Ross C E, Van Willigen M
Department of Sociology, Ohio State University, Columbus 43210-1353, USA.
J Health Soc Behav. 1997 Sep;38(3):275-97.
We examine whether education influences subjective quality of life. If it does, what are the mechanisms by which education affects well-being? We propose that education improves well-being because it increases access to nonalienated paid work and economic resources that increase the sense of control over life, as well as access to stable social relationships, especially marriage, that increase social support. We examine the relationship between education and a variety of indicators of subjective quality of life-depression, anxiety, anger, aches and pains, malaise, and dissatisfaction. Using two representative national samples collected in 1990 and 1995, we find that the well educated have lower levels of emotional distress (including depression, anxiety, and anger) and physical distress (including aches and pains and malaise), but they do not have lower levels of dissatisfaction. Education reduces distress largely by way of paid work, nonalienated work, and economic resources, which are associated with high personal control; but the extent to which it reduces distress by way of marriage and social support is much more modest. We contrast distress and dissatisfaction as indicators of the subjective quality of life.
我们研究教育是否会影响主观生活质量。如果有影响，那么教育影响幸福感的机制是什么？我们认为教育能提升幸福感，因为它增加了获得非异化有偿工作和经济资源的机会，这些能增强对生活的掌控感，同时也增加了获得稳定社会关系的机会，尤其是婚姻关系，这能增加社会支持。我们研究教育与主观生活质量的各种指标之间的关系——抑郁、焦虑、愤怒、疼痛、不适和不满。利用1990年和1995年收集的两个具有代表性的全国样本，我们发现受教育程度高的人情绪困扰（包括抑郁、焦虑和愤怒）和身体困扰（包括疼痛和不适）的程度较低，但他们的不满程度并不低。教育主要通过有偿工作、非异化工作和经济资源来减少困扰，这些与高度的个人掌控感相关；但通过婚姻和社会支持减少困扰的程度则要小得多。我们将困扰和不满作为主观生活质量的指标进行对比。
