Journal article
A matter of perception: Perceived socio-economic status and cortisol on the island of Utila, Honduras
American journal of human biology, Vol.29(5), p.n/a
09/10/2017
Handle:
https://hdl.handle.net/2376/105876
PMID: 28667791
Abstract
Numerous studies link low objective and subjective socioeconomic status (SES) to chronic activation of the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis. Here, we examine associations between objective and subjective SES and diurnal salivary cortisol, a primary HPA component, as well as demographic and ecological predictors associated with SES perceptions and changes in diurnal cortisol.
Participants were residents (age 18-79, n = 61) of Utila, a Honduran island where economic disparities are overt and geographically contained. Objective SES was measured as a composite of income, education, and occupation. Subjective SES was measured with a MacArthur ladder and a perceived lifestyle discrepancy (PLD) scale. Salivary cortisol was collected three times per day for two days. Questions addressing demographic, social, and household characteristics were assessed as predictors of PLD.
Assessed independently, objective SES (P = .06) and PLD (P = .003) were associated with the steepness of diurnal cortisol changes, while PLD was also associated with higher cortisol area under the curve (AUC) (P = .036). Modeled together, only PLD predicted diurnal slope and AUC. PLD was associated with household sanitation, immigration status, food scarcity, objective SES, and owing money. Only access to sanitation and owing money had direct associations with cortisol that were not mediated by PLD.
For adults on Utila, perceptions of unmet need outweigh other social and economic status factors in predicting cortisol AUC and slope. In addition, the unmediated effects of access to sanitation and owing money on cortisol suggest that these distinct aspects of inequality are important to consider when seeking to understand how inequality can impact HPA function.
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Details
- Title
- A matter of perception: Perceived socio-economic status and cortisol on the island of Utila, Honduras
- Creators
- Angela R García - Department of Anthropology, University of California, Santa Barbara, California, 93106-3210Michael Gurven - Department of Anthropology, University of California, Santa Barbara, California, 93106-3210Aaron D Blackwell - Department of Anthropology, University of California, Santa Barbara, California, 93106-3210
- Publication Details
- American journal of human biology, Vol.29(5), p.n/a
- Academic Unit
- Anthropology, Department of
- Publisher
- United States
- Identifiers
- 99900546605201842
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article