Socioeconomic Status, Social Support, and Quality of Life Among Black Adults.

Objectives: Socioeconomic status has a pervasive influence on one's health and quality of life. Social support is known as a factor that can minimize the risk of maladaptive health outcomes while promoting greater quality of life. The purpose of this study was to examine the direct and indirect relationships between perceived socioeconomic status, social support, physical quality of life, and psychological quality of life among Black adults.

Methods: Participants were 304 (118 men, 186 women) adults who identified as African American or Black. Ages ranged from 18 to 75 (Mage = 37.62 years, SD = 12.39 years) and completed a battery of self-report questionnaires on perceived socioeconomic status, social support, physical quality of life, and psychological quality of life.

Results: Structural equation modeling analyses demonstrated that perceived socioeconomic status is associated with greater social support, physical quality of life, and psychological quality of life. Perceived socioeconomic status was also associated with higher physical quality of life and psychological quality of life indirectly through more social support.

Conclusions: These findings provide evidence that perceived socioeconomic status is directly associated with greater quality of life in Black adults. Social support acts as a partial mediator in the relationship between socioeconomic status and quality of life. This research brings to attention the influence that socioeconomic status and social support have on the quality of life of Black adults. These factors are of particular importance when considering social determinants of health in Black communities.