Primary Submission Category: Socioeconomic status
The Price of Success: Racial Differences in the Health Benefits of Graduate-Level Education
Authors: Alexis C. Dennis Robert A. Hummer
Presenting Author: Alexis C. Dennis*
The education-health gradient is well-documented, such that higher educational attainment is generally associated with more favorable health status. Yet, much extant research on education-health gradients collapsed those who attained a bachelor’s degree (BA) or higher into a single analytical group, leaving uncertainty about the existence of health inequality among those with graduate-level training. Moreover, Black Americans with a college degree do not always reap the same health benefits as White Americans with a college degree. It remains unclear whether these “differential returns” extend to minoritized racial groups with graduate-level training. This study addresses these gaps by testing hypotheses related to education-health gradients and “differential returns” among a nationally representative sample of White, Black, Hispanic, and Asian American adults (n=5,027). Preliminary findings show strong education-health gradients among Whites, such that when compared to White respondents who did not attain a BA, attaining a BA, some post baccalaureate training (post-bacc), a master’s degree (MA), or a PhD is associated with fewer depressive symptoms, better self-rated health (SRH), lower cardiometabolic risk (CMR), and lower odds of obesity. In contrast, we found “differential returns” across health outcomes for minoritized racial groups who attained graduate-level training. In comparison to White adults who did not attain a BA, Hispanic Americans who attained a BA or some post-bacc and Asian Americans who attained a PhD reported worse SRH. Moreover, Black Americans who attained a BA, some post-bacc training, or a MA reported higher average depressive symptoms, CMR, and odds of obesity, and worse SRH. Collectively, our findings challenge the notion that high educational attainment is the “great equalizer” for racial/ethnic health inequality and suggest the graduate training experience may increase health-related risks for some minoritized racial groups.