We propose a novel approach to test the fundamental cause theory (FCT) by analyzing the association between socioeconomic status (SES), as measured by the order titles "brothers" and "padres," and mortality in 2,421 German Catholic monks born between 1840 and 1959. This quasi-experiment allows us to study the effect of SES on mortality in a population with largely standardized living conditions. Mortality analyses based on Kaplan-Meier product limit estimation show that there were no statistically significant survival differences between the high and lower SES monks. This holds for all birth cohorts, indicating that monastic life offers health protection for monks with a lower SES regardless the disease patterns, causes of death, or main risk factors in a given period. These findings support the FCT: Whereas SES-related differences in mortality are a widely confirmed finding in the general population, a context with largely standardized conditions eliminates the importance of SES-related resources.
College education features prominently in research on determinants of deaths from substance use disorders and self-harm-outcomes collectively referred to as "deaths of despair" (DoD). Limited attention has been given to whether the protective effects of college education on indicators of despair vary by individuals' likelihood of college completion. We use data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health for 6,145 individuals to test whether the protective effects of college completion on precursors to DoD vary according to individuals' propensity to attain a college degree. Understanding whether the benefits of college education differ depending on the propensity to complete it is important for designing effective educational policies. Using the heterogeneous treatment effects approach, we find that individuals with a relatively low propensity for graduating from college but who complete it have a lower likelihood of depressive symptoms, binge drinking, prescription drug abuse, and hard drug use.
Although research has identified how stressors are related to either physical or cognitive function in later life, we bridge these literatures by examining dual functionality (neither physical nor cognitive impairment) among Black, White, and Hispanic adults. Using data from the Health and Retirement Study (2006-2016), we investigated whether stressors and resources during childhood and adulthood are related to functional loss at baseline and longitudinally. Analyses revealed that lifetime trauma was associated with dual functionality impairment at baseline, but childhood stressors and everyday discrimination were prospectively associated with loss of dual functionality. Black and foreign-born Hispanic adults experienced earlier loss of dual functionality than White adults, and the effect of childhood stressors on the transition to impairment occurred earlier for U.S.-born Hispanic adults. Findings reveal the influence of exposures in childhood and adulthood on functional health in later life-and how resources may be a counterbalance to functional loss.
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