Social Determinants of Health and Health Outcomes: The Mediating Role of Coping Strategies.

BACKGROUND: Associations between poor health and sociodemographics exist, but the role of coping strategies in this relationship is understudied. Therefore, we examined how adaptive and maladaptive coping affected the relationship between social determinants of health and health outcomes.
METHODS: Participants completed survey questions about demographics, health status, and coping strategies. Mediation analyses examined whether education, income, and race affected health status indirectly through coping behaviors.
RESULTS: Maladaptive, but not adaptive, coping strategies, mediated the relationship between income and health and education and health. DISCUSSION: The use of maladaptive coping strategies plays an intervening role in the relationship between income and health and education and health for some groups. Recommendations for promoting education and policies to reduce the use of maladaptive coping are discussed. Copyright© Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System and The Medical College of Wisconsin, Inc.