Assari Shervin, Najand Babak, Zare Hossein, Sonnega Amanda
Marginalized-Related Diminished Returns (MDRs) Research Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Department of Family Medicine, Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
J Biomed Life Sci. 2024;4(2):81-91. doi: 10.31586/jbls.2024.1108. Epub 2024 Nov 9.
Educational attainment is widely regarded as a key predictor of economic and social outcomes in later life, including the likelihood of receiving Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI). According to the Minorities' Diminished Returns (MDRs) theory, however, the benefits of education may be less pronounced for racial and ethnic minorities compared to non-Latino Whites. This study investigates whether the effects of education on the likelihood of receiving SSDI differ by race and ethnicity, focusing on Black and Latino Americans.
The primary aim of this study was to examine the relationship between educational attainment (measured in years of schooling) and the likelihood of receiving SSDI, with a specific focus on exploring how this relationship varies by race and ethnicity, in line with the MDRs framework.
Data were drawn from the Understanding America Study (UAS), a nationally representative, internet-based panel survey. The sample included Black, Latino, and non-Latino White U.S. adults. Our sample size was 12,975 adults over the age of 18. Logistic regression models were used to assess the association between educational attainment and receiving SSDI, adjusting for demographic variables such as age, sex, employment status, and marital status. Interaction terms between race/ethnicity and educational attainment were included to explore whether the returns on education varied across racial and ethnic groups.
Higher educational attainment was significantly associated with a lower likelihood of receiving SSDI in the overall sample. However, consistent with the MDRs framework, the protective effect of education was significantly weaker for both Black and Latino individuals compared to non-Latino Whites. Black and Latino participants with similar levels of education as their non-Latino White counterparts were more likely to receive SSDI, reflecting diminished returns on educational attainment for these groups.
This study provides strong evidence supporting the MDRs theory, demonstrating that the protective effects of education on the likelihood of receiving SSDI are not equally distributed across racial and ethnic groups. Black and Latino Americans experience weaker returns on their education when it comes to avoiding SSDI, likely due to structural inequalities and systemic barriers. These findings highlight the need for policies that address not only educational disparities but also the broader societal factors that limit the benefits of education for racial and ethnic minorities.
教育程度被广泛视为晚年经济和社会成果的关键预测指标，包括获得社会保障残疾保险（SSDI）的可能性。然而，根据少数群体收益递减（MDRs）理论，与非拉丁裔白人相比，教育对种族和族裔少数群体的益处可能不那么明显。本研究调查教育对获得SSDI可能性的影响是否因种族和族裔而异，重点关注美国黑人和拉丁裔。
本研究的主要目的是检验教育程度（以受教育年限衡量）与获得SSDI可能性之间的关系，特别关注按照MDRs框架探讨这种关系如何因种族和族裔而变化。
数据取自美国全国代表性的基于互联网的小组调查“理解美国研究”（UAS）。样本包括美国黑人、拉丁裔和非拉丁裔白人成年人。我们的样本量为12975名18岁以上的成年人。使用逻辑回归模型评估教育程度与获得SSDI之间的关联，并对年龄、性别、就业状况和婚姻状况等人口统计学变量进行调整。纳入种族/族裔与教育程度之间的交互项，以探讨教育回报在不同种族和族裔群体中是否存在差异。
在总体样本中，较高的教育程度与获得SSDI的可能性显著降低相关。然而，与MDRs框架一致，与非拉丁裔白人相比，教育对黑人和拉丁裔个人的保护作用明显较弱。与非拉丁裔白人教育水平相似的黑人和拉丁裔参与者更有可能获得SSDI，这反映出这些群体教育程度的回报递减。
本研究提供了有力证据支持MDRs理论，表明教育对获得SSDI可能性的保护作用在不同种族和族裔群体中分布不均。在避免获得SSDI方面，美国黑人和拉丁裔从教育中获得的回报较弱，这可能是由于结构性不平等和系统性障碍。这些发现凸显了不仅需要解决教育差距，还需要解决限制种族和族裔少数群体从教育中受益的更广泛社会因素的政策。
