An interpersonal analysis of subjective social status and psychosocial risk

Subjective social status (SSS) predicts health independently of traditional measures of socio-economic status (SES; Adler et al., 2008; Cohen et al., 2008). Although interpersonal variables are known to be related to both SES and health (Gallo, Smith, & Cox, 2006) and might contribute to their association, little research has examined the association of interpersonal variables with SSS. The present study of 300 middle-aged and older married couples found that individuals who rated themselves high on measures of SSS tended to display a warm and dominant interpersonal style. Further analyses revealed that partner reported warmth and dominance partially mediated the association of SSS with both marital satisfaction and depressive symptoms after controlling neuroticism. Results suggest that interpersonal theory provides a useful framework for the study of SSS and health, and that interpersonal processes may account for a significant portion of the relationship between SSS and health-relevant psychosocial risk factors.