Description
Socio-economic inequalities, social gradients and biological mechanisms: exploring the policy and practice implications of hormonal reactivity to social defeat.The social gradient in health illustrates how inequalities and social rank predict distribution of morbidities and mortality. Marmot (2004) argues that where people stand in relation to others in society is central for an individual’s health and well-being. Wilkinson and Pickett (2018) suggest the social gradient in health results from social rank and relative position on the social ladder, with subordination linked to limited resources and lack of control, rather than from health behaviours or access to medical care. However, they do not empirically test specific biopsychosocial mechanisms through which status affects health. This paper aims to address that gap.
The paper outlines how androgenic and glucocorticoid systems might be involved in the social gradient of health. By exploring how threat/challenge cognitions moderate endocrine reactivity in response to an experimental social defeat task, this study contributes to the literature on acute stress, allostatic load, and health inequalities. It does so by providing insight into neuroendocrine mechanisms underpinning the social gradient in health, by demonstrating that testosterone (T) reactivity following defeat plays an important role in determining motivational behaviour and cortisol reactivity. These findings are situated within the broader contextual framework of socio-economic disadvantage (SED).
The implications of these findings are explored in terms of how public and health policy interventions should take cognisance of the behavioural and biological implications of social defeat within lower SES groups. Doing so can aid in the minimisation and amelioration of those consequences, and harvest positive health and behavioural outcomes which in turn respond to health inequality. Indeed, policies relating to form-filling exercises could be created to minimise the risk of social defeat whilst increasing the promotion of more positive behavioural and biological outcomes. This may take the form of specific procedures, practices and methods which allow individuals applying for welfare support to get additional assistance and help with the process. This in turn, could contribute to individuals being more successful in the application process, thereby fostering greater feelings of motivation, control and desire to break the cycle of SED.
| Period | 5 Jun 2023 → 7 Jun 2023 |
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| Event type | Conference |
| Location | Nottingham, United KingdomShow on map |
| Degree of Recognition | International |