In a Class on Their Own: Investigating the Role of Social Integration in the Association Between Social Class and Mental Well-Being

Olivia Evans*, Mark Rubin

*Corresponding author for this work

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    10 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    It has been established that people from lower social classes tend to have poorer mental well-being compared with people from higher classes. Research also suggests that people from the lower classes are also less socially integrated. This research investigated the role of social integration in the relationship between social class and mental well-being across three studies (Study 1 N = 15,028; Study 2 N = 1,946; Study 3 N = 461). Across all studies, social class had an indirect effect on mental well-being via social integration. Moderation results found that social integration buffers the negative impact of financial issues on mental well-being, social support buffers the effects of class on mental ill-health, and family support amplifies rather than reduces social class differences in mental well-being. We propose that although improving social integration has the potential to improve the mental well-being of lower class populations, some caveats need to be considered.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)690-703
    Number of pages14
    JournalPersonality and Social Psychology Bulletin
    Volume48
    Issue number5
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - May 2022

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