Poster #40 - Subjective Social Status Modulates Stress Reactivity among Late Adolescents

• In Event: 1-042 - Poster Session 3
  In Poster Session: 03 - Neurobiological Mechanisms

Abstract/Description

Low socioeconomic status (SES) has been consistently linked with poor mental and physical health outcomes (e.g., Elo, 2009; Palloni, 2006). Interestingly, one’s appraisal of his or her social status, referred to as subjective social status (SSS), predicts mental and self-rated health, over and above objective indicators of SES (Adler et al., 1994; Scott et al., 2014). The consequences of low SSS for mental health may occur through changes in physiological stress responses (Obradovic, 2015), which include the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and both arms of the autonomic nervous system. Yet, few studies have examined this. Such effects of SSS on health are likely emerging during adolescence and young adulthood, developmental periods characterized by increased self-appraisal and social comparison (Meeus et al., 1999; Harter, 2012). Therefore, this study assessed the link between SSS, relative to the school and to the community, and stress reactivity to a social-evaluative stressor among late adolescents.
Late adolescents (N = 86; Mage = 18.39 years, SD = 0.5157% high school seniors; 43% college first years) reported on their objective SES and SSS with respect to their school and community during an interview. In a subsequent laboratory visit, they completed a social-evaluative stress task (Trier Social Stress Test). Saliva samples were collected at baseline, immediately post-TSST, and 30, 45, 60, and 75 minutes post-TSST to assess HPA axis reactivity. Samples were assayed for cortisol, and HPA reactivity (rate of cortisol increase from baseline to an individual’s peak) and recovery (rate if cortisol decrease from peak to final sample) were computed. ECG was also performed to assess parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) reactivity (decrease in respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) from baseline to task preparation) and recovery (rise in RSA from preparation to recovery). Lastly, psychological reactivity was assessed using the PANAS fear subscale (difference score pre- and post-TSST).
Hierarchical regression analyses controlling for demographic factors (gender, ethnicity, high school vs. college status) and objective SES (annual family income, parents’ education) showed that lower community SSS, but not school SSS, was associated with greater fear reactivity (β = -0.17, p = 0.01). By contrast, there was no main effect of community or school SSS on HPA-axis or PNS responsivity. However, a significant quadratic relation between community SSS and HPA-axis recovery emerged (β = -0.24, p = 0.04; Fig. 1). Participants of lower SSS had greater recovery rates than participants of mean or higher community SSS. For PNS activity, community SSS interacted with high school status such that, among participants who rated their SSS in high school, higher community SSS was associated with greater PNS reactivity (β = 0.36, p = 0.03) and greater PNS recovery (β = 0.46, p = 0.01; Fig. 2). No associations were found between RSA and college students’ SSS.
These results suggest that generally people’s perceptions of their family’s standing, as opposed to their perception of their own standing, can shape their response to stress. SSS may thus serve as an indicator for later health symptomology as well as a source of intervention for at-risk youth.

Authors

• Danny Rahal, UCLA
  Presenting Author

• Jessica Chiang, Northwestern University 

• Julie Bower, UCLA

• Andrew J. Fuligni, UCLA