TOWARD UNDERSTANDING THE ASSOCIATION OF SOCIOECONOMIC-STATUS AND HEALTH - A NEW CHALLENGE FOR THE BIOPSYCHOSOCIAL APPROACH

The association of socioeconomic status (SES) with morbidity and morta lity is a ubiquitous finding in the health literature. One of the prin cipal challenges for biobehavioral researchers is understanding the me chanisms that link SES with health outcomes. This article highlights p ossible pathways by which SES may influence health. It also provides a discussion of sociodemographic and geographical modifiers of the SES- health relationship and offers several potentially fruitful directions for future research.