Catherine Ross | The University of Texas at Austin (original) (raw)
Papers by Catherine Ross
What is the association between food insufficiency and body weight? Although common sense would s... more What is the association between food insufficiency and body weight? Although common sense would suggest a negative association, research often finds the opposite. The authors contrast commodity theories of material privation with stress theories, proposing that the seemingly counterintuitive association results from the suppressing influence of economic hardship. Because it is a chronic stressor, economic hardship may be associated with increased body weight. Data from the Welfare, Children, and Families project of 2,402 disadvantaged women in Chicago, Boston, and San Antonio show that people who experience economic hardship weigh more; and that the true negative association between body weight and food insufficiency-especially going hungry because one cannot afford food-is revealed only after adjustment for economic hardship.
American Journal of Sociology, 1983
Among Anglos, married women have higher levels of psychological distress than married men. One ex... more Among Anglos, married women have higher levels of psychological distress than married men. One explanation is the role-stress theory developed by Gove and his colleagues, which focuses on the stressful aspects of traditional female roles (such as housewife and child ...
The Milbank Quarterly, 2000
Social Problems, 1998
... We are equal co-authors; our names appear alphabetically. Direct all correspondence to Cather... more ... We are equal co-authors; our names appear alphabetically. Direct all correspondence to CatherineRoss, Department of Sociology, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210-1353; e-mail ross. 131@osu.edu SOCIAL PROBLEMS, Vol. 45, No. 2, May 1998 221 Page 2. ...
This paper proposes that individuals who report that they live in neighborhoods characterized by ... more This paper proposes that individuals who report that they live in neighborhoods characterized by disorder-by crime, vandalism, graffiti, danger, noise, dirt, and drugs-
128 JOURNAL OF HEALTH AND SOCIAL BEHAVIOR there also may be less conflict or overload. It is over... more 128 JOURNAL OF HEALTH AND SOCIAL BEHAVIOR there also may be less conflict or overload. It is oversimple to conclude that a wife's employment has a uniform effect on her well-being or on her husband's (Gove and Tudor 1973; Rosenfield 1980), and it is ...
... WELLoBEING CATHERINE E. Ross JOHN R. REYNOLDS KARLYN J. GEIS ... Finally, the negative effect... more ... WELLoBEING CATHERINE E. Ross JOHN R. REYNOLDS KARLYN J. GEIS ... Finally, the negative effects of poor, stable neighborhoods on residents'psychological well-being do not stem from a lack of social ties among neighbors. N EIGHBORHOOD stability tradition-...
Annual Review of Sociology, 1986
This paper reviews survey research explaining the social patterns of distress. There are four bas... more This paper reviews survey research explaining the social patterns of distress. There are four basic patterns: (a) The higher one's social status the lower one's distress; (b) women are more distressed than men; (c) married persons are less distressed than unmarried persons, ...
Sociological perspectives : SP : official publication of the Pacific Sociological Association, 2013
What is the association between food insufficiency and body weight? Although common sense would s... more What is the association between food insufficiency and body weight? Although common sense would suggest a negative association, research often finds the opposite. We contrast commodity theories of material privation with stress theories, proposing that the seemingly counterintuitive association results from the confounding influence of economic hardship. Because it is a chronic stressor, economic hardship may contribute to overweight. Data from the WCF project of 2,402 disadvantaged women in Chicago, Boston, and San Antonio show that people who experience economic hardship weigh more; and that the true negative association between body weight and food insufficiency-especially going hungry because one cannot afford food-is revealed only after adjustment for economic hardship.
Sociological Quarterly, 2010
Does education improve health more for one sex than the other? We develop a theory of resource su... more Does education improve health more for one sex than the other? We develop a theory of resource substitution which implies that education improves health more for women than men. Data from a 1995 survey of U.S. adults with follow-ups in 1998 and 2001 support the hypothesis. Physical impairment decreases more for women than for men as the level of education increases. The gender gap in impairment essentially disappears among people with a college degree. Latent growth SEM vectors also show that among the college educated, men's and women's life course patterns of physical impairment do not differ significantly.
Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 1989
Research on the social patterns of depression in the community finds consistently that high level... more Research on the social patterns of depression in the community finds consistently that high levels of education and income, being male, and being married are associated with lower levels of depression . We attempt to explain these patterns as the result of two essential social perceptions : the sense of controlling one's own life rather than being at the mercy of powerful others and outside forces, and the sense of having a supportive and understanding person to talk to in times of trouble . In theory, the sense of control reduces depression because it encourages active problem solving, and the sense of support reduces depression because it provides others to talk to . We find evidence for the first proposition : persons who feel in control of their lives are more likely to attempt to solve problems . Perceived control and problem solving decrease depression and largely explain the effects of income and education on depression . We find, however, that support has mixed effects . Support decreases depression, but talking to others when faced with a problem, which increases with the level of support, increases depression . Support explains a small part of the effect of marriage on depression . Control and support have an interactive effect on depression, suggesting that control and support can substitute for one another to decrease depression : a high level of one reduces the need for the other, and a low level of one is remedied by a high level of the other .
Demography, 1999
We refine the established association between education and health by distinguishing three aspect... more We refine the established association between education and health by distinguishing three aspects of a person s education (quantity, credential, and selectivity) and by examining the mechanisms through which they may correlate with health. Data are from the 1995 Aging, Status, and the Sense ofControl Survey, a representative U.S. national telephone survey of 2,593 respondents aged 18 to 95, with an oversample of elderly. Results show that physical functioning and perceived health increase significantly with years offormal education and with college selectivity for those with a bachelor s or higher degree, adjusting for age, sex, race, marital status, and parental education. The credential of a college degree has no net association with physical functioning and perceived health beyond the amount attributable to the additional years of schooling. Ofthe three aspects ofeducation, years ofschooling has the largest effect. Most of that association appears attributable to its correlation with work and economic conditions, social psychological resources, and health lifestyle. A large portion ofthe net association of college selectivity with physical functioning and perceived health appears attributable to health lifestyle.
American Journal of Sociology, 1980
Minority Status, Ethnic Culture, and Distress: A Comparison of Blacks, Whites, Mexicans, and Mexi... more Minority Status, Ethnic Culture, and Distress: A Comparison of Blacks, Whites, Mexicans, and Mexican Americans1 John Mirowsky II and Catherine E. Ross University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign We examine the psychological well-being of blacks, whites, ...
American Journal of Community Psychology, 1983
We examine the causes and consequences of fatalism in a cross-cultural setting, focusing on the w... more We examine the causes and consequences of fatalism in a cross-cultural setting, focusing on the ways in which a fatalistic world view may mediate the effects of social class and Mexican ethnic identity on psychological distress. We find that persons in the lower social classes and Mexicans tend to be more fatalistic than persons in the upper classes and Anglos, and that fatalism, in turn, increases psychological distress. We attempt to integrate research on the social and cultural determinants of cognitive orientations with studies of the effects of social class and Mexican culture on distress.
Ageing International, 2005
Education's positive effect on health gets larger as people age. The large socioeconomic differen... more Education's positive effect on health gets larger as people age. The large socioeconomic differences in health among older Americans mostly accrue earlier in adulthood on gradients set by educational attainment. Education develops abilities that help individuals gain control of their own lives, encouraging and enabling a healthy life. The health-related consequences of education cumulate on many levels, from the socioeconomic (including work and income) and behavioral (including health behaviors like exercising) to the physiological and intracellular. Some accumulations influence each other. In particular, a low sense of control over one's own life accelerates physical impairment, which in turn decreases the sense of control. That feedback progressively concentrates good physical functioning and a firm sense of personal control together in the better educated while concentrating physical impairment and a sense of powerlessness together in the less well educated, creating large differences in health in old age.
Social Science & Medicine, 2002
This study tests the hypothesis that the correlation between current depression and parenthood de... more This study tests the hypothesis that the correlation between current depression and parenthood depends on the age at first birth for adults. An early first birth suggests a poor start in life. It may reflect a disordered transition from adolescence into adulthood and may itself disrupt that transition, with life long consequences that influence emotional well-being. To test the hypothesis
What is the association between food insufficiency and body weight? Although common sense would s... more What is the association between food insufficiency and body weight? Although common sense would suggest a negative association, research often finds the opposite. The authors contrast commodity theories of material privation with stress theories, proposing that the seemingly counterintuitive association results from the suppressing influence of economic hardship. Because it is a chronic stressor, economic hardship may be associated with increased body weight. Data from the Welfare, Children, and Families project of 2,402 disadvantaged women in Chicago, Boston, and San Antonio show that people who experience economic hardship weigh more; and that the true negative association between body weight and food insufficiency-especially going hungry because one cannot afford food-is revealed only after adjustment for economic hardship.
American Journal of Sociology, 1983
Among Anglos, married women have higher levels of psychological distress than married men. One ex... more Among Anglos, married women have higher levels of psychological distress than married men. One explanation is the role-stress theory developed by Gove and his colleagues, which focuses on the stressful aspects of traditional female roles (such as housewife and child ...
The Milbank Quarterly, 2000
Social Problems, 1998
... We are equal co-authors; our names appear alphabetically. Direct all correspondence to Cather... more ... We are equal co-authors; our names appear alphabetically. Direct all correspondence to CatherineRoss, Department of Sociology, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210-1353; e-mail ross. 131@osu.edu SOCIAL PROBLEMS, Vol. 45, No. 2, May 1998 221 Page 2. ...
This paper proposes that individuals who report that they live in neighborhoods characterized by ... more This paper proposes that individuals who report that they live in neighborhoods characterized by disorder-by crime, vandalism, graffiti, danger, noise, dirt, and drugs-
128 JOURNAL OF HEALTH AND SOCIAL BEHAVIOR there also may be less conflict or overload. It is over... more 128 JOURNAL OF HEALTH AND SOCIAL BEHAVIOR there also may be less conflict or overload. It is oversimple to conclude that a wife's employment has a uniform effect on her well-being or on her husband's (Gove and Tudor 1973; Rosenfield 1980), and it is ...
... WELLoBEING CATHERINE E. Ross JOHN R. REYNOLDS KARLYN J. GEIS ... Finally, the negative effect... more ... WELLoBEING CATHERINE E. Ross JOHN R. REYNOLDS KARLYN J. GEIS ... Finally, the negative effects of poor, stable neighborhoods on residents'psychological well-being do not stem from a lack of social ties among neighbors. N EIGHBORHOOD stability tradition-...
Annual Review of Sociology, 1986
This paper reviews survey research explaining the social patterns of distress. There are four bas... more This paper reviews survey research explaining the social patterns of distress. There are four basic patterns: (a) The higher one's social status the lower one's distress; (b) women are more distressed than men; (c) married persons are less distressed than unmarried persons, ...
Sociological perspectives : SP : official publication of the Pacific Sociological Association, 2013
What is the association between food insufficiency and body weight? Although common sense would s... more What is the association between food insufficiency and body weight? Although common sense would suggest a negative association, research often finds the opposite. We contrast commodity theories of material privation with stress theories, proposing that the seemingly counterintuitive association results from the confounding influence of economic hardship. Because it is a chronic stressor, economic hardship may contribute to overweight. Data from the WCF project of 2,402 disadvantaged women in Chicago, Boston, and San Antonio show that people who experience economic hardship weigh more; and that the true negative association between body weight and food insufficiency-especially going hungry because one cannot afford food-is revealed only after adjustment for economic hardship.
Sociological Quarterly, 2010
Does education improve health more for one sex than the other? We develop a theory of resource su... more Does education improve health more for one sex than the other? We develop a theory of resource substitution which implies that education improves health more for women than men. Data from a 1995 survey of U.S. adults with follow-ups in 1998 and 2001 support the hypothesis. Physical impairment decreases more for women than for men as the level of education increases. The gender gap in impairment essentially disappears among people with a college degree. Latent growth SEM vectors also show that among the college educated, men's and women's life course patterns of physical impairment do not differ significantly.
Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 1989
Research on the social patterns of depression in the community finds consistently that high level... more Research on the social patterns of depression in the community finds consistently that high levels of education and income, being male, and being married are associated with lower levels of depression . We attempt to explain these patterns as the result of two essential social perceptions : the sense of controlling one's own life rather than being at the mercy of powerful others and outside forces, and the sense of having a supportive and understanding person to talk to in times of trouble . In theory, the sense of control reduces depression because it encourages active problem solving, and the sense of support reduces depression because it provides others to talk to . We find evidence for the first proposition : persons who feel in control of their lives are more likely to attempt to solve problems . Perceived control and problem solving decrease depression and largely explain the effects of income and education on depression . We find, however, that support has mixed effects . Support decreases depression, but talking to others when faced with a problem, which increases with the level of support, increases depression . Support explains a small part of the effect of marriage on depression . Control and support have an interactive effect on depression, suggesting that control and support can substitute for one another to decrease depression : a high level of one reduces the need for the other, and a low level of one is remedied by a high level of the other .
Demography, 1999
We refine the established association between education and health by distinguishing three aspect... more We refine the established association between education and health by distinguishing three aspects of a person s education (quantity, credential, and selectivity) and by examining the mechanisms through which they may correlate with health. Data are from the 1995 Aging, Status, and the Sense ofControl Survey, a representative U.S. national telephone survey of 2,593 respondents aged 18 to 95, with an oversample of elderly. Results show that physical functioning and perceived health increase significantly with years offormal education and with college selectivity for those with a bachelor s or higher degree, adjusting for age, sex, race, marital status, and parental education. The credential of a college degree has no net association with physical functioning and perceived health beyond the amount attributable to the additional years of schooling. Ofthe three aspects ofeducation, years ofschooling has the largest effect. Most of that association appears attributable to its correlation with work and economic conditions, social psychological resources, and health lifestyle. A large portion ofthe net association of college selectivity with physical functioning and perceived health appears attributable to health lifestyle.
American Journal of Sociology, 1980
Minority Status, Ethnic Culture, and Distress: A Comparison of Blacks, Whites, Mexicans, and Mexi... more Minority Status, Ethnic Culture, and Distress: A Comparison of Blacks, Whites, Mexicans, and Mexican Americans1 John Mirowsky II and Catherine E. Ross University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign We examine the psychological well-being of blacks, whites, ...
American Journal of Community Psychology, 1983
We examine the causes and consequences of fatalism in a cross-cultural setting, focusing on the w... more We examine the causes and consequences of fatalism in a cross-cultural setting, focusing on the ways in which a fatalistic world view may mediate the effects of social class and Mexican ethnic identity on psychological distress. We find that persons in the lower social classes and Mexicans tend to be more fatalistic than persons in the upper classes and Anglos, and that fatalism, in turn, increases psychological distress. We attempt to integrate research on the social and cultural determinants of cognitive orientations with studies of the effects of social class and Mexican culture on distress.
Ageing International, 2005
Education's positive effect on health gets larger as people age. The large socioeconomic differen... more Education's positive effect on health gets larger as people age. The large socioeconomic differences in health among older Americans mostly accrue earlier in adulthood on gradients set by educational attainment. Education develops abilities that help individuals gain control of their own lives, encouraging and enabling a healthy life. The health-related consequences of education cumulate on many levels, from the socioeconomic (including work and income) and behavioral (including health behaviors like exercising) to the physiological and intracellular. Some accumulations influence each other. In particular, a low sense of control over one's own life accelerates physical impairment, which in turn decreases the sense of control. That feedback progressively concentrates good physical functioning and a firm sense of personal control together in the better educated while concentrating physical impairment and a sense of powerlessness together in the less well educated, creating large differences in health in old age.
Social Science & Medicine, 2002
This study tests the hypothesis that the correlation between current depression and parenthood de... more This study tests the hypothesis that the correlation between current depression and parenthood depends on the age at first birth for adults. An early first birth suggests a poor start in life. It may reflect a disordered transition from adolescence into adulthood and may itself disrupt that transition, with life long consequences that influence emotional well-being. To test the hypothesis