Psychological well-being may be a powerful enough force to counteract the bad long-term health effects of low socioeconomic status, a study indicates.
In general, lack of education tends to predict future poor health and a relatively early death. But researchers found that among people with no college education, positive psychological characteristics such as meaningful relationships and a sense of purpose are linked to lower levels of a molecule in the body associated with many illnesses.
“If you didn’t go that far in your education, but you walk around feeling good... you may not be more likely to suffer ill-health than people with a lot of schooling,” said Carol Ryff, University of Wisconsin-Madison psychologist and co-author of the study.
The researchers measured levels of the molecule, called Interleukin-6, in participants in the Survey of Midlife in the United States, a now 10-year-long study of age-related differences in physical and mental health. The findings appear in the current online edition of the research journal Health Psychology.
The molecule, a protein, is involved in inflammatory processes in the body, and high levels “are associated with many kinds of cardiovascular disease, stroke, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, some cancers and other health problems,” said Jennifer Morozink, a psychology graduate student at the school and the study’s lead author.
The study found that less-educated people who scored high on measures of general happiness or self-acceptance, or who saw their life circumstances as manageable, showed levels of the inflammatory protein comparable to those in similarly satisfied, highly-educated peers.
The results reinforce a new angle on eliminating the wide gap in overall health between the well-to-do and the socioeconomically disadvantaged, Ryff said. “Other research shows that these psychological factors respond well to intervention,” she explained. “Therapies exist that give people the tools to keep all these psychological characteristics working in their favor. They’ve been shown to keep people from falling back into depression and anxiety, which we know means bad things for their health.”
“Attentive parents, strong role models and feeling engaged in and important to their community could contribute a great deal to these psychological characteristics,” she added.
In general, lack of education tends to predict future poor health and a relatively early death. But researchers found that among people with no college education, positive psychological characteristics such as meaningful relationships and a sense of purpose are linked to lower levels of a molecule in the body associated with many illnesses.
“If you didn’t go that far in your education, but you walk around feeling good... you may not be more likely to suffer ill-health than people with a lot of schooling,” said Carol Ryff, University of Wisconsin-Madison psychologist and co-author of the study.
The researchers measured levels of the molecule, called Interleukin-6, in participants in the Survey of Midlife in the United States, a now 10-year-long study of age-related differences in physical and mental health. The findings appear in the current online edition of the research journal Health Psychology.
The molecule, a protein, is involved in inflammatory processes in the body, and high levels “are associated with many kinds of cardiovascular disease, stroke, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, some cancers and other health problems,” said Jennifer Morozink, a psychology graduate student at the school and the study’s lead author.
The study found that less-educated people who scored high on measures of general happiness or self-acceptance, or who saw their life circumstances as manageable, showed levels of the inflammatory protein comparable to those in similarly satisfied, highly-educated peers.
The results reinforce a new angle on eliminating the wide gap in overall health between the well-to-do and the socioeconomically disadvantaged, Ryff said. “Other research shows that these psychological factors respond well to intervention,” she explained. “Therapies exist that give people the tools to keep all these psychological characteristics working in their favor. They’ve been shown to keep people from falling back into depression and anxiety, which we know means bad things for their health.”
“Attentive parents, strong role models and feeling engaged in and important to their community could contribute a great deal to these psychological characteristics,” she added.
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