Childhood peer status and the clustering of social, economic, and health-related circumstances in adulthood

Within the school-class context, children attain a social position in the peer hierarchy to which varying amounts of status are attached. Studies have shown that peer status - i.e. the degree of acceptance and likeability among classmates - is associated with adult health. However, these studies have generally paid little attention to the fact that health problems are likely to coincide with other adverse circumstances within the individual. The...