A new study shows that rising inflation is causing significant stress on the US population, especially among women and socioeconomically vulnerable groups.
A study of survey data from the US Census Bureau found that, after adjusting for socioeconomic status (SES), women were 28% more likely to experience inflationary stress than men. However, it is unclear to what extent inflation-related stress contributed to differences in health outcomes.
“Populations are not equally tolerant of inflationary stress,” said lead author Cary Wu, Ph.D., an assistant professor of sociology at York University in Toronto, Canada. Medscape Medical News. “My research shows that women are more likely than men to view inflation as stressful. This may be due to gender roles that lead to their greater exposure to price changes. Racial minorities, who often rank lower in SES, also show higher chances of finding inflation stressful. “
studying what is published May 15 at The JAMA network is open.
SES and stress
For their study, the researchers analyzed data from the US Census Bureau’s Household Heart Rate Survey, an online probability-based survey that measures the social and economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and other emerging issues on US households. The researchers examined data collected from September 2022 to February 2023. The survey included the question: “How stressful was the price increase in the last 2 months for you?” The researchers also examined socio-demographic variables such as gender, race and ethnicity, age, marital status, education, and family income.
Among the 369,328 respondents, 5.1% were Asian, 11.2% were black, 17.3% were Hispanic, and 62.1% were white. Women made up 51.3% of the group, about a third (31.8%) had a bachelor’s degree or higher education, and the average age of the respondents was 49 years. Among the 93.2% of respondents who reported that prices have risen in the last 2 months, 47.3% said it was very stressful, 28.2% described it as moderately stressful, 18.9% said it was a bit stressful , while 5.6% did not. find it stressful.
A baseline model that included gender, race, marital status, age, region, and survey week showed that women had significantly higher inflation-related stress than men (odds ratio [OR], 1.30). Black and Hispanic respondents reported higher inflationary stress than white respondents (OR 1.25 and 1.65, respectively). In contrast, Asian respondents reported lower inflationary stress than white respondents (OR, 0.86).
Compared to married respondents, those who were widowed, divorced, or living apart experienced higher inflationary stress (OR 1.54; OR 1.57 and 1.99, respectively). Inflationary stress was higher for respondents aged 31 to 40 (OR, 1.11) than for those who were older or younger.
In the second model, the researchers added educational attainment and household income as indicators of SES. “Comparing the changes in the impact of demographic variables between the two models provides a general idea of how socioeconomic disparities in terms of education and household income may or may not explain demographic differences in inflationary stress,” they explain.
Post-analysis showed that higher education, such as an advanced degree, and an income level of $200,000 or more were associated with lower inflationary stress (ORs of 0.41 and 0.14, respectively). The inclusion of SES scores had little effect on the gender outcome, but changed the race results: black inflation stress was no longer significantly different from white stress, and Asian respondents showed slightly higher inflation stress (OR, 1.07).
“SES also appears to explain a large proportion of the differences in inflationary stress by marital status,” the researchers note. Higher inflationary stress among respondents aged 31 to 40 became more significant after adjusting for differences in SES (OR, 1.30).
“In times of high inflation, there is an urgent need for research and policy development to protect public health and prevent worsening health inequalities,” the authors write.
Especially for high-risk groups, “physicians can play a critical role in helping patients avoid the health consequences of inflationary stress,” Wu said. “By addressing mental health issues, promoting healthy lifestyles, providing support for chronic disease management, and offering educational resources, clinicians can help their patients cope with inflationary stress and promote overall well-being.”
Examining Health Differences
Commenting on the results for Medscape, Wang-Ching Kuo, Ph.D., RN, assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Nursing, said: “The authors used an innovative approach and a nationally representative dataset to study racial and ethnic differences in Americans. “Subjective perceptions of the current high rate of inflation. They found strong gender differences and a gradual increase in inflation-related stress as income and education declined. They also found that adjusting income and education redistributed inflation-related stress across racial and ethnic groups.In addition to the importance of the subject, the quantification of inflation-related stress and its relationship to health disparities is worth discussing.” Kuo was not involved in the study.
However, she noted that when examining inflation-related stress, “financial stress and financial position should be placed in context.” IN recent researchKuo distinguished between financial stress “as a subjective feeling of lack of financial resources” and “as measured by objective indicators other than income, such as assets, housing, mortgages, employment, or food stamps.” However, in the current study, inflation-related stress was quantified using a single question without the important context associated with financial stress. Consequently, their results may be skewed by personal values or beliefs, standard of living, financial status and living conditions. .”
Kuo stressed that “although the authors attempted to link their findings to explaining differences in health status, it is important to acknowledge that health outcomes, health behaviors, or health-related quality of life were neither objectively nor subjectively assessed in the current study.” . remains unanswered in terms of the extent to which inflation-related stress affects the health status of socioeconomic, racial and ethnic minorities.”
The Social and Human Research Council of Canada provided funding for the study. Wu and Kuo have not disclosed any relevant financial relationship.
JAMA The network is open. Published May 15, 2023 Full text
Keith Johnson is a freelance medical journalist based in Montreal who has been writing in all areas of medicine for over 30 years.
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