Subjective social status and health of Saudi medical students: a cross-sectional study on the role of peer comparisons.

Authors

Armen A Torchyan, Abdulrahman H Alsergani, Faisal A Alhejji, Fahad A Aldhafian, Abdulrahman A Almuhaideb, Abdullah A Alenazi, Nizar A Alfiaar, Satenik L Papikyan, Leena R Baghdadi, Inge Houkes, Hans Bosma

Published in

Annals of medicine. Volume 58. Issue 1. Pages 2708520. Epub Aug 03, 2026.

Abstract

This study examined the relationship between peer subjective social status (SSS), a measure of perceived social position within social hierarchies, and health outcomes in a young adult population.
A cross-sectional study was conducted in 2025 at the College of Medicine, King Saud University, Saudi Arabia, involving 390 undergraduate students aged 18 and older. Peer SSS was assessed using the validated MacArthur Scale, a 10-rung ladder representing perceived social standing relative to peers. Multiple logistic regression models were used to estimate associations between peer SSS and four health outcomes, adjusting for age, sex, and indicators of parental socioeconomic position.
Each one-rung increase in peer SSS was associated with 15-33% lower odds of poor health outcomes, including less than good physical health (odds ratio [OR] = 0.85, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.72-1.00), less than good mental health (OR = 0.81, 95% CI = 0.68-0.95), low psychological well-being (OR = 0.81, 95% CI = 0.69-0.95), and low life satisfaction (OR = 0.67, 95% CI = 0.54-0.82). Sensitivity analyses showed no effect modification by sex, age, or parental socioeconomic position.
These findings suggest that perceived social position within peer hierarchies is an important correlate of physical and mental health in young adults, independent of family background. Further longitudinal and qualitative research is needed to clarify the direction of the association and the underlying mechanisms, and to examine whether addressing the psychosocial consequences of status comparisons may be relevant for reducing health inequalities in competitive social environments.Key messagesPerceived peer social status is strongly associated with both physical and mental health among medical students, independent of parental socioeconomic background.Students with lower peer status have substantially higher odds of poor health outcomes, including reduced well-being and life satisfaction.Competitive peer dynamics within medical education may be an important factor related to student well-being and warrant further investigation.

PMID:
42545794
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 04 Aug 2026.

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