Educational attainment and psychological distress among working-age adults in the United States

Objectives: Marginalization-related diminished returns (MDRs) refer to weaker health effects of educational attainment for socially marginalized groups compared to the socially privileged groups. Most of the existing literature on MDRs, however, has focused on marginalization due to race, ethnicity, and sexual orientation. Thus, very limited information exists on MDRs of educational attainment among immigrant populations in the United States.Aims: Building on the MDRs framework and using a nationally representative sample of US adults, we compared immigrant and native-born adults for the effects of educational attainment on psychological distress, self-rated health (SRH), and chronic diseases (CDs).Methods: The 2015 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) has enrolled 33,672 individuals who were either immigrant (n = 6,225; 18.5%) or native born (n = 27,429; 81.5%). The independent variable (IV) was educational attainment, which was treated as a categorical variable. The dependent variables included psychological distress, SRH, and CDs, all of which were dichotomous variables. Age, gender, race, ethnicity, and region were confounders. Immigration (nativity status) was the moderator.Results: Higher educational attainment was associated with lower odds of psychological distress, poor SRH, and CDs. However, immigration showed a significant statistical interaction with college graduation on all outcomes, which were suggestive of smaller protective effects of college graduation on psychological distress, poor SRH, and CDs for immigrant than native-born adults.Conclusions: In the US, the associations between educational attainment and psychological distress, SRH, and CDs are all weaker for immigrant than native-born adults. To prevent health disparities, it is essential to decompose health inequalities that are due to low educational attainment from those that are due to diminished returns of educational attainment (i.e., MDRs). There is a need to help highly educated immigrant adults secure positive health outcomes, similar to their native-born counterparts. Such changes may require bold and innovative economic, public, and social policies that help immigrant adults to more effectively mobilize their educational attainment to secure tangible outcomes. Elimination of health disparities in the US requires efforts that go beyond equalizing access to education.

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Educational attainment among young adults experiencing homelessness in seven cities across the United States

Children and Youth Services Review ◽

10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.105676 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 119 ◽

pp. 105676

Author(s):

Stephanie Chassman ◽

Danielle Maude Littman ◽

Kimberly Bender ◽

Diane Santa Maria ◽

Jama Shelton ◽

...

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Young Adults ◽

Educational Attainment ◽

The United States

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Financial worry and psychological distress among cancer survivors in the United States, 2013—2018

Supportive Care in Cancer ◽

10.1007/s00520-021-06084-1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Edward Christopher Dee ◽

Ryan D. Nipp ◽

Vinayak Muralidhar ◽

Zizi Yu ◽

Santino S. Butler ◽

...

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Psychological Distress ◽

Cancer Survivors ◽

The United States

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The relationship between employment and health and health care among working-age adults with and without disabilities in the United States

Disability and Rehabilitation ◽

10.1080/09638288.2018.1465131 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 41 (19) ◽

pp. 2299-2307 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Amanda Reichard ◽

Michelle Stransky ◽

Debra Brucker ◽

Andrew Houtenville

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Health Care ◽

The United States ◽

Working Age ◽

The Relationship

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Importance of Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia in Primary Care

International Psychogeriatrics ◽

10.1017/s1041610200006797 ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 12 (S1) ◽

pp. 67-72 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

William H. Coleman

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Primary Care ◽

Psychological Distress ◽

Direct Relationship ◽

Psychological Symptoms ◽

The United States ◽

Comprehensive Treatment ◽

The Cost ◽

Number Of Individuals ◽

Behavioral And Psychological Symptoms

There is a direct relationship between years lived beyond age 65 and the number of individuals diagnosed with dementia, primarily Alzheimer's disease (AD). The occurrence of AD has no socioeconomic, geographical, or ethnic limitations. The problem is worldwide. Its magnitude is demonstrated by the following facts: (a) approximately 6% to 8% of persons 65 years or older have AD, and the prevalence of the disease doubles each 5 years after 60 years of age; (b) 30% of 85-year-old individuals can be expected to have the disease; (c) AD affects an estimated 4 million people in the United States, and is expected to affect approximately 14 million Americans within the next few decades; (d) AD patients average 6 to 10 years of comprehensive treatment from symptom onset to death; (e) AD is the fourth leading cause of mortality among elderly Americans, more than 100,000 each year; (f) caregiver attempts at management of the behavioral and psychological symptoms of AD result in up to 50% developing significant psychological distress themselves; and (g) the cost for the management of AD patients is estimated to be between US $80 billion and US $120 billion annually. Primary care is essential for the appropriate diagnosis and treatment of the complex set of behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) associated with AD.

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The relationship between educational attainment and hospitalizations among middle-aged and older adults in the United States

SSM - Population Health ◽

10.1016/j.ssmph.2021.100918 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 100918

Author(s):

Dahai Yue ◽

Ninez A. Ponce ◽

Jack Needleman ◽

Susan L. Ettner

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Older Adults ◽

Educational Attainment ◽

The United States ◽

Middle Aged ◽

The Relationship

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Women’s Educational Attainment and Fertility in the United States among Generation Xers

10.31235/osf.io/e4c9y ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Emma Zang

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Educational Attainment ◽

Total Fertility Rate ◽

College Graduates ◽

The United States ◽

Educational Attainments ◽

Catch Up ◽

The Relationship ◽

College Educated ◽

Generation Xers

This study is the first to systematically examine the educational differentials in fertility levels and timing across four 5-year cohorts among Generation Xers in the United States. Little attention has been paid to the relationship between U.S. women’s educational attainments and fertility behaviors among those born after 1960 by previous studies. Results reveal that the cohort Total Fertility Rate among college graduates is lower than those of the less educated. However, there is evidence of an emerging trend: an increasing proportion of college-educated women with two children have transitioned to a third. Although college-educated women postpone first births, they tend to ‘catch up’ by spacing higher-order births closer to first births compared to the less-educated.

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Constraints in the Demand for Education: What Can we Learn from Subjective Assessments?

The B E Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy ◽

10.1515/1935-1682.2138 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Olga V. Sorokina

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Socioeconomic Status ◽

Educational Attainment ◽

Family Background ◽

Credit Constraints ◽

The United States ◽

Economic Literature ◽

Demand For Education ◽

Subjective Assessments

Abstract While the large disparities in educational attainment by socioeconomic status in the United States point towards the importance of credit constraints, there is no consensus in the economic literature regarding their pervasiveness. To evaluate how subjective information can enhance our understanding of the role of credit constraints in education, I focus on NLSY79 respondents' assessments of financial obstacles to schooling. About 12 percent of young adults in the data expect to underinvest in education because of financial reasons or the need to work. Using this information in a regression model of educational attainment shows that it provides valuable behavioral insights, above and beyond standard measures of income and family background.

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Schools & the Diversity Transition

Daedalus ◽

10.1162/daed_a_00225 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 142 (3) ◽

pp. 155-169 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Richard Alba

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Educational Policy ◽

North American ◽

The United States ◽

Educational Systems ◽

Policy Changes ◽

Quarter Century ◽

Abundant Evidence ◽

Working Age ◽

History Of

In the next quarter century, North American and Western European societies will face a profound transformation of their working-age populations as a result of immigration, combined with the aging of native majorities. These changes will intensify the challenges of integrating the children of lowstatus immigrants. Abundant evidence reveals that most educational systems, including that in the United States, are failing to meet these challenges; and sociological theories underscore these systems' role in reproducing inequality. However, the history of assimilation in the United States shows that native-/immigrant-origin inequalities need not be enduring. An examination of variations across time and space suggests educational policy changes and innovations that can ameliorate inequalities.

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