were restricted to middle/high social class families and children with low sugar intake, good oral hygiene behaviors and regular dental visits. Conclusions: Children with ADHD symptoms in Spain had worse oral health indicators than those without ADHD symptoms. Our results suggest that the association of ADHD symptoms with caries was independent of socioeconomic level, cariogenic diet, frequency of toothbrushing, and dental visits.

Applying a Racial Lens to the "Cycle of Violence".

One overlooked result in a 1989 Science paper on the "cycle of violence" was a race-specific increase in risk for arrest for violence among Black maltreated children, but not White maltreated children. We examine whether race differences in the cycle of violence are explained by risk factors traditionally associated with violence. Using a prospective design, maltreated and non-maltreated children were matched on age, sex, race, and approximate family social class and interviewed at mean age 28.7years (N = 1196). Arrest histories were obtained through age 50.5. Regression analyses included maltreatment, race, self-reported violent behavior, and risk factors (e.g., family, school, neighborhood variables). For arrests for violent crime, race was a significant predictor, whereas childhood maltreatment was not significant. For violent arrests, there was a significant race × maltreatment interaction when the total number of risk factors were included controlling for self-reported violent behaviors. For self-reported violent behaviors, childhood maltreatment remained significant for some risk factors. However, race did not predict self-reported violent behaviors. Offending behavior and traditional risk factors did not explain the disproportionate arrests among Black maltreated children. This disparity in the cycle of violence may reflect complex processes influenced by racial bias or structural racism.

Anxiety Symptom Trajectories Predict Depression Symptom Trajectories up to Four Years After CBT for Youth Anxiety Disorders.

Long-term data on depression symptoms after cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for youth anxiety disorders are scant. We examined depression symptoms up to four years post CBT for anxiety addressing youth age and gender, family social class, and parent mental health as predictors. The sample comprised 179 youth (M age at pre-treatment = 11.5 years; SD = 2.1) in a randomized controlled trial. Clinically assessed anxiety diagnoses and youth and parent-reported anxiety and depression symptoms were measured before, after, and one and four years after CBT. Parent self-reported mental health was measured before CBT. We used regression analyses to determine whether full diagnostic recovery at post-CBT predicted depression trajectories across the four-year assessment period. We used growth curve models to determine whether anxiety trajectories predicted depression trajectories across the four-year assessment period. Youth who lost their anxiety diagnoses after CBT had significantly lower parent-reported depression levels over time, but not lower youth self-reported depression levels. The anxiety symptom trajectory predicted the depression symptom trajectory up to four years post-treatment. There was more explained variance for within-informant (youth-youth; parent-parent) than cross-informants. Being older, female, having lower socio-economic status and parents with poorer mental health were associated with more youth-rated depression over time. However, these demographic predictors were not significant when anxiety symptoms trajectories were added to the models. Successful CBT for anxiety in children is associated with less depression symptoms for as long as four years. Anxiety symptom improvement appears to be a stronger predictor that demographic variables and parent mental health.

Bullying Victimization as an Adverse Experience for Psychosocial Adjustment among Irish Adolescents

AbstractThis study investigates the long-term effects of victimization from middle adolescence to late adolescence and early adulthood, examining emotional and behavioral problems, peer relationships, and smoking habits and sleeping difficulties. The study also explores how these outcomes can persist into early adulthood, taking into consideration early victimization experiences, gender, cognitive ability, and family social class. The total sample included 7525 participants, spanning the ages of 13, 17, and 20, from the Child Cohort of the Growing Up in Ireland study (48.9% male). The path analysis model suggests that victimization is associated with behavioral problems at age 17, and it is also linked to emotional problems and sleeping difficulties at both ages 17 and 20. Additionally, sleeping difficulties, smoking habits, and indices of emotional and behavioral adjustment exhibit some stability between ages 13 and 17, as well as 17 and 20. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Socioeconomic position, family context, and child cognitive development.

Socioeconomic position (SEP) may have different effects on cognitive development and family context could play a role in this association. This work aimed to analyse the role of socioeconomic positions, measured via various indicators collected longitudinally, in cognitive development at 7-11years of age, evaluating the role of family context as a potential mediator. The study sample included 394 and 382 children from the INMA Gipuzkoa and Valencia cohorts, respectively. SEP indicators were assessed during pregnancy (family social class, parental education, employment, and disposable income) and at 7 (Gipuzkoa) and 11 (Valencia) years of age (At Risk of Poverty or Social Exclusion (AROPE)). Family context and cognitive development were measured with the Haezi-Etxadi Family Assessment Scale 7-11 (HEFAS 7-11) and Raven's Coloured Progressive Matrices (Raven's CPM), respectively. Linear regression models were developed to assess the relationships between (a) SEP-family context, (b) SEP-cognitive development, and (c) family context-cognitive development, adjusting for a priori-selected confounders. Simple and multiple mediation analyses were performed to explore the role of family context in the SEP-cognitive development relationship. Lower SEP was related with a lower cognitive score, this association being particularly robust for family social class. SEP indicators were related to subscales of family context, in particular those regarding cognitive stimulation, parental stress, and parenting. A relationship was also found between these three subscales and child cognitive development, mediating the effect of family social class on child cognition by 5.2, 5.5, and 10.8%, respectively, and 12.0% jointly. Conclusion: Both family SEP and context contribute to a child's cognitive development. Equalising policies and positive parenting programmes could contribute to improving cognitive development in children. What is Known: • Parental social class, education, and employment status have been widely employed to measure socioeconomic position. What is New: • This work focuses on standard measurements of socioeconomic position but also other economic indicators such as the EHII and AROPE, and their effect on child cognitive development and family context. • Promotion of cognitive and linguistic development, parental stress and conflict, and parental profile fostering child development mediated the effect of family social class on cognitive development.

Is Geographical Mobility Beneficial? The Impact of the South-to-North Internal Migration on Occupational Achievement in Italy

Geographical mobility plays a crucial role in shaping demographic and social change, yet few studies have examined its impact on occupational success and the transmission of social inequality across generations. This study aims to investigate the effect of internal migration on occupational status in Italy, exploring whether men and women experience a benefit or disadvantage from South-to-North migration, and if this effect is influenced by family status and social class of origin. The research is based on the Italian Household Longitudinal Survey and utilizes a set of fixed effects linear regression panel models combined with Coarsened Exact Matching (CEM). Results show that only men benefit from migration, while women experience a disadvantage, which increases when they move after union formation and the transition to parenthood. Furthermore, the impact of geographical mobility on occupational status varies based on social class of origin only for men, with those from higher classes experiencing a much greater migration benefit than those from medium and lower classes. These findings demonstrate that geographical mobility serves as an additional source of advantage for individuals from higher social classes. The positive effect on male occupational success compounds with family-related benefits, further widening social disparities between individuals in different social strata.

Swipe for Your Right to Party: Gender, Social Structure, and Social Media in College Drinking Intensity

ABSTRACT College drinking scholars have built a deep literature around the ways in which gender shapes drinking culture and its outcomes. Few have explicitly explored the way that gender combines with other structural attributes, like social class, and works through social media interaction to predict drinking intensity. We investigate the way gender, identity, and different types of social media involvement can help explain drinking intensity among college students at an institution with a strong party culture. A series of nested regressions show that men’s drinking intensity is more strongly associated with dimensions of male identity related to family social class and father’s political leaning. Furthermore, we find a complex relationship between drinking intensity and different dimensions of social media use. For both college women and men, there is a positive association between the intensity of use of general social media platforms and drinking intensity, but this association is not significant when accounting for their involvement in college party culture. However, after accounting for party culture involvement, our results suggest that use of apps related to hookup culture participation may represent an additional dimension that is associated with drinking intensity, a finding that seems especially prominent for some men. We conclude by discussing implications, limitations, and directions for future research

Socioeconomic diversity in the hospitality industry: the relationship between social class background, family expectations and career outcomes

PurposeThis study aims to investigate socioeconomic diversity in the hospitality industry by examining the relationship between social class background, family expectations and career outcomes of Generation Z employees. The relationship was further tested by investigating job titles and perceived prestige.Design/methodology/approachTwo studies were developed to test the research questions – first, the social prestige of hospitality jobs compared to other industries with similar skill sets. Second, a between-subjects experimental design was used to examine the moderating effect of job title on the relationship between social class background, family expectations and career decisions.FindingsThe findings of the first study confirm the negative perceptions of the hospitality industry. Study 2 demonstrated a negative relationship between social class background and intentions to choose hospitality through family expectations among Generation Z. The negative effect was attenuated when a manager position was offered. However, college students majoring in hospitality reported positive intentions to accept a job in the hospitality industry for both frontline and managerial positions.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings emphasize the importance of extending organizational diversity beyond traditional demographics like race, gender and age by examining socioeconomic factors that influence career decisions among Generation Z employees. By considering social class background as a dimension of organizational diversity, the hospitality industry can cultivate a more inclusive culture and enhance recruitment and attraction efforts.Originality/valueExamining the relationship between social class background and career decisions through the lens of social cognitive career theory provides insight into the social cognitive process of career development among Generation Z. The unique contribution of this study extends beyond observable dimensions of diversity to challenge the socioeconomic composition of the hospitality industry.

Family and social class differences in sports behavior motivation among college students: An empirical study based on the latent class model.

This article aims to explore the potential categories of college students' sports behavior motivation and the differences between different family social classes on potential categories. In total, 1,092 college students were investigated in this study. This article used the "College Students' Sports Behavior Motivation Questionnaire" to survey 1,092 college students using the whole group sampling method. The potential profile analysis method was applied to classify the types of college students' sports behavior motivation and further analyze the characteristics of different family social classes and sports behavior motivation. College students' sports behavior motivation types can be divided into the following four categories: "low motivation type" (0.82%), "healthy appearance type" (11.45%), "healthy fun type" (37.36%), and "high motivation type" (50.37%). The higher the family's social class, the more the sports behavior motivation of college students tends to be healthy appearance, health, fun, and high motivation. The lower the family social class, the more motivational sports behavior of college students tends to be low motivation. The better the perception of health, the higher the probability that college students belong to the high-motivation type. The fewer chronic diseases that college students have are associated with a healthy appearance and high motivation. There is a certain relationship between the type of college students' sports behavior motivation and their family social class. Therefore, in school physical education, we should open all kinds of sports activities according to college students' sports behavior motivation needs and focus on college students with lower family social class in order to intervene precisely on their motivation for sports behaviors, improve participation, and promote the overall health of college students.

The influence of the socio-cultural environment on entrepreneurial activity

The analysis of other scientific publications showed that the sociocultural environment is a multifaceted concept. It consists of a cultural and social environment, which are interdependent. Social and cultural are mutually dependent, which means that the social cannot exist without the cultural, and the cultural cannot exist without the social. In general, the social and cultural environment can be reduced to factors arising from human behavior, which is a dialectical unity of physiological and social behavior. Entrepreneurial activity is carried out in a certain socio-cultural environment, such an environment has a corresponding influence on it. It is important for entrepreneurs to understand that the key features of the development of the economy and economic institutions are formed under the influence of socio-cultural factors. Entrepreneurs are driven by the interest to maximize their profit. It should be noted that the achievement of this goal depends on the entrepreneur's ability to identify social needs and satisfy them. A lifestyle is formed through the prism of the socio-cultural environment. Entrepreneurs must take this into account in the course of their activities. It was determined that the existence of different cultural traditions can lead to misunderstandings and poor cooperation between members of the work team. Accordingly, knowledge of these differences, the ability to manage them helps to establish normal work in the team. Changes in sociocultural factors can last for years. However, some of them change faster and more dynamically, for example, thanks to the development of technologies, the political situation, the pandemic. Sociocultural factors have an impact on creative entrepreneurship, and at the same time, creative entrepreneurship improves the sociocultural environment. In the process of research, the factors of the socio-cultural environment were selected, to the change of which entrepreneurs should first of all respond. These factors include culture, habits, beliefs and values, population size and growth, age composition, household and family structure, wealth and social class, ethnicity, and geographic factors. It has been established that a new socio-cultural space is emerging in Ukraine today.

The paradoxical effects of social class on career adaptability: The role of intolerance of uncertainty.

As a growth background factor, family social class has far-reaching effects on youth career development. However, we have limited understanding of the role and functional mechanisms of social class in career adaptability. Based on the social cognitive theory of social class, we examine the mediating role of intolerance of uncertainty in the relationship between youths' subjective social class and career adaptability. We also explore the moderating influences of self-esteem. Data were collected from a sample consisting of 712 undergraduates (63.2% female) in China. Results show that subjective social class positively impacts career adaptability via prospective anxiety, and negatively impacts career adaptability via inhibitory anxiety. The intensity of these indirect relationships is contingent on youths' self-esteem. Our study illustrates the complex and paradoxical effects of social class on career adaptability and has important theoretical and practical implications. This study expands the theoretical perspective by bringing in the social cognitive theory of social class, provides novel insight into the complex interaction between individuals and the environment in youth career development, and should provide inspiration for the design of career intervention programs.

Transportation Infrastructure and Family Educational Expectations: An Empirical Analysis Based on the China Family Panel Survey

Based on data from the China Statistical Yearbook and China Family Panel Survey (CFPS), this article investigated the influence of regional transportation infrastructure development on family education expectations. Research results show that there is a significant positive correlation between transportation infrastructure and family educational expectations and that the improvement of transportation infrastructure can enhance the family’s willingness to engage their children in higher education. According to the results of influencing mechanism analysis, transportation infrastructure development affects family education expectations by increasing family income and changing family reproduction concepts and educational ideas. In addition, the impact of transportation infrastructure construction on family education expectations is heterogeneous: the positive correlation between them is particularly significant in rural areas with less developed transportation infrastructure, in areas with low average education level of parents and slow information communication, and among families of lower social classes; however, the relationship between the two variables is not prominent in urban areas, in areas where information communication is fast and parents have a higher average education level, and among families with higher social classes. These research findings offer the nation and government new implications for better promoting poverty alleviation through education and rural revitalization in underdeveloped areas.

Impact of Social Class Background on General Cognitive Ability

Theorists and researchers have been discussing the relationship between social class background and differences observed in cognitive ability test points of children from lower social class families and their middle or upper SES peers. It has been discussed that for a more detailed understanding of these cognitive inequalities, it appears necessary to move beyond boundaries of psychology and consider sociological conditions or contexts as well. It has been asserted that social class background characteristics affect general cognitive ability over time. The present study introduces research exploring the impact of social class background on cognitive abilities of children. In Britain, the 1958 National Child Development Survey (NCDS), the 1970 British Cohort Study (BCS70) and more recently, the Millennium Cohort Study (MCS 2000) conducted at the start of the 21st century are particularly relevant and nationally representative broad-based studies for exploring the impact of social class background on general cognitive abilities of children. It was observed that they provided scaled data and emphasized the impact of social class, particularly the role of parental education as an indicator of social class in surveys. Social class affected children’s cognitive abilities as early as primary school years and led to inequalities in their cognitive performance. Children from lower social class and lower socioeconomic status (SES) families suffered a clear disadvantage. Poor and disadvantaged conditions of the lower social class adversely impacted and impaired the cognitive ability of children. Given the fact that cognitive abilities play a role especially in later life, adverse impacts and impairment of cognitive abilities are regarded as alarming and undesirable situations in childhood.

Role of multilingualism in the construction of social identity in a high social class family

This article explores the language ideologies and language practices of a multilingual, high socioeconomic status family, resident in the United Kingdom, from a critical sociolinguistic perspective (Heller, Pietikäinen and Pujolar, 2018). Drawn from a larger, longitudinal, multi-sited ethnographic study, it focuses on a predominantly Russian/British family of high socioeconomic status. The study concentrates on their daily rituals. Socialization moments are revealed, and the mechanisms and underpinning ideologies are analysed, drawing upon the approach of Goffman (1956). It explores how their language ideologies and practices may be deemed constitutive of a neoliberal self (Urciuoli, 2008), and how they create and present a cosmopolitan class identity. It makes a methodological contribution by demonstrating how ethnographic participant observation is valuable in FLP research. Such an approach enables an understanding of which ideologies are actually enacted through which practices in the face of acceptance, resistance or conflicting ideologies from other family members, and the other constraints of daily life.

Risk factors for natural menopause before the age of 45: evidence from two British population-based birth cohort studies

BackgroundMenopause that occurs before the age of 45 and is not medically induced (referred to here as ‘early natural menopause’) affects around one in 10 women and has serious health consequences. These consequences include increased risk of all-cause mortality, cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, and type 2 diabetes.MethodsWe investigate risk factors for the onset of natural menopause before the age of 45 in two population-based prospective cohort studies in Britain: the 1958 cohort following 8959 women and the 1970 cohort following 8655 women. These studies follow women from birth to adulthood, and we use harmonized data on birth and early life characteristics, reproductive health, health behaviour, and socioeconomic characteristics for 6805 women who were pre-menopausal, peri-menopausal or had undergone natural menopause. Of these 6805 women, 3614 participated in the 1958 cohort (of which 368 had early menopause) and 3191 participated in the 1970 cohort (of which 206 had early menopause). Taking a life course approach, we focus on three distinct life stages - birth/early life, childhood, and early adulthood - to understand when risk factors are most harmful. Respecting the temporal sequence of exposures, we use a series of multivariable logistic regression models to estimate associations between early menopause and each potential risk factor adjusted for confounders.ResultsWe find that early menopause is influenced by circumstances at birth. Women born in lower social class families, whose mother smoked during the pregnancy or who were breastfed 1 month or less were more likely to undergo early menopause. Early menopause is also associated with poorer cognitive ability and smoking in childhood. Adult health behaviour also matters. Smoking is positively correlated with early menopause, while regular exercise and moderate frequency of alcohol drinking in women’s early thirties are associated with reduced risk of early menopause. The occurrence of gynaecological problems by women’s early thirties is also linked to early menopause.ConclusionsWe demonstrate that characteristics at different periods of life are associated with early menopause. Some of these associations relate to modifiable behaviours and thus the risks of early menopause and the adverse health outcomes associated with it may be preventable.

Factors associated with subjective state of health in college students.

Although the COVID-19 pandemic has been deeply painful, it has provided a rare opportunity to study the behavioral responses of individuals in adapting to an unprecedented life event. An analysis of participants’ subjective health ratings during the COVID-19 pandemic was conducted by utilizing data from a survey of college students across seven universities in the US. In this study, we challenged the unidimensional factors to the subjective wellbeing by considering all multiplicative associations of those factors. Considering the interaction terms is especially important as not considering those impacts might obscure our understanding regarding the real associations. It was found that while higher screen hours, BMI, and various negative feelings are negatively associated with higher subjective health, higher family income, social class, and students’ and their mothers’ educations are associated with a higher subjective well-being. However, the impacts of the majority variables are interactive. For instance, the impact of mother’s education varies based on the genders of students, or the impact of screen hours differs based on family income. In addition, the degree students limit of exercise at home or gym changes based on the negative feeling they experience during the pandemic. Remarkably, during the pandemic while irrationally limiting exercise at home was associated with a lower subjective health, limiting exercise at gym was positively associated with the response.

Parent- and teacher-reported associations from adolescent bifactor models of psychopathology: an outcome-wide association study of 26 outcomes in mid-life.

Adolescent mental health problems have lasting impacts on health and social functioning later in life. Evidence to date mostly comes from studies of specific diagnostic categories/dimensions, but hierarchical models can elucidate associations with general as well as specific dimensions of psychopathology. We provide evidence on long-term outcomes of general and specific dimensions of adolescent psychopathology using both parent and teacher reports. Parents and teachers from the Isle of Wight study completed Rutter behaviour scales when participants were 14-15 years old (n = 2,275), assessing conduct, emotional and hyperactivity problems. Metric-invariant bifactor models for parents and teachers were used to test domain-specific and domain-general associations with 26 self-reported psychosocial outcomes at mid-life (age 44-45 years, n = 1,423). Analyses examined the individual and joint contributions of parent and teacher reports of adolescent psychopathology. All analyses were adjusted for covariates (gender, IQ and family social class) and weighted to adjust for the probability of nonresponse. Parent- and teacher-reported general factors of psychopathology (GFP) were associated with 15 and 12 outcomes, respectively, across the socioeconomic, relationship, health and personality domains, along with an index of social exclusion. Nine outcomes were associated with both parent- and teacher-reported GFP, with no differences in the strength of the associations across reporters. Teacher-reported specific factors (conduct, emotional and hyperactivity) were associated with 21 outcomes, and parent-reported specific factors were associated with seven. Five outcomes were associated with the same specific factors from both reporters; only one showed reporter differences in the strength of the associations. These findings confirm the relevance of the GFP and the utility of teacher as well as parent reports of adolescent mental health in predicting psychosocial outcomes later in the life course.

Family social class as a predictor of college students' career decisionmaking self-efficacy

Career decision-making self-efficacy (CDMSE) is important for college students' choice of career, especially during the current period of global economic downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. We investigated the predictive effect of family social class on the CDMSE of college students. Participants were 838 college students from China, who completed measures of subjective socioeconomic status, self-esteem, belief in a just world, and CDMSE. The results show that family social class predicted the CDMSE of college students not only directly, but also indirectly through the separate mediating roles of belief in a just world and self-esteem, and through the chain mediating effect of belief in a just world followed by self-esteem. We have provided empirical evidence that could be useful for college teachers who offer students psychological counseling for their careers.