- The University of Arizona
School of Sociology
Social Sciences Building, Room 427
1145 E. South Campus Drive
Tucson, AZ 85721 - 520-621-3804
Terrence D Hill
University of Texas at San Antonio, Sociology, Faculty Member
- Medical Sociology, Social epidemiology, Social Psychology, Religion, Social Support, Neighborhood Effects, and 70 moreGender, Socioeconomic Status, Sociology, Mental Health, Health insurance, Well-Being, Healthy Lifestyles, Marriage, Health Behaviors, Locus of Control, Geriatrics, Gerontology, Self-control, Religious Studies, Psychological distress, Lifestyle, Mexican Americans, Elderly, Health, Divorce, Sleep Quality, Sleep, Population Health, Sexuality, Child Abuse, Alcohol, Victimization, Religiosity, Social Isolation, Welfare, Self-Esteem, Women, Disability, Loneliness, Poverty, Intimate Partner Violence, Adolescence, Substance Misuse, Mortality, Life course, Fertility, Sociology of Religion, Urban, Religion and Sexuality, Big Five Personality Traits, Alcohol Consumption, Social Demography, Abortion, Immigration, Euthanasia, HPV vaccine, Social Constructionism, Anxiety, Food Security and Insecurity, Coping (Social Support), Epidemiology, Ethnicity, Psychiatry, Racial & Ethnic Disparities in Healthcare Access, Body Mass Index, Emotional Support (Social Support), Substance Use, Mental Illness, Circassian Studies, Negative Affect, Sociology of Mental Health & Illness, Dance/movement Therapy (Psychology), Interpersonal Violence, Quantitative Methods, and Biodemographyedit
- My research examines social inequalities in health and human suffering. I am especially interested in how social fact... moreMy research examines social inequalities in health and human suffering. I am especially interested in how social factors like religion, socioeconomic status, social relationships, and neighborhood context contribute to health disparities. To date, I have published over 150 peer-reviewed manuscripts. According to Google Scholar, my work has been cited over 8,000 times.edit
Are conservative Protestant men especially insecure about their sexual prowess and masculinity? A recent state-level analysis by Perry and Whitehead (2021) suggests that they are. In this study, we use national data from the 2021 Crime,... more
Are conservative Protestant men especially insecure about their sexual prowess and masculinity? A recent state-level analysis by Perry and Whitehead (2021) suggests that they are. In this study, we use national data from the 2021 Crime, Health, and Politics Survey (CHAPS) to formally test whether conservative Protestant men are more concerned with their sexual abilities and masculinity than other men. Bivariate and multivariate binary logistic and ordinary least squares regression models consistently show that conservative Protestant men tend to exhibit similar levels of sexual insecurity (self-reported performance anxiety, erectile dysfunction, and ED medication use) and masculine discrepancy stress (perceived failure to conform to normative expectations associated with hegemonic masculinity) as men of other religious faiths (moderate Protestants, Catholics, and other Christians/religions) and men who report no religious affiliation. Our analyses are noteworthy because they call into question the theory of evangelicalism and phallocentric masculine insecurity at the individual level.
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Over the past two decades, researchers have worked to make sense of the fact that black Americans tend to exhibit similar or better mental health profiles relative to their white counterparts. In this study, we extend previous research by... more
Over the past two decades, researchers have worked to make sense of the fact that black Americans tend to exhibit similar or better mental health profiles relative to their white counterparts. In this study, we extend previous research by proposing and testing a new potential explanation of the black-white mental health paradox: the dark side of religion or religious/spiritual (R/S) struggles. We also consider whether the association between R/S struggles and mental health is moderated by race. Our mediation analysis of data collected from a 2021 nationally representative sample of American adults ( n = 1,381) indicates that black respondents tend to exhibit lower levels of non-specific psychological distress than white respondents partly because black respondents also tend to report lower levels of R/S struggles. Our moderation analysis demonstrates that the positive association between R/S struggles and psychological distress is more pronounced for white respondents than for black respondents.
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Over the past three decades, numerous studies have shown that religious involvement—indicated by observable identities, feelings, beliefs, activities, and experiences in relation to the spiritual, divine, or super-natural—is associated... more
Over the past three decades, numerous studies have shown that religious involvement—indicated by observable identities, feelings, beliefs, activities, and experiences in relation to the spiritual, divine, or super-natural—is associated with better health across the life course. The data have been remarkably consistent across indicators of health-related behavior, mental health, physical health, and mortality risk (Ellison & Levin, 1998; George, Ellison, & Larson, 2002; Hill, Burdette, & Idler, 2011; Idler, 2004, 2011; Koenig, King, & Carson, 2012; Krause & Hayward, 2016). In contrast to these more established literatures, researchers have virtually ignored possible links between religious involvement and sleep-related outcomes (Ellison, Bradshaw, Storch, Marcum, & Hill, 2011; Ellison, Deangelis, Hill, & Froese, 2019; Hill, Deangelis, & Ellison, 2018; Koenig et al., 2012). In fact, one recent review revealed only seven population-based studies of religious involvement and sleep (Hill et al., 2018). Although the evidence base is thin, the weight of the data demonstrates that religious adults (indicated by religious attendance, religious importance, frequency of prayer, sacred body view, and God-mediated control) tend to exhibit healthier sleep outcomes (sleep duration, overall sleep quality, sleep initiation, and sleep medications) than their less religious counterparts (Ellison et al., 2011; Hill, Burdette, Ellison, & Musick, 2006; Hill, Ellison, & Musick, 2020; Krause & Ironson, 2017).
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Research Interests: Religion, Psychology, Depression, Telomeres, Inflammation, and 15 moreStress, Mediation, Medicine, Multidisciplinary, Attendance, Cellular Senescence, Humans, Smoking, Depressive Disorder, Religion and psychology, C reactive protein, Longitudinal Study, Cellular Aging, Telomere, and Psychological Stress
Numerous studies suggest that religious involvement tends to favor healthy biological functioning across the life course. The primary aim of this chapter is to review and explain these patterns. Toward this end, we develop several... more
Numerous studies suggest that religious involvement tends to favor healthy biological functioning across the life course. The primary aim of this chapter is to review and explain these patterns. Toward this end, we develop several biopsychosocial models of religious involvement and biological functioning. These models incorporate pathways related to social resources, psychological resources, healthy behaviors, and various biological processes. We conclude that additional research is needed to establish associations with understudied biological outcomes (e.g., epigenetics, infant mortality, and telomeres), individual mechanisms, more elaborate causal models, and sub-group variations. It is also important for future studies to thoroughly explore the “dark side” of religion and to formally test alternative explanations, including health selection, personality selection, and genetic selection. Research along these lines would provide a more comprehensive understanding of how and why religious involvement might contribute to biological functioning across the life course.
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Background In this paper, we integrate theory and research from sociology, psychology, and political science to develop and test a mediation model that helps to explain why political conservatism is often associated with pandemic... more
Background In this paper, we integrate theory and research from sociology, psychology, and political science to develop and test a mediation model that helps to explain why political conservatism is often associated with pandemic behaviors and lifestyles that are inconsistent with public health recommendations for COVID-19. Methods Using national data from the 2021 Crime, Health, and Politics Survey (n = 1743), we formally test the indirect effects of political conservatism (an index of Republican party identification, conservative political orientation, right-wing news media consumption, and 2020 Trump vote) on pandemic lifestyles (an index of social distancing, hand sanitizing, mask usage, and vaccination) through the mechanisms of empathy (concern about the welfare of others), authoritarian beliefs (authoritarian aggressiveness and acquiescence to authority), and pandemic threat perceptions (threats to self and to the broader society). Result Our results confirm that political co...
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We consider the association between state political ideology and population mobility during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. We use first-party geo-behavioral data to estimate the average distance traveled by approximately 15,000,000... more
We consider the association between state political ideology and population mobility during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. We use first-party geo-behavioral data to estimate the average distance traveled by approximately 15,000,000 devices over 10 weeks (February 24, 2020 to April 27, 2020). Regression models with state clustered robust standard errors show lower shelter-in-place rates and higher mobility scores in states with larger percentages of voters who supported Trump in the 2016 presidential election. We also find that shelter-in-place rates increased and mobility scores declined at slower rates in states with greater Trump support. Shelter-in-place rates and average mobility scores were comparable in states governed by Republicans and Democrats. There was some evidence that shelter-in-place rates increased and average mobility scores declined at slower rates in states governed by Republicans. Overall, states with more Trump voters are more resistant to public health r...
Research Interests: Demography, Republicanism, Political Science, Politics, Ideology, and 12 moreConservatism, Conservatism (Political Science), Population, Demographic economics, Sociological Perspectives, Presidential Election, Pandemic, Donald Trump, Coronavirus COVID-19, CoVid, COVID-19 PANDEMIC, and Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
Objectives: We test whether the association between state religiosity and distance traveled is moderated by population age during the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Methods: Mobility is operationalized as the state-level average... more
Objectives: We test whether the association between state religiosity and distance traveled is moderated by population age during the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Methods: Mobility is operationalized as the state-level average median distance traveled from February 24 to May 4 across the contiguous United States. Shelter-in-place rates are operationalized as the state-level percentage of users staying home. State religiosity is measured with an index of aggregated religious identities, beliefs, and practices. Population age is indicated by the state percentage of adults aged 65 years and older. We model population mobility using regression with state clustered robust SEs. Results: We observe that religious states tend to travel more during the early stages of the pandemic. However, the behavioral risks associated with state religiosity are less pronounced in states with larger older populations. Discussion: We contribute to our understanding of the social patterning of pan...
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Although numerous studies have shown that religious involvement is associated with better health across the life course, researchers have virtually ignored possible links between religious involvement and sleep-related outcomes. Building... more
Although numerous studies have shown that religious involvement is associated with better health across the life course, researchers have virtually ignored possible links between religious involvement and sleep-related outcomes. Building on previous work, we tested whether religious attendance was inversely associated with sleep disturbance among older Mexican Americans. We also assessed whether depressive symptoms could mediate or explain any of the inverse association between religious attendance and sleep disturbance. Relevant hypotheses were tested using ordinary least squares regression and conditional process mediation analysis of cross-sectional data collected from the original cohort of the Hispanic Established Population for the Epidemiologic Study of the Elderly (H-EPESE). The baseline H-EPESE (1993-1994) included a probability sample of 3,050 Mexican Americans ages 65 and older. Due to missing data on our focal variables, our final analytic sample included 2,323 responden...
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For nearly half a century, jobs have become increasingly characterized by employment insecurity. We examined the implications for sleep disturbance with cross-sectional data from the European Working Conditions Survey (2010). A group of... more
For nearly half a century, jobs have become increasingly characterized by employment insecurity. We examined the implications for sleep disturbance with cross-sectional data from the European Working Conditions Survey (2010). A group of 24,553 workers between the ages of 25 and 65 years in 31 European countries were asked to indicate whether they suffered from "insomnia or general sleep difficulties" in the past 12 months. We employed logistic regression to model the association between employment insecurity and sleep disturbance for all countries combined and each individual country. For all countries combined, employment insecurity increased the odds of reporting insomnia or general sleep difficulties in the past 12 months. Each unit increase in employment insecurity elevated the odds of sleep disturbance by approximately 47%. This finding was remarkably consistent across 27 of 31 European countries, including Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech R...
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... Terrence D. Hill, Amy M. Burdette , Michael L. Weiss , and Dale D. Chitwood ... in adoles-cence (see Benda, 1997 ; Benda & Corwyn, 1997 ; Corwyn, Benda, & Ballard, 1997 ; Grunbaum, Tortolero, Weller,... more
... Terrence D. Hill, Amy M. Burdette , Michael L. Weiss , and Dale D. Chitwood ... in adoles-cence (see Benda, 1997 ; Benda & Corwyn, 1997 ; Corwyn, Benda, & Ballard, 1997 ; Grunbaum, Tortolero, Weller, & Gingiss, 2000 ; Hodge, Cardenas, & Montoya, 2001 ; Turner et al., 1994 ...
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This study uses data from the Mental Health Modules of the General Social Survey (1996 and 2006) to understand why some Americans endorse the involuntary use of psychiatric medication. Results indicated that in 1996 and 2006, 28 percent... more
This study uses data from the Mental Health Modules of the General Social Survey (1996 and 2006) to understand why some Americans endorse the involuntary use of psychiatric medication. Results indicated that in 1996 and 2006, 28 percent of Americans believed that people with mental illness should be forced by law to take psychiatric medication. The belief that people with mental illness are dangerous significantly contributed to Americans’ endorsement of this form of mandated treatment. Interestingly, the belief that mental illness is caused by stress increased the odds of support for mandated medication in 1996 and then reduced the odds of support in 2006. Moreover, stigmatizing preferences for social distance from those with mental illness were no longer contributing factors in 2006. It is still imperative, however, that public policy makers promote anti-stigma initiatives to reduce barriers to psychiatric treatment and counteract the public’s lingering fear of people with mental illness.
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ABSTRACT Although some research suggests that welfare caseworker support may improve the mental health of clients, the evidence is largely cross-sectional. Building on previous research, this study uses survey data from the Welfare,... more
ABSTRACT Although some research suggests that welfare caseworker support may improve the mental health of clients, the evidence is largely cross-sectional. Building on previous research, this study uses survey data from the Welfare, Children, and Families Project, a sample of 380 low-income women with children living in Boston, Chicago, and San Antonio, to predict psychological distress over 2 years (1999 and 2001) with a multi-item measure of perceived welfare caseworker support and a host of relevant background variables. The longitudinal change score analysis indicates that women who report improvements in caseworker support tend to exhibit fewer symptoms of psychological distress from baseline to follow-up. These results persist with controls for initial levels of psychological distress, and they confirm previous cross-sectional work, emphasizing the importance of the nature of the caseworker-client relationship.
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Research Interests: Sociology, Psychology, Demography, Anthropology, Immigration, and 15 moreCognition, Migration, Migration Studies, Medicine, Immigrants and Emigrants, Humans, Female, Male, Cohort, Mexican Americans, Aged, Public health systems and services research, Southwestern United States, Health surveys, and Disability Evaluation
We investigate the association between social demands and psychological distress among low-income women. We argue that perceptions of excessive social demands can be psychologically distressing and examine the extent to which social... more
We investigate the association between social demands and psychological distress among low-income women. We argue that perceptions of excessive social demands can be psychologically distressing and examine the extent to which social demands predict psychological distress over 2 years. Our results reveal several important patterns. First, emotional, but not instrumental, demands are positively associated with psychological distress. Second, emotional and instrumental supports are more strongly associated with psychological distress than are emotional demands. Third, emotional support buffers the adverse effects of emotional demands. Finally, other chronic stressors, including economic hardship, neighborhood problems, and household disrepair, are more strongly associated with psychological distress than are social demands.
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We begin by developing arguments linking aspects of Conservative Protestant theology with attitudes toward family planning. We then develop a theoretical model, and test hypotheses distilled from this model using data on a sample of... more
We begin by developing arguments linking aspects of Conservative Protestant theology with attitudes toward family planning. We then develop a theoretical model, and test hypotheses distilled from this model using data on a sample of Protestant seminary students (base N = 635) drawn in 1995-96. As expected, seminarians from Conservative Protestant denominations are less supportive of family planning than their mainline counterparts, although respondents in both groups express broadly favorable views of family planning. This observed denominational pattern is accounted for by the disproportionate tendency of fundamentalist and evangelical students to view the Bible as the inerrant Word of God. In turn, the strong relationship between inerrancy and family planning attitudes seems to reflect the inclination of inerrantists : (a) to interpret a key fertility-related passage, Gen. 1:28a, as a command and/or a blessing from God directed at individuals and couples; and (b) to harbor more conservative attitudes regarding human sexuality. Several alternative explanations for the denominational variations in family planning attitudes are also explored. We conclude by discussing the implications of our findings for future research on Conservative Protestant attitudinal distinctiveness, and on the links between religion and health issues.
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Objectives. We examined the long-term health consequences of relationship violence in adulthood. Methods. Using data from the Welfare, Children, and Families project (1999 and 2001), a probability sample of 2402 low-income women with... more
Objectives. We examined the long-term health consequences of relationship violence in adulthood. Methods. Using data from the Welfare, Children, and Families project (1999 and 2001), a probability sample of 2402 low-income women with children living in disadvantaged neighborhoods in Boston, Massachusetts; Chicago, Illinois; and San Antonio, Texas, we predicted changes in the frequency of intoxication, psychological distress, and self-rated health over 2 years with baseline measures of relationship violence and a host of relevant background variables. Results. Our analyses showed that psychological aggression predicted increases in psychological distress, whereas minor physical assault and sexual coercion predicted increases in the frequency of intoxication. There was no evidence to suggest that relationship violence in adulthood predicted changes in self-rated health. Conclusions. Experiences with relationship violence beyond the formative and developmental years of childhood and ad...
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We contribute to our understanding of the social epidemiology of intimate partner violence (IPV) by developing a mediation model that frames IPV as an outcome of male sexual dysfunction (performance anxiety and erectile dysfunction) and... more
We contribute to our understanding of the social epidemiology of intimate partner violence (IPV) by developing a mediation model that frames IPV as an outcome of male sexual dysfunction (performance anxiety and erectile dysfunction) and the mechanisms of masculine discrepancy stress (the perceived failure to conform to internalized normative expectations of masculinity) and anger. Our mediation analyses of recently collected data from the 2021 Crime, Health, and Politics Survey (CHAPS), a national probability sample of 792 men, confirmed that sexual dysfunction was indirectly associated with the perpetration of any IPV, physical IPV, and sexual IPV through the compound path of masculine discrepancy stress and anger.
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Over the past four decades, studies have consistently shown that regular attendance at religious services is associated with better mental and physical health. At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, many congregations paused in-person... more
Over the past four decades, studies have consistently shown that regular attendance at religious services is associated with better mental and physical health. At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, many congregations paused in-person religious services and moved their worship rituals online. The ways that churches have responded to the threat of infectious disease require new conceptualizations and operationalizations of religious attendance and novel comparisons of the causes and consequences of virtual and in-person attendance. Analyses of data collected from a national probability sample of Americans (n = 1,717) show that while in-person religious attendance is associated with better mental and physical health, virtual attendance is unrelated to both outcomes in fully adjusted models. Taken together, these findings suggest that the association between religious attendance and health during a global pandemic may be contingent on physical proximity and the nature of the social and experiential aspects of religious worship.
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Originality/Value of Paper This study contributes to previous work by bridging the fields of social epidemiology and environmental inequality and by formally testing established theoretical models.
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Previous research has established attitudinal and behavioral health variations in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic, but scholarship on the religious antecedents associated with these outcomes has only recently gained momentum. Rhetoric... more
Previous research has established attitudinal and behavioral health variations in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic, but scholarship on the religious antecedents associated with these outcomes has only recently gained momentum. Rhetoric from some leading conservative Protestants in the U.S. has underplayed the threat of the pandemic and may have contributed to unhealthy pandemic behaviors within this faith tradition. Moreover, previous inquiries have revealed that conservative Protestantism’s otherworldly focus can thwart personal and community health. We use nationally representative data to test the hypotheses that, compared with other religious groups and the non-religious, conservative Protestants will tend to (1) perceive the pandemic as less threatening and (2) engage in riskier pandemic lifestyles. These hypotheses are generally supported net of confounding factors. We conclude that affiliation with a conservative Protestant denomination can undermine public health among this...
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In this paper, we use data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health and latent class analysis to assess the extent to which individuals integrate guns into broader health lifestyles. We also examine how these new... more
In this paper, we use data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health and latent class analysis to assess the extent to which individuals integrate guns into broader health lifestyles. We also examine how these new health lifestyles differ for men and women. While men integrate guns with a variety of risk‐taking behaviors, including smoking, heavy drinking, risky sexual behavior, and fast‐food consumption, women do not. Our results are consistent with a gendered theory of gun ownership and health lifestyles. On the one hand, some men may use guns and other risky health behaviors to project hegemonic masculinity. On the other hand, some women may avoid guns and other elements of risky lifestyles to signify normative femininity. It is important for sociologists and public health scholars to focus more on how and why men are more likely to integrate guns into generally unhealthy lifestyles.
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Given that sexual minorities have been historically stigmatized within institutions of religion, they may be less likely to exhibit any health benefits from religious participation. In this article, we use data from Waves I and IV of the... more
Given that sexual minorities have been historically stigmatized within institutions of religion, they may be less likely to exhibit any health benefits from religious participation. In this article, we use data from Waves I and IV of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health to test whether the effects of religious affiliation (becoming affiliated with a religious group) and disaffiliation (no longer affiliating with a religious group) on depressive symptoms are moderated by sexual minority status from adolescence to early adulthood. In regression models adjusted for selection effects, we observed that, compared to respondents who were consistently unaffiliated, becoming affiliated was associated with more depressive symptoms from baseline to follow-up among lesbian, gay, and bisexual respondents, but not among heterosexual respondents. We conclude with the implications of our results as they relate to understanding the health impacts of marginalized groups in so...
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Although there is widespread speculation about guns helping people to sleep better, this idea has only recently faced empirical scrutiny. We test whether people who own guns tend to exhibit healthier sleep outcomes than people who do not... more
Although there is widespread speculation about guns helping people to sleep better, this idea has only recently faced empirical scrutiny. We test whether people who own guns tend to exhibit healthier sleep outcomes than people who do not own guns and whether the association between community stress and sleep is less pronounced for people who own guns. We use ordinary least squares, multinomial logistic, and binary logistic regression to model cross-sectional survey data. Our data span the United States. The 2021 Crime, Health, and Politics Survey (CHAPS) is based on a national probability sample of 1714 adults. Our analyses include multiple measures of gun ownership (personal ownership, keeping a gun in one's bedroom, and COVID-19 pandemic gun purchases), community stress (neighborhood disorder, neighborhood danger during the pandemic, and perceptions of police protection), and sleep (insomnia symptoms, sleep duration, and pandemic sleep). We found that people who own guns and people who do not own guns tend to exhibit similar sleep outcomes and that people who experience community stressors tend to exhibit similar sleep outcomes regardless of gun ownership. Our analyses confirm that gun ownership is unrelated to sleep and that guns are insufficient to mitigate the detrimental effects of community stress on sleep. We extend prior work by (a) using more detailed measurements of gun ownership, community stress, and sleep, (b) assessing whether people keep a gun in their bedroom, and (c) exploring the intersection of pandemic gun purchases and pandemic sleep quality.
Research Interests: Psychology, Police, Stress, Community, Neighborhood Effects, and 5 moreSleep, Firearms, Guns, Bedroom, and COVID-19 PANDEMIC
Highlights • We consider the social patterning of recent pandemic gun purchases.• Overall, 6% of the sample reported purchasing a new gun during the pandemic.• Pandemic gun purchasers tend to be male, younger, US-born, and living in the... more
Highlights • We consider the social patterning of recent pandemic gun purchases.• Overall, 6% of the sample reported purchasing a new gun during the pandemic.• Pandemic gun purchasers tend to be male, younger, US-born, and living in the south.• Pandemic gun purchasers tend to be less educated and recently unemployed.• Pandemic gun purchasers tend to be Republicans and experiencing religious change.
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Research Interests: Psychology, Air Quality, Sociology of Work, Environmental Health, Population Health, and 15 moreAir pollution, Air Pollution and Health Effects, Public Health, Mortality, Employment, Environmental Pollution, Medicine, Biological Sciences, Environmental Sciences, Life Expectancy, CHEMICAL SCIENCES, Longitudinal Study, Particulate Matter, Expectancy Theory, and Environmental
ObjectiveAlthough there is little empirical evidence linking gun ownership with personal well‐being, speculation is widespread in gun culture. In this article, we test whether people who own guns are more or less satisfied with their... more
ObjectiveAlthough there is little empirical evidence linking gun ownership with personal well‐being, speculation is widespread in gun culture. In this article, we test whether people who own guns are more or less satisfied with their lives than people who do not own guns.MethodsWe employ data collected from three national surveys, the Baylor Religion Survey (2014), the Chapman University Survey on American Fears (2014), and the General Social Survey (2018) to formally assess this understudied association.ResultsIn adjusted models, gun ownership was unrelated to life satisfaction. This general pattern was consistent across surveys, different measures and specifications of life satisfaction, and a wide range of subgroups.ConclusionOur analyses contribute to the growing study of gun ownership and personal well‐being and challenge theoretical perspectives and cultural narratives about how owning a gun can contribute favorably to one's quality of life.
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Although several studies suggest that religious attendance is associated with better cognitive functioning in later life, researchers have generally failed to connect with any established life-course perspectives or theories of cognitive... more
Although several studies suggest that religious attendance is associated with better cognitive functioning in later life, researchers have generally failed to connect with any established life-course perspectives or theories of cognitive aging. Building on previous work, we examine the effects of life-course religious attendance on a range of cognitive functioning outcomes. We employ data from the religious life histories module of the 2016 Health and Retirement Study, a subsample of 516 adults aged 65 and older. Our key findings demonstrate that older adults who attended religious services for more of their life course tend to exhibit poorer working memory and mental status and better self-rated memory than older adults who attended less often. We contribute to previous research by reconceptualizing religious attendance as a cumulative life-course exposure, exploring the effects of religious attendance net of secular social engagement, and examining a wider range of cognitive funct...
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Research Interests: Stress, Preventive medicine, Fear of Crime, Sleep Medicine, Medicine, and 14 moreNeighborhood Effects, Gun Control, Anxiety, Weapons, Sleep Quality, Sleep Deprivation, Sleep, Firearms, Guns, Public health systems and services research, Curriculum and Pedagogy, Sleep Disorder, ANXIETY, and Poison Control
Although established theoretical models suggest that socioeconomic inequalities in physical health are partially mediated or explained by exposures to environmental toxins, there is little empirical evidence to support these processes.... more
Although established theoretical models suggest that socioeconomic inequalities in physical health are partially mediated or explained by exposures to environmental toxins, there is little empirical evidence to support these processes. Building on previous research, we analyze data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (2007–2008) to formally test whether associations between socioeconomic status and self-rated physical health are mediated by direct biological assessments of environmental toxins. We find that the embodiment of environmental toxins is disproportionate in individuals of lower socioeconomic status. Although toxins in general and lead in particular are unrelated to self-rated health, socioeconomic differences in self-rated physical health are partially mediated by embodied cadmium. Our mediation analyses suggest that education and income may promote physical health by reducing exposures to cadmium. This study contributes to previous work by bridging...
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Although numerous studies have shown that religious attendance is associated with greater social support, concerns remain about selection into religious attendance and more supportive relationships. In this paper, we employ data collected... more
Although numerous studies have shown that religious attendance is associated with greater social support, concerns remain about selection into religious attendance and more supportive relationships. In this paper, we employ data collected from the 2011 Miami-Dade Health Survey (n = 444) to assess the extent to which the association between religious attendance and social support is due to selection processes related to personality, health behavior, and health status. In our multinomial logistic regression of attendance, we find that the odds of weekly attendance are increased by extraversion and reduced by smoking. We also observe that religious attendance does not vary according to level of agreeableness, self-esteem, alcohol consumption, psychological distress, or physical health. In our regression of support, we find that respondents who attend religious services weekly or more tend to report more social support than respondents who never attend. This association persisted with a...
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This study examines the extent to which ethnic identity is a protective factor and buffers the stress of discrimination among the foreign born compared to the U.S. born in Miami-Dade County. Data were drawn from the 2011 Miami-Dade Health... more
This study examines the extent to which ethnic identity is a protective factor and buffers the stress of discrimination among the foreign born compared to the U.S. born in Miami-Dade County. Data were drawn from the 2011 Miami-Dade Health Survey (N = 444), which is a countywide probability sample of adults in South Florida. Two interaction effects were observed: (a) a stronger ethnic identity was associated with less distress among the foreign born than the U.S. born; and (b) a stronger ethnic identity exacerbated the relationship between everyday discrimination and distress among the U.S. born. Ethnic identity, which involves ethnic pride, participation in cultural practices, and cultural commitment or sense of belonging, was associated with better psychological well-being among the foreign born than the U.S. born. Ethnic identity, however, was not a protective factor for the U.S. born, but rather it intensified the distressing effect of discrimination.
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Research Interests: Demography, Adolescent, Medicine, Logistic Regression, Humans, and 15 moreMinority Groups, Female, Male, Psychological Intervention, HPV, Ethnic Groups, African Americans, Ethnic Group, European Continental Ancestry Group, Cross Sectional Studies, Logistic Models, Health Personnel, National Health Interview Survey, Papillomavirus Infections, and healthcare disparities
In this study, we formally examine the association between penis size dissatisfaction and gun ownership in America. The primary hypothesis, derived from the psychosexual theory of gun ownership, asserts that men who are more dissatisfied... more
In this study, we formally examine the association between penis size dissatisfaction and gun ownership in America. The primary hypothesis, derived from the psychosexual theory of gun ownership, asserts that men who are more dissatisfied with the size of their penises will be more likely to personally own guns. To test this hypothesis, we used data collected from the 2023 Masculinity, Sexual Health, and Politics (MSHAP) survey, a national probability sample of 1,840 men, and regression analyses to model personal gun ownership as a function of penis size dissatisfaction, experiences with penis enlargement, social desirability, masculinity, body mass, mental health, and a range of sociodemographic characteristics. We find that men who are more dissatisfied with the size of their penises are less likely to personally own guns across outcomes, including any gun ownership, military-style rifle ownership, and total number of guns owned. The inverse association between penis size dissatisfaction and gun ownership is linear; however, the association is weakest among men ages 60 and older. With these findings in mind, we failed to observe any differences in personal gun ownership between men who have and have not attempted penis enlargement. To our knowledge, this is the first study to formally examine the association between penis size and personal gun ownership in America. Our findings fail to support the psychosexual theory of gun ownership. Alternative theories are posited for the apparent inverse association between penis size dissatisfaction and personal gun ownership, including higher levels of testosterone and constructionist explanations.
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For over 70 years, studies have reported lower rates of completed suicide in Muslim-majority countries and individuals who identify as Muslim. To this point, the mechanisms underlying the relationship between Islam and lower risk of... more
For over 70 years, studies have reported lower rates of completed suicide in Muslim-majority countries and individuals who identify as Muslim. To this point, the mechanisms underlying the relationship between Islam and lower risk of suicide remain understudied. In an effort to advance our understanding, we convened a bilingual international interdisciplinary panel of experts for a discussion of the current state and future directions of the field. In this paper, we present an exploratory qualitative analysis of the core themes that emerged from the group interviews. We also derive a general theoretical model of the association between Islam and suicide risk.
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In this paper, we use data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health and latent class analysis to assess the extent to which individuals integrate guns into broader health lifestyles. We also examine how these new... more
In this paper, we use data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health and latent class analysis to assess the extent to which individuals integrate guns into broader health lifestyles. We also examine how these new health lifestyles differ for men and women. While men integrate guns with a variety of risk-taking behaviors, including smoking, heavy drinking, risky sexual behavior, and fast-food consumption, women do not. Our results are consistent with a gendered theory of gun ownership and health lifestyles. On the one hand, some men may use guns and other risky health behaviors to project hegemonic masculinity. On the other hand, some women may avoid guns and other elements of risky lifestyles to signify normative femininity. It is important for sociologists and public health scholars to focus more on how and why men are more likely to integrate guns into generally unhealthy lifestyles.
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Although recent studies have linked pandemic unemployment with poorer mental health, the mechanisms underlying this association remain understudied. In this paper, we develop a mediation model to explain why pandemic job separation might... more
Although recent studies have linked pandemic unemployment with poorer mental health, the mechanisms underlying this association remain understudied. In this paper, we develop a mediation model to explain why pandemic job separation might undermine mental health. Using national data from the 2021 Crime, Health, and Politics Survey (n = 1,258), we test the indirect effects of pandemic job separation on psychological distress through several mechanisms. Mediation analyses reveal compound indirect effects of pandemic job separation on psychological distress through the primary pathway of financial strain and the secondary pathways of social support, self-esteem, mastery, religious struggles, and sleep disturbance. Absent the indirect effect of pandemic job separation through financial strain, we would have failed to observe any simple indirect effects through the other proposed mechanisms. Formal moderated mediation analyses also indicate that our observed indirect effects are invariant to subgroup differences in current employment status, education, and household income. In short, our indirect effects are observed for those respondents who were able to regain employment, those with college degrees, and those with the most financial resources. Our results suggest that the temporary expansion of public assistance has been insufficient to offset widespread unemployment and financial hardship during a global pandemic.
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Previous research has established attitudinal and behavioral health variations in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic, but scholarship on the religious antecedents associated with these outcomes has only recently gained momentum. Rhetoric... more
Previous research has established attitudinal and behavioral health variations in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic, but scholarship on the religious antecedents associated with these outcomes has only recently gained momentum. Rhetoric from some leading conservative Protestants in the U.S. has underplayed the threat of the pandemic and may have contributed to unhealthy pandemic behaviors within this faith tradition. Moreover, previous inquiries have revealed that conservative Protestantism’s otherworldly focus can thwart personal and community health. We use nationally representative data to test the hypotheses that, compared with other religious groups and the nonreligious, conservative Protestants will tend to (1) perceive the pandemic as less threatening and
(2) engage in riskier pandemic lifestyles. These hypotheses are generally supported net of confounding factors. We conclude that affiliation with a conservative Protestant denomination can undermine public health among this faith tradition’s adherents and may therefore compromise general health and well-being during a pandemic. We discuss the implications of these findings, offer recommendations for pandemic health promotion among conservative Protestants, and delineate promising avenues for future research on this important topic.
(2) engage in riskier pandemic lifestyles. These hypotheses are generally supported net of confounding factors. We conclude that affiliation with a conservative Protestant denomination can undermine public health among this faith tradition’s adherents and may therefore compromise general health and well-being during a pandemic. We discuss the implications of these findings, offer recommendations for pandemic health promotion among conservative Protestants, and delineate promising avenues for future research on this important topic.
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Over the past two decades, numerous studies have linked the subjective experience of neighborhood disorder (perceptions of crime, dilapidation, and ambient strains) with poorer health. We test whether religious struggles (religious doubts... more
Over the past two decades, numerous studies have linked the subjective experience of neighborhood disorder (perceptions of crime, dilapidation, and ambient strains) with poorer health. We test whether religious struggles (religious doubts and feeling abandoned or punished by God) mediate this association. Our counterfactual mediation analyses of data from the 2021 Crime, Health, and Politics Survey (CHAPS) (n = 1,741) revealed consistent indirect effects of neighborhood disorder through religious struggles for anger, psychological distress, sleep disturbance, poorer self-rated health, and shorter subjective life expectancy. This study
contributes to previous work by integrating the study of neighborhood context and religion.
contributes to previous work by integrating the study of neighborhood context and religion.
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Purpose: To examine the associations between gender role discrepancy (non-conformity to socially prescribed masculine gender role norms) and discrepancy stress (distress arising from this discrepancy ) on COVID-19 prevention behaviors... more
Purpose: To examine the associations between gender role discrepancy (non-conformity to socially prescribed masculine gender role norms) and discrepancy stress (distress arising from this discrepancy ) on COVID-19 prevention behaviors among men, and the potential moderating effects of race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, and income on these relationships.
Design: A national online survey was conducted between May and June 2021. Setting: The United States Subjects: 749 adult men residing in the United States. Measures: A scale measured gender role discrepancy and discrepancy stress. COVID-19 prevention outcomes were constructed and included self-reported vaccination status/intentions, social distancing, mask-wearing, and hand-sanitizing. Analysis: Multivariate generalized linear models were performed in SPSS. Results: Gender role discrepancy associated with greater odds of vaccination (AOR = 1.35, 95% CI = 1.02-1.78, p = .04), while discrepancy stress associated with lower odds of vaccination (AOR = 0.48, 95% CI = 0.35-0.68, p < 0. 001) and mask-wearing (AOR = 0.54, 95% CI = 0.37-0.79, p = 0.001) for men overall. Discrepancy stress’s negative effect on specific COVID-19 prevention behaviors was only apparent or was amplified for men in lower income brackets (vaccination, social distancing, mask-wearing), racial/ethnic minority men (vaccination), and sexual minority men (social distancing). Conclusion: This study demonstrates that gender role discrepancy stress negatively affects men’s engagement in COVID-19 prevention, particularly for men in marginalized populations.
Design: A national online survey was conducted between May and June 2021. Setting: The United States Subjects: 749 adult men residing in the United States. Measures: A scale measured gender role discrepancy and discrepancy stress. COVID-19 prevention outcomes were constructed and included self-reported vaccination status/intentions, social distancing, mask-wearing, and hand-sanitizing. Analysis: Multivariate generalized linear models were performed in SPSS. Results: Gender role discrepancy associated with greater odds of vaccination (AOR = 1.35, 95% CI = 1.02-1.78, p = .04), while discrepancy stress associated with lower odds of vaccination (AOR = 0.48, 95% CI = 0.35-0.68, p < 0. 001) and mask-wearing (AOR = 0.54, 95% CI = 0.37-0.79, p = 0.001) for men overall. Discrepancy stress’s negative effect on specific COVID-19 prevention behaviors was only apparent or was amplified for men in lower income brackets (vaccination, social distancing, mask-wearing), racial/ethnic minority men (vaccination), and sexual minority men (social distancing). Conclusion: This study demonstrates that gender role discrepancy stress negatively affects men’s engagement in COVID-19 prevention, particularly for men in marginalized populations.
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Although studies show that masculine discrepancy stress (i.e., the intrapsychic strain associated with failing to meet internalized masculine ideals) is associated with intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetration, little is known about... more
Although studies show that masculine discrepancy stress (i.e., the intrapsychic strain associated with failing to meet internalized masculine ideals) is associated with intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetration, little is known about the processes underlying this association. There may be other social psychological constructs at play that explain this relationship further. The present study uses recently collected data from a national survey of men living in the United States (n = 711) to formally test whether the effects of discrepancy stress on three different forms of IPV perpetration are mediated by anger, self-esteem, and perceived powerlessness. We find that discrepancy stress is directly associated with higher levels of anger, lower levels self-esteem, a sense of powerlessness, and a greater odds of perpetrating any physical IPV and severe physical IPV resulting in injuries, but not sexual IPV perpetration in our sample of men. Our mediation analyses confirms that masculine discrepancy stress is indirectly associated with perpetrating all three forms of IPV through the mechanism of anger. Self-esteem and perceived powerlessness are not supported as mediators. These findings add to our understanding of the link between masculinity and violence perpetration and can inform IPV reduction interventions. Gender transformative interventions that reduce discrepancy stress among men by shifting men's adherence to traditional masculine norms, and that integrate anger management strategies, should be explored in future research.
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Over the past four decades, studies have consistently shown that regular attendance at religious services is associated with better mental and physical health. At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, many congregations paused in-person... more
Over the past four decades, studies have consistently shown that regular attendance at religious services is associated with better mental and physical health. At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, many congregations paused in-person religious services and moved their worship rituals online. The ways that churches have responded to the threat of infectious disease requires new conceptualizations and operationalizations of religious attendance and novel comparisons of the causes and consequences of virtual and in-person attendance. Analyses of data collected from a national probability sample of Americans (n = 1,717) show that while in-person religious attendance is associated better mental and physical health, virtual attendance is unrelated to both outcomes in fully adjusted models. Taken together, these findings suggest that the association between religious attendance and health during a global pandemic may be contingent on physical proximity and the nature of the social and experiential aspects of religious worship.
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We employ national cross-sectional survey data from the 2021 Crime, Health, and Politics Survey (n = 1,578 to 1,735) to model traditional cigarette and e-cigarette use as a function of religious affiliation, general religiosity, biblical... more
We employ national cross-sectional survey data from the 2021 Crime, Health, and Politics Survey (n = 1,578 to 1,735) to model traditional cigarette and e-cigarette use as a function of religious affiliation, general religiosity, biblical literalism, religious struggles, and the sense of divine control. Although the odds of abstaining from cigarettes and e-cigarettes were comparable for conservative Protestants and non-affiliates, conservative Protestants were more likely to cut down on cigarettes and e-cigarettes during the pandemic. Religiosity increased the odds of abstaining from cigarettes (not e-cigarettes) and reduced pandemic consumption of cigarettes and e-cigarettes. Biblical literalism was unrelated to abstaining from cigarettes and pandemic changes in cigarette use; however, biblical literalists were more likely to cut ecigarette use during the pandemic. While the sense of divine control was unrelated to abstaining from cigarettes and e-cigarettes, these beliefs increased the odds of cessation from traditional and e-cigarettes. Finally, our religious struggles index was unrelated to smoking behavior. Our study is among the first to report any association between religion and lower e-cigarette use.
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We contribute to our understanding of the social epidemiology of intimate partner violence (IPV) by developing a mediation model that frames IPV as an outcome of male sexual dysfunction (performance anxiety and erectile dysfunction) and... more
We contribute to our understanding of the social epidemiology of intimate partner violence (IPV) by developing a mediation model that frames IPV as an outcome of male sexual dysfunction (performance anxiety and erectile dysfunction) and the mechanisms of masculine discrepancy stress (the perceived failure to conform to internalized normative expectations of masculinity) and anger. Our mediation analyses based on recently collected data from the 2021 Crime, Health, and Politics Survey (CHAPS), a national probability sample of 792 men, confirmed that sexual dysfunction was indirectly associated with the perpetration of any IPV, physical IPV, and sexual IPV through the compound path of masculine discrepancy stress and anger.
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Objective. We examine the association between college education and the number of medications used/misused in the past year. We also consider the possibility of differential socioeconomic returns to health for racial/ethnic minorities.... more
Objective. We examine the association between college education and the number of medications used/misused in the past year. We also consider the possibility of differential socioeconomic returns to health for racial/ethnic minorities. Methods. The data come from the 2015-2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (n = 144,589). Results. In accordance with human capital theory, we found that, in the full sample and White subsample, college education was associated with lower levels of polypharmacy, even with adjustments for financial insecurity, health, and lifestyle. Consistent with diminished return theory, we observed that college education was mostly unrelated to polypharmacy among Black and Hispanic individuals. While health commodity theory was supported among Asians, health disparity theory was confirmed among individuals of other races and ethnicities. Conclusion. The most important implication of our study is that polypharmacy can be simultaneously structured by durable systems of social stratification, including education, race, and ethnicity.
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Although body mass is an important indicator of population health, this outcome has been surprisingly understudied in the religion and health literature. In an effort to advance the social epidemiology of body mass, we considered the... more
Although body mass is an important indicator of population health, this outcome has been surprisingly understudied in the religion and health literature. In an effort to advance the social epidemiology of body mass, we considered the nature and extent of the association between religion and body mass in population-based studies of adults conducted in the United States and other countries, outlined several theoretical and empirical explanations for why religion might be associated with body mass, and summarized studies of subgroup variations in the association between religion and body mass. Our review suggests that the literature is complex and underdeveloped, both theoretically and methodologically. Although a large majority of studies show that religion is unrelated to body mass, a non-trivial percentage of studies suggests that religion tends to favor greater body mass. The least common finding in the literature is that religion is associated with leaner body mass. Additional research is needed to establish: (1) more precise theories of mediation and moderation (e.g., explanations for the obesogenic effects of religion); (2) the role of religious struggles (e.g., religious doubts); (3) more advanced theoretical models (e.g., moderated mediation); (4) broader model extensions (e.g., the stress-buffering effects of religion); (5) theoretical and empirical connections to related literatures (e.g., birth weight and body image); (6) more rigorous longitudinal designs (e.g., growth curve models of body mass trajectories); (7) viable alternative explanations for the high rate of null findings (e.g., undiagnosed suppression patterns); and (8) more advanced tests of mediation and moderation (e.g., indirect effects with bias corrected bootstrap confidence intervals).
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Although vibrant interdisciplinary literature has extensively documented the importance of quality sleep for health and longevity, many Americans struggle with sleep disorders. One factor which has received far less research attention to... more
Although vibrant interdisciplinary literature has extensively documented the importance of quality sleep for health and longevity, many Americans struggle with sleep disorders. One factor which has received far less research attention to date in predicting sleep quality is religion/spirituality. The current study uses nationally representative data from the 2017 Baylor Religion Survey to assess how three dimensions of religion/spirituality, including religious attendance, divine control (the belief in God's causal influence over daily life), and religious doubt (doubt in God's existence), associate with sleep quality. Given that very few population-based studies have formally tested any underlying mechanisms of the association between religion/spirituality and sleep, we also consider the potential mediating influence of the sense of meaning and purpose in life. Results suggest that greater religious attendance and divine control were associated with better sleep quality, while doubt in God's existence among religious believers was associated with lower sleep quality. The sense of meaning/purpose in life was found to mediate the relationship between religious attendance and divine control and sleep quality and confound the association between religious doubt and sleep quality. Taken together, our findings incorporate understudied measures of religion/spirituality and introduce the sense of meaning and purpose in life as a new mechanism.
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Background: In this paper, we integrate theory and research from sociology, psychology, and political science to develop and test a mediation model that helps to explain why political conservatism is often associated with pandemic... more
Background: In this paper, we integrate theory and research from sociology, psychology, and political science to develop and test a mediation model that helps to explain why political conservatism is often associated with pandemic behaviors and lifestyles that do not comply with public health recommendations for COVID-19. Methods: Using national data from the 2021 Crime, Health, and Politics Survey (n = 1,743), we formally test the indirect effects of political conservatism (an index of Republican party identification, conservative political orientation, right-wing news media consumption, and 2020 Trump vote) on pandemic lifestyles (an index of social distancing, hand sanitizing, mask usage, and vaccination) through the mechanisms of empathy (concern about the welfare of others), authoritarian beliefs (authoritarian aggressiveness and acquiescence to authority), and pandemic threat perceptions (threats to self and to the broader society). Result: Our results confirm that political conservatism is associated with riskier pandemic lifestyles. We also find that this association is partially mediated by lower levels of empathy, higher levels of authoritarian beliefs, and lower levels of perceived pandemic threat. Conclusions: Understanding why political conservatism is associated with riskier pandemic lifestyles may eventually lead us to ways of identifying and overcoming widespread cultural barriers to critical pandemic responses.
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Given that sexual minorities have been historically stigmatized within institutions of religion, they may be less likely to exhibit any health benefits from religious participation. In this paper, we use data from Waves I and IV of the... more
Given that sexual minorities have been historically stigmatized within institutions of religion, they may be less likely to exhibit any health benefits from religious participation. In this paper, we use data from Waves I and IV of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health to test whether the effects of religious affiliation (becoming affiliated with a
religious group) and disaffiliation (no longer affiliating with a religious group) on depressive symptoms are moderated by sexual minority status from adolescence to early adulthood. In regression models adjusted for selection effects, we observed that, compared to respondents who were consistently unaffiliated, becoming affiliated was associated with more depressive symptoms from baseline to follow-up among LGB respondents, but not among heterosexual respondents. We conclude with the implications of our results as they relate to understanding the health impacts of marginalized groups in social institutions and the importance of selection effects.
religious group) and disaffiliation (no longer affiliating with a religious group) on depressive symptoms are moderated by sexual minority status from adolescence to early adulthood. In regression models adjusted for selection effects, we observed that, compared to respondents who were consistently unaffiliated, becoming affiliated was associated with more depressive symptoms from baseline to follow-up among LGB respondents, but not among heterosexual respondents. We conclude with the implications of our results as they relate to understanding the health impacts of marginalized groups in social institutions and the importance of selection effects.
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In this paper, we test whether the association between income inequality and life expectancy is mediated and moderated by policy liberalism in US states for the years 2000-2014. Two-way fixed-effects models with autocorrelation-corrected... more
In this paper, we test whether the association between income inequality and life expectancy is mediated and moderated by policy liberalism in US states for the years 2000-2014. Two-way fixed-effects models with autocorrelation-corrected standard errors show: (1) income inequality is negatively associated with policy liberalism and life expectancy; (2) policy liberalism is positively associated with life expectancy; and (3) policy liberalism does not mediate the association between income inequality and life expectancy, but it does moderate it such that income inequality is unrelated to life expectancy among states with high levels of policy liberalism. Our study reveals that the association between income inequality and population health can vary according to the policy environments of states and helps to clarify how states like New York, Connecticut, and California can exhibit high levels of income inequality and high life expectancies.
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Numerous studies have demonstrated that neighborhood context contributes to variations in morbidity and mortality. This body of work includes a burgeoning literature that links adverse neighborhood characteristics (e.g., neighborhood... more
Numerous studies have demonstrated that neighborhood context contributes to variations in morbidity and mortality. This body of work includes a burgeoning literature that links adverse neighborhood characteristics (e.g., neighborhood poverty and perceptions of disorder and dangerousness) with poorer sleep outcomes. During the COVID-19 pandemic, many neighborhoods exhibited socioeconomic downturns and escalations in crime and violence. The question is the extent to which these changes in neighborhood conditions have impacted the sleep quality of residents. In this paper, we use original survey data from the 2021 Crime, Health, and Politics Survey (CHAPS), a national probability sample of adults living in the U.S., to formally test whether changes in perceptions of neighborhood dangerousness during the pandemic are associated with sleep quality during the same period. Regression analyses show that while reports of a neighborhood becoming safer during the pandemic are associated with better sleep quality, reports of a neighborhood becoming more dangerous are associated with worse sleep quality. Mediation analyses also indicate that the association between increased neighborhood dangerousness and poorer sleep quality is partially explained by a concurrent deterioration in diet quality, but not increases in alcohol or cigarette consumption. We conclude with a discussion of the implications of our findings for research and policy on neighborhood context and sleep.
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Are conservative Protestant men especially insecure about their sexual prowess and masculinity? A recent state-level analysis by Perry and Whitehead (2021) suggests that they are. In this study, we use national data from the 2021 Crime,... more
Are conservative Protestant men especially insecure about their sexual prowess and masculinity? A recent state-level analysis by Perry and Whitehead (2021) suggests that they are. In this study, we use national data from the 2021 Crime, Health, and Politics Survey (CHAPS) to formally test whether conservative Protestant men are more concerned with their sexual abilities and masculinity than other men. Bivariate and multivariate binary logistic and ordinary least squares regression models consistently show that conservative Protestant men tend to exhibit similar levels of sexual insecurity (self-reported performance anxiety, erectile dysfunction, and ED medication use) and masculine discrepancy stress (perceived failure to conform to normative expectations associated with hegemonic masculinity) as men of other religious faiths (moderate Protestants, Catholics, and other Christians/religions) and men who report no religious affiliation. Our analyses are noteworthy because they call into question the theory of evangelicalism and phallocentric masculine insecurity at the individual level.
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In this paper, we document the social patterning of recent gun purchases to advance a contemporary social epidemiology of the pandemic arms race. We employ cross-sectional survey data from the 2020 Health, Ethnicity and Pandemic Study,... more
In this paper, we document the social patterning of recent gun purchases to advance a contemporary social epidemiology of the pandemic arms race. We employ cross-sectional survey data from the 2020 Health, Ethnicity and Pandemic Study, which included a national sample of 2,709 community-dwelling adults living in the United States. We use binary logistic regression to model recent pandemic gun purchases as a function of age, sex, race/ethnicity, nativity status, region of residence, marital status, number of children, education, household income, pandemic job change, religious service attendance, pandemic religion change, and political party. Overall, 6% of the sample reported purchasing a new gun during the pandemic. Multivariate regression results suggest that pandemic gun purchasers tend to be male, younger, US-born, less educated, recently unemployed, experiencing changes in their religious beliefs, Republicans, and residents of southern states. To our knowledge, we are among the first to formally document a new population of pandemic gun owners that is characterized by youth, US-nativity, and religious volatility. Our analyses underscore the need for public health initiatives designed to enhance gun-related safety during pandemics, including, for example, addressing underlying motivations for recent gun purchases and improving access to training programs.
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Objectives: Although there is widespread speculation about guns helping people to sleep better, this idea has only recently faced empirical scrutiny. We test whether people who own guns tend to exhibit healthier sleep outcomes than people... more
Objectives: Although there is widespread speculation about guns helping people to sleep better, this idea has only recently faced empirical scrutiny. We test whether people who own guns tend to exhibit healthier sleep outcomes than people who do not own guns and whether the association between community stress and sleep is less pronounced for people who own guns. Design: We use ordinary least squares, multinomial logistic, and binary logistic regression to model cross-sectional survey data. Setting: Our data span the United States.
Participants: The 2021 Crime, Health, and Politics Survey (CHAPS) is based on a national probability sample of 1,714 adults. Measurements: Our analyses include multiple measures of gun ownership (personal ownership, keeping a gun in one’s bedroom, and COVID-19 pandemic gun purchases), community stress (neighborhood disorder, neighborhood danger during the pandemic, and perceptions of police protection), and sleep (insomnia symptoms, sleep duration, and pandemic sleep). Results: We found that people who own guns and people who do not own guns tend to exhibit similar sleep outcomes and that people who experience community stressors tend to exhibit similar sleep outcomes regardless of gun ownership. Conclusion: Our analyses confirm that gun ownership is unrelated to sleep and that guns are insufficient to mitigate the detrimental effects of community stress on sleep. We extend prior work by (a) using more detailed measurements of gun ownership, community stress, and sleep, (b) assessing whether people keep a gun in their bedroom, and (c) exploring the intersection of pandemic gun purchases and pandemic sleep quality.
Participants: The 2021 Crime, Health, and Politics Survey (CHAPS) is based on a national probability sample of 1,714 adults. Measurements: Our analyses include multiple measures of gun ownership (personal ownership, keeping a gun in one’s bedroom, and COVID-19 pandemic gun purchases), community stress (neighborhood disorder, neighborhood danger during the pandemic, and perceptions of police protection), and sleep (insomnia symptoms, sleep duration, and pandemic sleep). Results: We found that people who own guns and people who do not own guns tend to exhibit similar sleep outcomes and that people who experience community stressors tend to exhibit similar sleep outcomes regardless of gun ownership. Conclusion: Our analyses confirm that gun ownership is unrelated to sleep and that guns are insufficient to mitigate the detrimental effects of community stress on sleep. We extend prior work by (a) using more detailed measurements of gun ownership, community stress, and sleep, (b) assessing whether people keep a gun in their bedroom, and (c) exploring the intersection of pandemic gun purchases and pandemic sleep quality.
Research Interests: Police, Stress, Community, Neighborhood Effects, Sleep, and 3 moreFirearms, Guns, and COVID-19 PANDEMIC
Although there has been no direct empirical evidence linking sexual dysfunction (SD) with gun ownership, speculation has been widespread and persistent for decades. In this paper, we formally examine the association between SD and gun... more
Although there has been no direct empirical evidence linking sexual dysfunction (SD) with gun ownership, speculation has been widespread and persistent for decades. In this paper, we formally examine the association between SD and gun ownership. Our primary hypothesis, derived from the psychosexual theory of gun ownership, asserts that men experiencing SD are more likely to personally own guns than other men. To test this hypothesis, we used recently collected data from the 2021 Crime, Health, and Politics Survey (CHAPS), a national probability sample of 780 men, and binary logistic regression to model gun ownership as a function of SD. Our key finding is that men experiencing SD are no more likely to own guns than men without SD. This interpretation was supported across several indicators of SD (performance anxiety, erection trouble, and ED medication) and gun ownership (personal gun ownership, purchasing a gun during the pandemic, and keeping a gun in one’s bedroom). To our knowledge, we are the first to have directly tested the association between SD and gun ownership in America. Our findings are important because they contribute to our understanding of factors associated with gun ownership by challenging the belief that phallic symbolism and masculinity somehow drive men with SD to purchase guns. Our results also remind us of the perils of gun culture rhetoric, which, in this case, function to discredit gun owners and to further stigmatize men with ED. We conclude by calling for more evidence-based discussions of SD and guns in society.
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Objective: Although the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention eventually recommended wearing masks in public to slow the spread of the coronavirus, the practice has been unevenly distributed in the United States. Methods: In this... more
Objective: Although the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention eventually recommended wearing masks in public to slow the spread of the coronavirus, the practice has been unevenly distributed in the United States. Methods: In this paper, we model county-level infrequent mask usage as a function of three pillars of conservatism: (1) Republican political leadership (percentage of votes for Donald Trump in the 2016 Presidential election), (2) conservative Protestantism (percentage evangelical Christian), and (3) right-wing media consumption (Google searches for Fox News). Results: Our analyses indicate that mask usage tends to be lower in counties with greater support for President Trump (in majority Trump counties), counties with more evangelical Christians, and areas with greater interest in Fox News. Conclusion: Given the effectiveness of masks in limiting the transmission of respiratory droplets, conservative ideological resistance to public health and recommended pandemic lifestyles may indirectly support the spread of the coronavirus.
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In this paper, we employed data from the 2011 Miami-Dade Health Survey (n = 444) to formally test whether the association between religious struggles and psychological distress is mediated by psychosocial resources. We found that... more
In this paper, we employed data from the 2011 Miami-Dade Health Survey (n = 444) to formally test whether the association between religious struggles and psychological distress is mediated by psychosocial resources. We found that religious struggles were associated with lower levels of social support, self-esteem, the sense of control, and self-control. We also observed that religious struggles were associated with higher levels of non-specific emotional distress, depression, and anxiety, but not somatization. Our mediation analyses revealed significant indirect effects of religious struggles on emotional distress (not somatization) through social support, self-esteem, and the sense of control, but not self-control.
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Objective. We propose and develop novel survey questions and quantitative summary indices of White Fragility. Methods. The data come from the 2018 Survey of White Fragility, a longitudinal convenience sample of 279 non-Hispanic white... more
Objective. We propose and develop novel survey questions and quantitative summary indices of White Fragility. Methods. The data come from the 2018 Survey of White Fragility, a longitudinal convenience sample of 279 non-Hispanic white undergraduate students aged 18 and over taking courses at two large public universities in the southeastern and southwestern United States. Results. Factor analyses revealed two latent factors. The first factor—Remorse Fragility—was defined by feeling sad, guilty, and, to a lesser extent, angry in the context of discussions related to racism, race-based discrimination, and white privilege. The second factor—Depletion Fragility—was defined by feeling drained/exhausted, unsafe, and, to a lesser extent, attacked and confused in the same contexts. Additional analyses supported the reliability and validity of our indices. Conclusion. More research is needed to establish measures of White Fragility to inform interventions that support critical discussions of whiteness and the racist structures of society.
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The sociological study of health, illness, and healing systems in the United States is in need of a contemporary disciplinary structure to represent the field. In this commentary, we extend Straus’ (1957) classic two subfield model by... more
The sociological study of health, illness, and healing systems in the United States is in need of a contemporary disciplinary structure to represent the field. In this commentary, we extend Straus’ (1957) classic two subfield model by defining the structure of Medical Sociology in terms of four major subfields: Social Epidemiology, Social Psychology of Health and Illness, Sociology of Medicine, and Sociology in Medicine. We review the unique contributions of each subfield while recognizing an underlying unity driven by common training in sociological theory and methods. Ultimately, we argue for a more contemporary representation of the field that more clearly communicates our contributions to Sociology and other health sciences. This is not the final statement on the organization of Medical Sociology. Our hope is to reintroduce these types of discussions as a matter of regular discourse. Much has changed since Straus (1957), and even more developments are on the horizon.
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Objectives To examine the mental health of women in the perinatal period prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods We use provisional vital statistics data for births occurring in the central region of New Jersey. The Edinburgh... more
Objectives To examine the mental health of women in the perinatal period prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods We use provisional vital statistics data for births occurring in the central region of New Jersey. The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale is employed to assess depressive symptoms. Our focal analysis uses linear regression models to test whether giving birth during the pandemic is associated with elevated depressive symptoms. All analyses are performed using time-matched (,346) samples. Results Women who gave birth in March and not in April reported higher levels of depressive symptoms than those who gave birth prior to the pandemic in our time-matched (b = 0.09) and month-matched (b = 0.09) samples. The magnitude of this association is approximately one-third the magnitude of the association between preterm birth and depressive symptoms. Conclusion These findings suggest that researchers and practitioners should pay special attention to signs of postpartum depression and women's adaptive coping responses in the early stages of pandemics.
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Objectives: We test whether the association between state religiosity and distance travelled is moderated by population age during the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Methods: Mobility is operationalized as the state-level average... more
Objectives: We test whether the association between state religiosity and distance travelled is moderated by population age during the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Methods: Mobility is operationalized as the state-level average median distance traveled from February 24 to May 4 across the contiguous United States. Shelter-in-place rates are operationalized as the state-level percentage of users staying home. State religiosity is measured with an index of aggregated religious identities, beliefs, and practices. Population age is indicated by the state percentage of adults aged 65 and older. We model population mobility using regression with state clustered robust standard errors. Results: We observe that religious states tend to travel more during the early stages of the pandemic. However, the behavioral risks associated with state religiosity are less pronounced in states with larger elderly populations.
Discussion: We contribute to our understanding of the social patterning of pandemic mobility in aging populations.
Discussion: We contribute to our understanding of the social patterning of pandemic mobility in aging populations.
Research Interests:
We consider the association between state political ideology and population mobility during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. We use first-party geo-behavioral data to estimate the average distance traveled by approximately 15,000,000... more
We consider the association between state political ideology and population mobility during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. We use first-party geo-behavioral data to estimate the average distance traveled by approximately 15,000,000 devices over ten weeks (February 24, 2020 to April 27, 2020). Regression models with state clustered robust standard errors show lower shelter-in-place rates and higher mobility scores in states with larger percentages of voters who supported Trump in the 2016 presidential election. We also find that shelter-in-place rates increased and mobility scores declined at slower rates in states with greater Trump support. Shelter-in-place rates and average mobility scores were comparable in states governed by Republicans and Democrats. There was some evidence that shelter-in-place rates increased and average mobility scores declined at slower rates in states governed by Republicans. Overall, states with more Trump voters are more resistant to public health recommendations and state stay-at-home orders during the coronavirus pandemic.
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This study contributes to interdisciplinary research on the social and environmental determinants of population health, with a focus on the interaction between working hours and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) concentration. The authors... more
This study contributes to interdisciplinary research on the social and environmental determinants of population health, with a focus on the interaction between working hours and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) concentration. The authors estimate longitudinal models of the relationship between US state-level average life expectancy and both average working hours and PM2.5 concentration for the 2005-2014 period. Results obtained from two-way fixed effects models indicate that average life expectancy is negatively associated with both average working hours and fine particulate matter concentration. Findings also indicate clear moderating relationships: the negative association between life expectancy and working hours is amplified as PM2.5 concentration increases, and the negative relationship between life expectancy and fine particulate matter concentration is amplified when average working hours increase. The results of this study underscore the need for additional research on the multiplicative impacts of socioeconomic factors and environmental factors in the modeling of population health.
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Objective. Although there is little empirical evidence linking gun ownership with personal well-being, speculation is widespread in gun culture. In this paper, we test whether people who own guns are more or less satisfied with their... more
Objective. Although there is little empirical evidence linking gun ownership with personal well-being, speculation is widespread in gun culture. In this paper, we test whether people who own guns are more or less satisfied with their lives than people who do not own guns. Methods. We employ data collected from three national surveys, the Baylor Religion Survey (2014), the Chapman University Survey on American Fears (2014), and the General Social Survey (2018) to formally assess this unstudied association. Results. In adjusted models, gun ownership was unrelated to life satisfaction. This general pattern was consistent across surveys, different measures and specifications of life satisfaction, and a wide range of subgroups. Conclusion. Our analyses contribute to the growing study of gun ownership and personal well-being and challenge theoretical perspectives and cultural narratives about how owning a gun can contribute favorably to one’s quality of life.
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In this paper, we consider the association between state religiosity and state population mobility during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. We use first-party geo-behavioral data collected through mobile phone operating systems, global... more
In this paper, we consider the association between state religiosity and state population mobility during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. We use first-party geo-behavioral data collected through mobile phone operating systems, global positioning systems, and Wi-Fi signals to assess changes in the average median distance traveled by all devices over an eight-week study period (February 24 to April 13) in the contiguous United States. We measure religiosity with an index of religious identities, beliefs, and practices. We model state mobility scores using robust regression. Our results show that more religious states tend to exhibit higher average mobility scores and slower average declines in mobility. Our findings also suggest that state stay-at-home orders have a weaker impact on mobility in more religious states. During the early stages of the pandemic, more religious states have traveled more and been more resistant to changing their movement patterns than less religious states.
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Although several studies suggest that religious attendance is associated with better cognitive functioning in later life, researchers have generally failed to connect with any established life course perspectives or theories of cognitive... more
Although several studies suggest that religious attendance is associated with better cognitive functioning in later life, researchers have generally failed to connect with any established life course perspectives or theories of cognitive aging. Building on previous work, we examine the effects of life course religious attendance on a range of cognitive functioning outcomes. We employ data from the religious life histories module of the 2016 Health and Retirement Study, a subsample of 516 adults aged 65 and older. Our key findings demonstrate that older adults who attended religious services for more of their life course tend to exhibit poorer working memory and mental status and better self-rated memory than older adults who attended less often. We contribute to previous research by reconceptualizing religious attendance as a cumulative life course exposure, exploring the effects of religious attendance net of secular social engagement, and examining a wider range of cognitive functioning outcomes.
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Although there is no empirical evidence linking gun ownership with better sleep, speculation is widespread in gun culture. We assess the direct association between gun ownership and sleep disturbance and whether gun ownership moderates... more
Although there is no empirical evidence linking gun ownership with better sleep, speculation is widespread in gun culture. We assess the direct association between gun ownership and sleep disturbance and whether gun ownership moderates the association between neighborhood fear and sleep disturbance. We use four waves of cross-sectional data from the General Social Survey (2010-2018) and logistic regression to model sleep disturbance as a function of gun ownership and test the statistical the interaction of gun ownership and neighborhood fear. Our analyses demonstrate that gun ownership is unrelated to sleep disturbance across sleep specifications. None of the statistical interactions between gun ownership and neighborhood fear reached statistical significance. Although being afraid to walk alone at night in one’s neighborhood is associated with restless sleep, owning a gun is no consolation. In ancillary analyses, we observed that gun ownership is unrelated to sleep disturbance across survey years and a range of subpopulations. In the first empirical study of gun ownership and sleep, we find consistent evidence to suggest that people who own guns do not report better sleep in general or in the context of living in a dangerous neighborhood. Our analyses are important because they contribute to our understanding of the epidemiology of sleep. They also challenge theoretical perspectives and cultural narratives about how having a gun in the home helps individuals and their families to feel safe, secure, and protected. Additional research is needed to replicate our findings using longitudinal data and more reliable measures of sleep disturbance.
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Although fixed-effects models for panel data are now widely recognized as powerful tools for longitudinal data analysis, the limitations of these models are not well known. We provide a critical discussion of twelve limitations, including... more
Although fixed-effects models for panel data are now widely recognized as powerful tools for longitudinal data analysis, the limitations of these models are not well known. We provide a critical discussion of twelve limitations, including a culture of omission, low statistical power, limited external validity, restricted time periods, measurement error, time invariance, undefined variables, unobserved heterogeneity, erroneous causal inferences, imprecise interpretations of coefficients, imprudent comparisons with cross-sectional models, and questionable contributions vis-à-vis previous work. Instead of discouraging the use of fixed-effects models, we encourage more critical applications of this rigorous and promising methodology. The most important deficiencies—Type II errors, biased coefficients and imprecise standard errors, misleading p-values, misguided causal claims, and various theoretical concerns—should be weighed against the likely presence of unobserved heterogeneity in other regression models. Ultimately, we must do a better job of communicating the pitfalls of fixed-effects models to our colleagues and students.
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Objectives: Although research suggest that religious involvement tends to favor longevity, most of this work has been conducted in the United States. This paper explores the association between religious participation and all-cause... more
Objectives: Although research suggest that religious involvement tends to favor longevity, most of this work has been conducted in the United States. This paper explores the association between religious participation and all-cause mortality risk in Mexico.
Method: We used data from the 2003-2015 Mexican Health and Aging Study (n = 14,743) and Cox proportional hazard regression models to assess the association between religious participation and all-cause mortality risk.
Results: Our key finding is that older Mexicans who participate once or more per week in religious activities tend to exhibit a 19% reduction in the risk of all-cause mortality as compared to those who never participate. This estimate persisted with adjustments for health selection (chronic disease burden, ADL, IADL, cognitive functioning, and depressive symptoms), several potential mediators (social support, smoking, and drinking), and a range of sociodemographic characteristics. While we observed considerable health selection due to physical health and cognitive functioning, we found no evidence of mediation.
Discussion: Our results confirm that religious participation is associated with lower all-cause mortality risk among older adults in Mexico. Our analyses contribute to previous research by replicating and extending the external validity of studies conducted in the United States, Israel,
Denmark, Finland, and Taiwan.
Method: We used data from the 2003-2015 Mexican Health and Aging Study (n = 14,743) and Cox proportional hazard regression models to assess the association between religious participation and all-cause mortality risk.
Results: Our key finding is that older Mexicans who participate once or more per week in religious activities tend to exhibit a 19% reduction in the risk of all-cause mortality as compared to those who never participate. This estimate persisted with adjustments for health selection (chronic disease burden, ADL, IADL, cognitive functioning, and depressive symptoms), several potential mediators (social support, smoking, and drinking), and a range of sociodemographic characteristics. While we observed considerable health selection due to physical health and cognitive functioning, we found no evidence of mediation.
Discussion: Our results confirm that religious participation is associated with lower all-cause mortality risk among older adults in Mexico. Our analyses contribute to previous research by replicating and extending the external validity of studies conducted in the United States, Israel,
Denmark, Finland, and Taiwan.
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This study examines the extent to which ethnic identity is a protective factor and buffers the stress of discrimination among the foreign born compared to the U.S. born in Miami-Dade County. Data were drawn from the 2011 Miami-Dade Health... more
This study examines the extent to which ethnic identity is a protective
factor and buffers the stress of discrimination among the foreign
born compared to the U.S. born in Miami-Dade County. Data were
drawn from the 2011 Miami-Dade Health Survey (N = 444), which
is a countywide probability sample of adults in South Florida. Two
interaction effects were observed: (a) a stronger ethnic identity was
associated with less distress among the foreign born than the U.S.
born; and (b) a stronger ethnic identity exacerbated the relationship
between everyday discrimination and distress among the U.S. born.
Ethnic identity, which involves ethnic pride, participation in cultural
practices, and cultural commitment or sense of belonging, was associated with better psychological well-being among the foreign born
than the U.S. born. Ethnic identity, however, was not a protective factor
for the U.S. born, but rather it intensified the distressing effect of
discrimination.
factor and buffers the stress of discrimination among the foreign
born compared to the U.S. born in Miami-Dade County. Data were
drawn from the 2011 Miami-Dade Health Survey (N = 444), which
is a countywide probability sample of adults in South Florida. Two
interaction effects were observed: (a) a stronger ethnic identity was
associated with less distress among the foreign born than the U.S.
born; and (b) a stronger ethnic identity exacerbated the relationship
between everyday discrimination and distress among the U.S. born.
Ethnic identity, which involves ethnic pride, participation in cultural
practices, and cultural commitment or sense of belonging, was associated with better psychological well-being among the foreign born
than the U.S. born. Ethnic identity, however, was not a protective factor
for the U.S. born, but rather it intensified the distressing effect of
discrimination.
Research Interests:
For nearly half a century, jobs have become increasingly characterized by employment insecurity. We examined the implications for sleep disturbance with cross-sectional data from the European Working Conditions Survey (2010). 24,553... more
For nearly half a century, jobs have become increasingly characterized by employment insecurity. We examined the implications for sleep disturbance with cross-sectional data from the European Working Conditions Survey (2010). 24,553 workers between the ages of 25 and 65 in 31 European countries were asked to indicate whether they suffered from “insomnia or general sleep difficulties” in the past 12 months. We employed logistic regression to model the association between employment insecurity and sleep disturbance for all countries combined and each individual country. For all countries combined, employment insecurity increased the odds of reporting insomnia or general sleep difficulties in the past 12 months. Each unit increase in employment insecurity elevated the odds of sleep disturbance by approximately 47%. This finding was remarkably consistent across 27 of 31 European countries, including Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, and the United Kingdom. These results persisted with adjustments for age, gender, immigrant status, household size, partnership status, number of children, child care, elder care, education, earner status, precarious employment status, workplace sector, workplace tenure, and workplace size. Employment insecurity was unrelated to sleep disturbance in 4 European countries: Malta, Poland, Portugal, and Romania. Our research continues recent efforts to reveal the human costs associated with working in neoliberal post-industrial labor markets. Our analyses contribute to the external validity of previous research by exploring the impact of employment insecurity across European countries.
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We test whether income inequality undermines female and male life expectancy in the United States. We employ data for all 50 states and the District of Columbia and two-way fixed effects to model state-level average life expectancy as a... more
We test whether income inequality undermines female and male life expectancy in the United States. We employ data for all 50 states and the District of Columbia and two-way fixed effects to model state-level average life expectancy as a function of multiple income inequality measures and time-varying characteristics. We find that state-level income inequality is inversely associated with female and male life expectancy. We observe this general pattern across four measures of income inequality and under the rigorous conditions of state-specific and year-specific fixed effects. If income inequality undermines life expectancy, redistribution policies could actually improve the health of states.