Health Inequalities

Abstract

Research on health inequalities in the United States indicates that women, racial and ethnic minorities, and people of lower socioeconomic position are often at a health disadvantage compared to men, whites and those of higher socioeconomic position. However, these patterns are not uniform and appear contingent upon the dimension of inequality, the health outcome examined, and contextual factors. We show how attending to key social psychological processes helps illuminate the relationships between social inequalities and health, shedding light on these complex patterns. We review research on six key factors that have been proposed to explain health inequalities—stress exposures, environmental exposures, psychological dispositions, social relations, health behaviors, and health care interactions—as well as social comparison processes. Social psychological theories and concepts underscore that macro-level inequalities affect health and well-being for reasons other than material deprivations, and point to the importance of interpersonal interactions, identities, and symbolic meanings as interpretive processes that shape health inequalities.