Westernization of self-perception in modern affluent Indonesian school children

Background Subjective Social Status is used as an important predictor for psychological and physiological findings, most commonly measured with the MacArthur Scale (Ladder Test). Previous studies have shown that this test fits better in Western cultures. The idea of a social ladder itself and ranking oneself “higher” or “lower” is a concept that accords to the Western thinking. Objectives We hypothesize that in a culture where only the elites have adapted to a Western lifestyle, the test results reflect a higher level of accuracy for this stratum. We also expect that self-perception differs per sex. Sample and Methods We implemented the Ladder Test in a study of Indonesian schoolchildren aged between 5 and 13 years (boys N = 369, girls N= 364) from non-private and private schools in Kupang in 2020. Results Our analysis showed that the Ladder Test results were according to the Western expectations only for the private school, as the Ladder Scores significantly decreased with age (LM: p = 0.04). The Ladder Test results are best explained by “Education Father” for the non-private school pupils (p = 0.01) and all boys (p = 0.04), by “School Grades” for the private school cohort (p = 0.06) and by “Household Score” for girls (p =0.09). Conclusion This finding indicates that the concept of ranking oneself “high” or “low” on a social ladder is strongly implicated with Western ideas. A ladder implies social movement by “climbing” up or down. According to that, reflection of self-perception is influenced by culture.

Examining the relation between the subjective and objective social status with health reported needs and health-seeking behaviour in Dande, Angola

Background Assessing subjective social status (SSS) may be easily accommodated in the context of a Health and Demographic Surveillance System (HDSS). To our knowledge, no prior studies have examined the association of SSS and health in Angola. Subjective socioeconomic measures may provide a rapid assessment of a relevant social status construct, important for studying health inequalities. In this study, we addressed social determinants of health by examining the relationship between the subjective and objective social status, reported health and healthcare-seeking behaviour. Methods This research results from a cross-sectional study performed during 2015 in the Dande HDSS, in Angola. We tested the application of the MacArthur scale as a measure of SSS in a developing setting, in a sample of 12,246 households. First, we investigated its relation to objective socioeconomic indicators, and then we explored how subjective and objective social status associate with health reported needs and health-seeking behaviour of the surveyed population. Chi-square, ANOVA tests, and Receiver Operating Characteristics (ROC) Curves analysis were computed for testing relationships between subjective status ladder quartiles, sociodemographic and household characteristics. Logistic regression was used to examine the influence of subjective perception of status in self-reported health and health-seeking behaviour. Results Our findings suggest that the SSS follows a gradient distribution obtained with more objective socioeconomic indicators. Additionally, we found that subjective perception of status influence health needs reporting and health-seeking behaviour and its significant effect remained after controlling for the objective socioeconomic markers. Individuals standing in the second quartile of the social ladder have more odds of reporting illness and those in the highest quartiles of the ladder were twice more likely (OR = 2.23, 95% CI = 1.52–3.26) to seek help from formal health services than those at the bottom of the ladder. Conclusions The MacArthur Scale is a valuable tool to measure SSS in the Dande HDSS, relevant for studying socioeconomic disparities and health inequalities. It is also an easier alternative to traditional measures such as income, usually difficult to measure in developing settings. The social perception of status should be considered as a complement with objective indicators when exploring social determinants of health.

Stacking Up With the Stars: Relative Deprivation and Excessive Admiration of Celebrities

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether celebrity admiration is associated with personal relative deprivation, impulsivity, and materialism. We gave the Celebrity Attitude Scale, the Personal Relative Deprivation Scale, the MacArthur Scale of Subjective Social Status, a subscale from the Consideration of Future Consequences-14, and the Material Values Scale, to 149 respondents recruited through Mechanical Turk. We found a weak but significant association between personal relative deprivation and celebrity attitudes. We successfully replicated earlier research showing that celebrity attitudes were positively correlated with material values and impulsivity. Personal relative deprivation also correlated positively with both material values and impulsivity. These findings suggest that the constructs of personal relative deprivation and celebrity attitudes appear to have much in common as both are associated with poor quality of life.

Adoption of a Multidimensional Approach to Assessing the Impact of Socioeconomic Status on Neurocognitive and Behavioral Outcomes in Pediatric Sickle Cell Disease

Introduction: Broad neurocognitive deficits have been documented in children with sickle cell disease (SCD), even in the absence of stroke. These deficits pose significant consequences, as lower cognitive abilities are associated with lower academic achievement. However, there has been limited research examining the relationship between neurocognitive functioning and socioeconomic status (SES) in youth with SCD. Given that children with SCD experience socioeconomic disadvantage at relatively high rates, SES has been posited as one explanation for the high prevalence of neurocognitive issues in SCD; particularly in the case of patients without stroke or those with less severe phenotypes. In order to better understand the role of SES, we sought to evaluate the effects of multiple distinct measures of SES on neurocognitive outcomes in pediatric SCD. Methods: Fifty-nine children with SCD ages 7-16 (M = 10.44, SD = 2.87; 42% male) enrolled in a larger study of the feasibility and efficacy of a computerized cognitive training program. Primary caregivers reported demographic information, including the child's age, gender, and ethnicity, and rated their child's executive functioning difficulties on the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF). Scores on the BRIEF are represented as T scores, where higher scores reflect more problems. Caregivers also reported on multiple measures of SES, including the participant's health insurance type, whether the participant received free-or-reduced lunch at school, and rated the adequacy of household resources (Family Resource Scale; FRS) and their perceived community and national social status (The MacArthur Scale of Subjective Social Status). Children and adolescents completed the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, Fifth Edition (WISC-V). Results: Multiple regression analyses were performed to examine the relationship between SES measures and performance-based and caregiver-reported neurocognitive and behavioral functioning. Controlling for age and gender, having public health insurance significantly predicted lower Full Scale IQs on the WISC-V (R2 = .158, b = -8.609, p = .021), as well as greater impairments on the BRIEF Working Memory (R2 = .219, b = -9.556, p = .014), Organization of Materials (R2 = .166, b = -7.498, p = .011), and Monitor (R2 = .137, b = -6.872, p = .038) subscales. Whereas, having private health insurance significantly predicted higher Full Scale IQs (R2 = .187, b = 10.376, p = 0.007) and fewer problems on the BRIEF Working Memory (R2 = .101, b = 7.868, p = .046), Organization of Materials (R2 = 0.209, b = 9.103, p = .003), and Monitor (R2 = .163, b = 8.231, p = .018) subscales. Additionally, receiving free-or-reduced lunch significantly predicted lower scores on a WISC-V task measuring processing speed (R2 = .316, b = -1.976, p = .006) and a composite indicator of processing speed (R2 = .226, b = -9.849, p = .011). In contrast to hypotheses, higher perceived social status within families' communities on the MacArthur Scale of Subjective Social Status was predictive of lower Full Scale IQs (R2 = .089, b = 1.646, p = .049) and higher perceived social status using the United States as a reference predicted greater impairments on the Plan/Organize (R2 = .169, b = 2.287 p = .011) and Initiate subscales of the BRIEF (R2 = .134, b = 1.839, p = .024). Conclusions: It is feasible to measure SES in multiple ways in clinical trials. In our study, SES significantly predicted performance-based and parent-reported neurocognitive functioning; however, each measure of SES appeared to account for a unique component of SES and demonstrated unique associations with neurocognitive outcomes. Public insurance was a significant predictor of more caregiver-rated problems with children's working memory, organizational skills, and executive functioning. Children who qualified for free-or reduced lunch also scored significantly lower on processing speed tasks. Findings support the hypothesis that SES plays an important role in determining neurocognitive and behavioral outcomes and highlights the value of conceptualizing and assessing SES as a multidimensional construct. Researchers and clinicians should routinely assess SES using various measures to enhance detection of neurocognitive difficulties and assist in crafting tailored interventions to mitigate negative consequences of low SES in children with SCD. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Relationship between subjective social status and perceived health among Latin American immigrant women

OBJECTIVE: to explore the relationship between socioeconomic status and subjective social status and explain how subjective social status predicts health in immigrant women. METHODS: cross-sectional study based on data from 371 Latin American women (16-65 years old) from a total of 7,056 registered immigrants accesse through community parthers between 2009-2010. Socioeconomic status was measured through education, income and occupation; subjective social status was measured using the MacArthur Scale, and perceived health, using a Likert scale. RESULTS: a weak correlation between socioeconomic and subjective social status was found. In the bivariate analysis, a significantly higher prevalence of negative perceived health in women with no education, low income, undocumented employment was observed. In the multivariate analysis, higher odds of prevalence of negative perceptions of health in the lower levels of the MacArthur scale were observed. No significant differences with the rest of the variables were found. CONCLUSIONS: the study suggests that subjective social status was a better predictor of health status than the socioeconomic status measurements. Therefore, the use of this measurement may be relevant to the study of health inequalities, particularly in socially disadvantaged groups such as immigrants.