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Unequal Associations between Educational Attainment and Occupational Stress across Racial and Ethnic Groups

Author

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  • Shervin Assari

    (Departments of Family Medicine, College of Medicine, Charles R Drew University of Medicine and Science, Los Angeles, CA 90059, USA)

  • Mohsen Bazargan

    (Departments of Family Medicine, College of Medicine, Charles R Drew University of Medicine and Science, Los Angeles, CA 90059, USA
    Departments of Family Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA)

Abstract

Background: Although other mechanisms are also involved, at least one reason high educational attainment (EA) is associated with better health is lower employment stress in individuals with high EA. Minorities’ Diminished Returns , however, refer to the smaller protective health effects of EA for racial- and ethnic-minority individuals, particularly African Americans (AAs) and Hispanics, as compared to Whites. We are, however, not aware of many studies that have explored differential associations between EA and work-related stress across racial and ethnic groups. Aims: We aimed to compare racial and ethnic groups for the association between EA and occupational stress in a national sample of American adults. Methods: The National Health Interview Survey (NHIS 2015), a cross-sectional survey, included 15,726 employed adults. Educational attainment was the independent variable. Occupational stress was the outcome. Race and ethnicity were the moderators. Age, gender, number of jobs, and years in the job were the covariates. Results: Overall, higher EA was associated with lower levels of occupational stress. Race and ethnicity both interacted with EA, suggesting that the association between high EA and reduced occupational stress is systemically smaller for AAs and Hispanics than it is for Whites. Conclusions: In the United States, race and ethnicity limit the health gains that follow EA. While EA helps individuals avoid environmental risk factors, such as occupational stress, this is more valid for non-Hispanic Whites than AAs and Hispanics. The result is additional physical and mental health risks in highly educated AAs and Hispanics. The results are important, given racial and ethnic minorities are the largest growing section of the US population. We should not assume that EA is similarly protective across all racial and ethnic groups. In this context, EA may increase, rather than reduce, health disparities.

Suggested Citation

  • Shervin Assari & Mohsen Bazargan, 2019. "Unequal Associations between Educational Attainment and Occupational Stress across Racial and Ethnic Groups," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(19), pages 1-11, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:16:y:2019:i:19:p:3539-:d:269550
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Shervin Assari & Ritesh Mistry, 2018. "Educational Attainment and Smoking Status in a National Sample of American Adults; Evidence for the Blacks’ Diminished Return," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(4), pages 1-12, April.
    2. Rodriguez, Javier M., 2018. "Health disparities, politics, and the maintenance of the status quo: A new theory of inequality," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 200(C), pages 36-43.
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    4. James Campbell Quick & Demetria F. Henderson, 2016. "Occupational Stress: Preventing Suffering, Enhancing Wellbeing," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 13(5), pages 1-11, April.
    5. André Grow & Jan Van Bavel, 2015. "Assortative Mating and the Reversal of Gender Inequality in Education in Europe: An Agent-Based Model," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 10(6), pages 1-24, June.
    6. Thorsten Lunau & Johannes Siegrist & Nico Dragano & Morten Wahrendorf, 2015. "The Association between Education and Work Stress: Does the Policy Context Matter?," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 10(3), pages 1-17, March.
    7. Farmer, Melissa M. & Ferraro, Kenneth F., 2005. "Are racial disparities in health conditional on socioeconomic status?," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 60(1), pages 191-204, January.
    8. Marcus Oldenburg & Hans-Joachim Jensen, 2019. "Stress and Strain among Seafarers Related to the Occupational Groups," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(7), pages 1-9, March.
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