TY - JOUR
T1 - Does intergenerational mobility shape psychological distress? Sorokin revisited
AU - Houle, Jason N.
AU - Martin, Molly A.
N1 - Funding Information:
This research uses data from the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study (WLS) of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Since 1991, the WLS has been supported principally by the National Institute on Aging (AG-9775 and AG-21079), with additional support from the Vilas Estate Trust, the National Science Foundation, the Spencer Foundation, and the Graduate School of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. A public use file of data from the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study is available from the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1180 Observatory Drive, Madison, Wisconsin 53706 and at http://www.ssc.wisc.edu/∼wls/data/ . We thank Glenn Firebaugh and Duane Alwin for helpful comments on previous drafts of this manuscript, as well as Richard Breen, Vivian Chen, Michael Sobel, and Heather Turner who provided valuable statistical consulting.
PY - 2011/6
Y1 - 2011/6
N2 - Drawing from Sorokin's hypothesis that socially mobile individuals are at greater risk of experiencing psychological distress than their non-mobile counterparts, we investigate whether intergenerational occupational mobility influences psychological distress, as measured by the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CES-D) scale. Using data for men from the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study (WLS) and Sobel's Diagonal Mobility Models, we find little evidence for Sorokin's hypothesis; mobile individuals are no more likely to be psychologically distressed than their non-mobile counterparts. In fact, one group of mobile men - those who left their farming origins - are actually less distressed than the sons who remain as farmers and non-mobile men in higher-ranked social classes. We speculate that this reflects the fact that farming became very arduous during the late 20th century and these mobile sons of farmers appreciate their improved life chances. Our findings suggest that the association between mobility and psychological distress varies across specific class backgrounds and is contingent upon the broader social and economic context.
AB - Drawing from Sorokin's hypothesis that socially mobile individuals are at greater risk of experiencing psychological distress than their non-mobile counterparts, we investigate whether intergenerational occupational mobility influences psychological distress, as measured by the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CES-D) scale. Using data for men from the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study (WLS) and Sobel's Diagonal Mobility Models, we find little evidence for Sorokin's hypothesis; mobile individuals are no more likely to be psychologically distressed than their non-mobile counterparts. In fact, one group of mobile men - those who left their farming origins - are actually less distressed than the sons who remain as farmers and non-mobile men in higher-ranked social classes. We speculate that this reflects the fact that farming became very arduous during the late 20th century and these mobile sons of farmers appreciate their improved life chances. Our findings suggest that the association between mobility and psychological distress varies across specific class backgrounds and is contingent upon the broader social and economic context.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=79955955573&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=79955955573&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.rssm.2010.11.001
DO - 10.1016/j.rssm.2010.11.001
M3 - Article
C2 - 25152556
AN - SCOPUS:79955955573
SN - 0276-5624
VL - 29
SP - 193
EP - 203
JO - Research in Social Stratification and Mobility
JF - Research in Social Stratification and Mobility
IS - 2
ER -