Subjective social status: reliability and predictive utility for global health

This article examines the test-retest reliability and predictive utility of a new self-report measure of subjective socioeconomic status (SES) with a large, multiethnic national sample. The measure showed adequate test-retest reliability, and was associated with self-reported health even after controlling for traditional measures of SES. Negative affect did not appear to confound the association between subjective status and health, but may operate as a mediating factor which explains the link between subjective status and health. Future studies on social class disparities in health should consider how subjective perceptions of SES influence health, and explore psychological processes mediating subjective beliefs about status and health outcomes.