Zhongfang Yang , Shuyu Han , Xiang Qi , Jing Wang , Zhijing Xu , Weiyu Mao , Yaguang Zheng , Yue Zhang , Bei Wu , Yan Hu
{"title":"Efficacy of a culturally tailored intervention on perceived stigma among women living with HIV/AIDS in China: A randomized clinical trial","authors":"Zhongfang Yang , Shuyu Han , Xiang Qi , Jing Wang , Zhijing Xu , Weiyu Mao , Yaguang Zheng , Yue Zhang , Bei Wu , Yan Hu","doi":"10.1016/j.socscimed.2025.118072","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.socscimed.2025.118072","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Despite evidence supporting the efficacy of culturally tailored interventions in reducing stigma, such approaches are lacking for women living with HIV/AIDS (WLWHAs) in China. We conducted this study to determine the efficacy of the culturally tailored Helping Overcome Perceived Stigma (HOPES) intervention in reducing perceived stigma among WLWHAs in China.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>A single-blinded, two-arm parallel-group randomized clinical trial was conducted from 2023 to 2024 in South and Southwest China. WLWHAs from four hospitals were assigned using a WeChat-embedded randomization application to the control group (usual care) or the HOPES intervention. Data analysts remained blinded. Interventions were conducted virtually using Leave No One Behind (LNOB) platform for 3 months. The primary outcome, perceived stigma score, was assessed at baseline, immediately after the intervention and at 3 months post-intervention using 7 items from the HIV/AIDS Stigma Experience Questionnaire (HASEQ), with data analyzed through repeated measures analysis.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Of 136 WLWHAs screened, we randomized 101 WLWHAs (50 HOPES; 51 controls). The HOPES group demonstrated a statistically significant reduction in perceived stigma scores immediately after the intervention (−3.86 points, 95 % CI: 5.34 to −2.38, P < .001) and at three months post-intervention (−5.83 points, 95 % CI: 7.20 to −4.47, P < .001) compared to the control group.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>The findings demonstrate HOPES' efficacy in reducing perceived stigma in WLWHA. However, the clinical significance of these changes needs further investigation. Future research should focus on defining meaningful patient-reported thresholds, assessing long-term impact, and optimizing delivery methods.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49122,"journal":{"name":"Social Science & Medicine","volume":"374 ","pages":"Article 118072"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-04-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143834885","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Richard Freund , Marta Favara , Catherine Porter , Douglas Scott , Le Thuc Duc
{"title":"Under pressure: Assessing the relationship between job loss and mental health of young adults in Vietnam","authors":"Richard Freund , Marta Favara , Catherine Porter , Douglas Scott , Le Thuc Duc","doi":"10.1016/j.socscimed.2025.118073","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.socscimed.2025.118073","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>We examine the association between job loss and mental health among young people in Vietnam using longitudinal data from the Young Lives survey. We exploit the timing of the first severe wave of COVID-19 which occurred between rounds of a phone survey, allowing comparison of pre- and post-wave job status and mental health for the same individuals. Using fixed effects regressions, our findings suggest that job loss is associated with increased levels of anxiety but not depression, in the short run. Specifically, job loss is linked to a 5.9 percentage point (pp) rise in the probability of experiencing symptoms of mild or severe anxiety, nearly double the pre-wave baseline. This association is particularly evident among individuals in the top earnings tercile who no longer live in their natal household, who experience nearly a 17pp increase in the probability of at least mild anxiety. Additional analysis suggests that financial strain and food insecurity may explain just over 20% of the observed associations. These findings highlight the need for targeted mental health and psychosocial support interventions for young people experiencing job loss, particularly among those who are under financial pressure as primary earners in their household.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49122,"journal":{"name":"Social Science & Medicine","volume":"375 ","pages":"Article 118073"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-04-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143859720","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Panagiotis Sotirakopoulos , Cahit Guven , Aydogan Ulker , Carol Graham
{"title":"The impact of minimum wages on overall health and well-being: Global evidence from the Gallup World Poll","authors":"Panagiotis Sotirakopoulos , Cahit Guven , Aydogan Ulker , Carol Graham","doi":"10.1016/j.socscimed.2025.118064","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.socscimed.2025.118064","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>We examine the impact of minimum wage increases on the overall self-reported health and subjective well-being of low-skilled workers using the Gallup World Poll from 2009 to 2020. We identify effects using within-country changes over time and cross-country variations in the timing and intensity of minimum wage increases across 87 countries. Our findings suggest that minimum wage increases benefit health and certain dimensions of subjective well-being. Specifically, we estimate a range of specifications and find that a 10 percent increase in the minimum wage leads to an increase in self-reported health ranging from 0 % to 1 % and an increase in satisfaction with the standard of living between 1 % and 6 %, at the outcome means. Minimum wage increases are linked to higher incomes, a lower likelihood of overtime work, enhanced social interactions, and more positive daily experiences. These benefits are especially significant in countries with stronger rule of law, among male workers, and for individuals in nations with free and universal healthcare access. A series of sensitivity and placebo tests confirm the robustness of these findings.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49122,"journal":{"name":"Social Science & Medicine","volume":"375 ","pages":"Article 118064"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-04-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143834219","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Dan Li , Masaaki Yamada , Wenmeng Feng , Liuchun Xiang , Shuang Gao , Haisong Nie
{"title":"Evaluate the health risks and impact pathways of precarious employment in the context of globalization: A national longitudinal research from 2017 to 2023 in Japan","authors":"Dan Li , Masaaki Yamada , Wenmeng Feng , Liuchun Xiang , Shuang Gao , Haisong Nie","doi":"10.1016/j.socscimed.2025.118063","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.socscimed.2025.118063","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Since the 1970s, neoliberalism has transformed the global economy, replacing full-time, long-term employment with flexible work arrangements, contributing to precarious employment (PE). PE has been linked to negative health outcomes, but research on the multiple dimensions of PE remains limited.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>This study employed a longitudinal cohort design using data from the Japanese Panel Study of Employment Dynamics (JPSED) from 2017 to 2023, focusing on individuals aged 16–65 who were employed but not on full-time permanent contracts. We developed a modified Employment Precariousness Scale (EPRES-JP) for evaluation. The entropy-based TOPSIS method with adjustable weight coefficients (Ea-TOPSIS) method was applied to calculate the Precarious Employment Index (PEI), and logistic regression analyzed its association with health outcomes, while Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) explored potential mediating pathways.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>The study found that the \"Rights\" dimension (social insurance and leave access) had the highest average weight at 40.2 %, with the impact of COVID-19 (introduced in 2021) significantly contributing to the PEI. Higher PEI was associated with greater risks of headaches (OR<sub>0.1</sub> = 1.11, 95 % CI [1.06, 1.16]), fatigue (OR<sub>0.1</sub> = 1.09, 95 % CI [1.04, 1.14]), anxiety (OR<sub>0.1</sub> = 1.12, 95 % CI [1.07, 1.17]), depression (OR<sub>0.1</sub> = 1.18, 95 % CI [1.13,1.24]), loss of appetite (OR<sub>0.1</sub> = 1.22, 95 % CI [1.16, 1.28]), and sleep disturbances (OR<sub>0.1</sub> = 1.20, 95 % CI [1.15, 1.25]). SEM identified mediating pathways between PE, job and life satisfaction, and health outcomes.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>These findings deepen our understanding of how PE affects worker health. Enhancing job characteristics and life satisfaction may mitigate the health risks of PE. Broader labor policies are essential to improve job security and worker well-being.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49122,"journal":{"name":"Social Science & Medicine","volume":"374 ","pages":"Article 118063"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-04-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143829586","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Queer Tax: Examining 2SLGBTQ+ Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour's experiences of accessing assisted reproductive technologies","authors":"Michelle W. Tam, Amaya Perez-Brumer, Lori E. Ross","doi":"10.1016/j.socscimed.2025.118053","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.socscimed.2025.118053","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The use of assisted reproductive technologies (ART) has risen steadily over the past two decades. In Canada, up to 25 % of assisted reproductive technologies (ART) users identify as Two-Spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and/or queer (2SLGBTQ+). Despite evidence of inequitable ART access for 2SLGBTQ+ communities, scant research has explored the intersectional experiences of 2SLGBTQ+ Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour (BIPOC). Theoretically grounded in reproductive justice and critical political economy, this study examines ART access and clinical experiences for 2SLGBTQ+ BIPOC communities. Interviews were conducted with BIPOC and 2SLGBTQ+ people who had undergone or were seeking ART in Ontario, Canada<strong>.</strong> Data analysis, guided by constructivist grounded theory and situational analysis, was coded using MAXQDA. The findings reveal structural powers and systemic inequalities shaping the ART process and parenthood. Participants identified four key barriers faced by 2SLGBTQ+ BIPOC families: (1) normative practices (re)produced through ART; (2) mandatory counselling as gatekeeping and disciplining; (3) regulation of known donor sperm augmenting legal, financial, and timeliness barriers; and (4) limited availability of Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour donor sperm. These intersectional barriers highlight the urgent need for ART providers to offer competent and inclusive care. Additionally, the study underscores the necessity for clinical policy reforms to challenge heteronormative and racist practices, ensuring equitable access and improving availability of BIPOC donor sperm for diverse family structures.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49122,"journal":{"name":"Social Science & Medicine","volume":"376 ","pages":"Article 118053"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-04-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143870851","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Sharon Koehn , C. Allyson Jones , Anh Pham , Claire E.H. Barber , Jessica Widdifield , Lisa Jasper , Douglas Klein , Neil Drummond
{"title":"Identifying the need for care in rheumatoid arthritis: A Candidacy 2.0 analysis of lived experiences","authors":"Sharon Koehn , C. Allyson Jones , Anh Pham , Claire E.H. Barber , Jessica Widdifield , Lisa Jasper , Douglas Klein , Neil Drummond","doi":"10.1016/j.socscimed.2025.118040","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.socscimed.2025.118040","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study explores how individuals with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) come to identify themselves as candidates for medical care, using the newly developed Candidacy 2.0 model. Candidacy 2.0 extends the original Candidacy Framework by emphasizing the role of the embodied intersectional relational self in healthcare access, providing a theoretical framework that transcends specific healthcare systems. Through semi-structured interviews with 33 individuals living with RA across six Canadian provinces, we examined how embodied experiences, social identities, and relational contexts shape initial recognition of care needs. Analysis revealed distinct 'tipping points' where symptom progression from single to multiple joints and unmanageable pain forced recognition of care needs. Age and gender identities created distinct barriers to care-seeking: younger individuals dismissed symptoms as affecting only older adults, while gendered expectations about caregiving delayed help-seeking among women. Professional identity emerged as particularly significant, offering knowledge advantages but sometimes hindering patient-centered care. Support networks proved crucial in symptom interpretation and help-seeking, with their importance highlighted by COVID-19-related disruptions. The study demonstrates how Candidacy 2.0's emphasis on embodied, intersectional, and relational aspects of healthcare access enhances understanding of help-seeking behaviors in chronic conditions. Findings suggest the need for targeted public health campaigns addressing age-related misconceptions, gender-sensitive clinical approaches, flexible care delivery models that accommodate support networks, and educational resources helping patients identify and act upon significant symptom changes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49122,"journal":{"name":"Social Science & Medicine","volume":"374 ","pages":"Article 118040"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-04-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143824286","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Jingyuan Shi , Xiaoyu Xia , Huijun Zhuang , Zixi Li , Kun Xu
{"title":"Empowering individuals to adopt artificial intelligence for health information seeking: A latent profile analysis among users in Hong Kong","authors":"Jingyuan Shi , Xiaoyu Xia , Huijun Zhuang , Zixi Li , Kun Xu","doi":"10.1016/j.socscimed.2025.118059","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.socscimed.2025.118059","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Rationales</h3><div>Using AI for health information seeking is a novel behavior, and as such, developing effective communication strategies to optimize AI adoption in this area presents challenges. To lay the groundwork, research is needed to map out users' behavioral underpinnings regarding AI use, as understanding users’ needs, concerns and perspectives could inform the design of targeted and effective communication strategies in this context.</div></div><div><h3>Objective</h3><div>Guided by the planned risk information seeking model and the comprehensive model of information seeking, our study examines how socio-psychological factors (i.e., attitudes, perceived descriptive and injunctive norms, self-efficacy, technological anxiety) and factors related to information carriers (i.e., trust in and perceived accuracy of AI), shape users’ latent profiles. In addition, we explore how individual differences in demographic attributes and anthropocentrism predict membership in these user profiles.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>We conducted a quota-sampled survey with 1051 AI-experienced users in Hong Kong. Latent profile analysis was used to examine users’ profile patterns. The hierarchical multiple logistic regression was employed to examine how individual differences predict membership in these user profiles.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>The latent profile analysis revealed five heterogeneous profiles, which we labeled “Discreet Approachers,” “Casual Investigators,” “Apprehensive Moderates,” “Apathetic Bystanders,” and “Anxious Explorers.” Each profile was associated with specific predictors related to individual differences in demographic attributes and/or aspects of anthropocentrism.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>The findings advance theoretical understandings of using AI for health information seeking, provide theory-driven strategies to empower users to make well-informed decisions, and offer insights to optimize the adoption of AI technology.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49122,"journal":{"name":"Social Science & Medicine","volume":"375 ","pages":"Article 118059"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-04-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143848745","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Laia Bosque-Mercader , Simon Conroy , Daniel Lasserson , Russell Mannion , Catia Nicodemo , Raphael Wittenberg
{"title":"Resilience of the acute sector in recovery from COVID-19 pressures","authors":"Laia Bosque-Mercader , Simon Conroy , Daniel Lasserson , Russell Mannion , Catia Nicodemo , Raphael Wittenberg","doi":"10.1016/j.socscimed.2025.118062","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.socscimed.2025.118062","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The COVID-19 pandemic had a profound impact on the management and delivery of acute healthcare. To tackle the pandemic, hospitals redesigned their organisational models to provide a rapid increase in acute care assessment and treatment capacity for patients with COVID-19 whilst also trying to maintain delivery of care for patients with non-COVID-19 healthcare needs. This capacity to adjust and recover after COVID-19 might be shaped by both measures taken by acute hospitals and wider hospital pre-pandemic characteristics. The aim of this study is to examine how hospital characteristics in acute care are associated with recovery of elective activity after the height of the COVID-19 pandemic compared to pre-pandemic levels. Using patient-level data from Hospital Episode Statistics aggregated at monthly-trust level for all English National Health Service (NHS) acute hospital trusts in 2019 and 2021, we estimate the associations between hospital recovery rate and hospital pre-pandemic characteristics by employing linear regressions of the proportional change over time in elective activity against a set of explanatory variables related to supply factors (e.g., hospital size, workforce, type of hospital, regional location), demand factors (e.g., population need, patient case-mix) and time factors. On average, English NHS acute hospital trusts did not fully recover from the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021. The results show that the explanatory variables are not systematically associated with hospital recovery rate, excepting regional differences. Hospital trusts not located in London, especially in the North of England, are associated with a lower recovery (less resilience) of total elective activity and orthopaedic and vascular surgical elective activity. The implication for policy development is that the evolution of hospital recovery rates in elective activity varied across English regions, especially for high-volume and high-risk elective specialties, with better recovery in London than elsewhere.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49122,"journal":{"name":"Social Science & Medicine","volume":"375 ","pages":"Article 118062"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-04-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143834220","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Tom Worters , Christina McKerchar , Leah Watkins , Ryan Gage , Louise Signal
{"title":"Public health and harmful advertising: The nature and extent of children's real-time exposure to unhealthy commodity marketing","authors":"Tom Worters , Christina McKerchar , Leah Watkins , Ryan Gage , Louise Signal","doi":"10.1016/j.socscimed.2025.118055","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.socscimed.2025.118055","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The consumption of unhealthy commodities (UHCs) – including unhealthy food, alcohol, tobacco and gambling products – contributes to substantial public health harm and significant social and economic costs. Consumption of UHCs is driven, in part, by increasingly sophisticated, persuasive and extensive product marketing. In Aotearoa New Zealand (NZ), UHC marketing is largely self-regulated by industry but varies by individual commodity. This paper aims to identify the nature and extent of children's exposure to UHC marketing in NZ and consider policy implications. Using data collected from wearable cameras, children's brand marketing exposures were analysed to identify their rate of exposure to UHC marketing, as well as ‘Healthy’ (core food/social marketing) and ‘Other’ marketing. Children (N = 90) were exposed to UHC marketing on average 76.2 times per day, nearly 2.5 times their daily exposure to ‘Healthy’ marketing. Children were exposed to UHC marketing through a more diverse range of settings and mediums than core food and social marketing. Over half of children's unhealthy food (54.9 %) and alcohol (51.9 %) marketing exposures were attributed to multinational corporations (MNCs). Children's exposure to each UHC category generally aligned with the level of regulation over that commodity in NZ. Overall, these findings support comprehensive statutory marketing regulation over UHCs, both in NZ and likely internationally given the global nature of UHCs. Statutory marketing regulation would reduce children's exposure to UHC marketing and protect public health. Given the extensive similarities among UHCs, policymakers should consider a joint regulatory approach.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49122,"journal":{"name":"Social Science & Medicine","volume":"375 ","pages":"Article 118055"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-04-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143848743","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Jazmin L. Brown-Iannuzzi , Erin Cooley , Dylan Vlasak , Jaclyn A. Lisnek , Ryan F. Lei , Camryn Yeager , Nicholas Elacqua
{"title":"Using a novel “Perceived Self-Group Hierarchy” measure to predict White Americans’ health via feelings of “falling behind”","authors":"Jazmin L. Brown-Iannuzzi , Erin Cooley , Dylan Vlasak , Jaclyn A. Lisnek , Ryan F. Lei , Camryn Yeager , Nicholas Elacqua","doi":"10.1016/j.socscimed.2025.118061","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.socscimed.2025.118061","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Previous research finds that White Americans tend to perceive “most White people” to be high-status and see themselves as falling behind their racial group (Cooley et al., 2021). These feelings of low within-group status predict fewer positive emotions which, in turn, predict worse health. However, this previous work is limited by its use of two separate status measures (i.e., “self” and “group”) which are used to infer within-group comparisons via difference scores. To address this limitation, we propose a Perceived Self-Group Hierarchy (PSGH) measure that directly assesses perceptions of <em>within</em>-group status, while also capturing perceptions of <em>between</em>-group status. Using samples of non-Hispanic White Americans with representative quota sampling (<em>N</em><sub>Total</sub> = 1600), we demonstrate that our new measure provides better criterion validity and incremental validity over prior measurement strategies when predicting health (Study 1). Moreover, when combined with latent profile analysis, our measure allows researchers to ask more nuanced questions regarding subjective status and health (Study 2).</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49122,"journal":{"name":"Social Science & Medicine","volume":"374 ","pages":"Article 118061"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2025-04-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143829587","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}