{"id":79,"date":"2026-08-15T21:00:46","date_gmt":"2026-08-15T21:00:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.nd.edu\/yang-c-yang\/?page_id=79"},"modified":"2026-09-01T14:27:10","modified_gmt":"2026-09-01T14:27:10","slug":"aging-chronic-disease-and-mortality","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sites.nd.edu\/yang-c-yang\/research\/aging-chronic-disease-and-mortality\/","title":{"rendered":"Social Biology of Stress, Health, and Aging"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This line of research aims to address two fundamental questions in the quest of diminishing health inequalities:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-4fc3f8e1 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">1) Why do social factors impact health?&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">2) When do social disparities in health emerge in life and how long do they last?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I approach these questions through an integrative theoretical and empirical framework that jointly examines social and biological factors shaping health and aging. Combining a consortium of data from population-based surveys, clinical patient cohort studies, and blood-based biomarkers of established biophysiological predictors of health and survival, I have conducted studies in two areas summarized below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. Social Stress and Biophysiological Functioning<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I interrogate the connections between chronic life stressors (e.g., socioeconomic disadvantages, wealth loss, and poor social relationships) and biological stress response (e.g. immune, metabolic, and neuropsychological dysregulation) as pre-disease pathways leading to illnesses.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Representative Publications:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Yang, Y. C.<\/strong>, McClintock, M. K., Kozloski, M., &amp; Li, T. (2013). <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/0022146513485244\">Social isolation and adult mortality: The role of chronic inflammation and sex differences. <\/a><em>Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 54<\/em>(2), 183\u2013203.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Yang, Y. C.<\/strong>, Boen, C. E., Gerken, K., Li, T., Schorpp, K. M., &amp; Harris, K. M. (2016). <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1073\/pnas.1511085112\">Social relationships and physiological determinants of longevity across the human life span. <\/a><em>Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 113<\/em>(3), 578\u2013583.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Boen, C. E., &amp; <strong>Yang, Y. C.<\/strong> (2016). <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.socscimed.2015.12.029\">The physiological impacts of wealth shocks in late life: Evidence from the Great Recession<\/a>. <em>Social Science &amp; Medicine, 150<\/em>, 221\u2013230.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Snyder-Mackler, N., Burger, J. R., Gaydosh, L., Belsky, D. W., Noppert, G. A., Campos, F. A., Bartolomucci, A., <strong>Yang, Y. C.<\/strong>, Aiello, A. E., O\u2019Rand, A., Harris, K. M., Shively, C. A., Alberts, S. C., &amp; Tung, J. (2020). <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1126\/science.aax9553\">Social determinants of health and survival in humans and other animals<\/a>. <em>Science, 368<\/em>(6493), eaax9553.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Boen, C. E., <strong>Yang, Y. C.<\/strong>, Aiello, A. E., Dennis, A. C., Harris, K. M., Kwon, D., &amp; Belsky, D. W. (2023).<a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1215\/00703370-11057546\"> Patterns and life course determinants of Black-White disparities in biological age acceleration: A decomposition analysis.<\/a> <em>Demography, 60<\/em>(6), 1815\u20131841.<a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1215\/00703370-11057546\">&nbsp;<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. Aging Trajectories and Early-life Impacts on Later Life Health<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I leverage extensive life course research designs and novel <a href=\"https:\/\/sites.nd.edu\/yang-c-yang\/research\/data-linkage-methods\/\" data-type=\"page\" data-id=\"138\">data linkage methodologies<\/a> that combine existing large datasets on population health to model life-long trajectories of aging and health, life course variations in the biosocial connections, and the influences of early-life conditions on health in old age.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Representative Publications<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Yang, Y.<\/strong>, &amp; Kozloski, M. (2011). <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1093\/gerona\/glr003\">Sex differences in age trajectories of physiological dysregulation: Inflammation, metabolic syndrome, and allostatic load. <\/a><em>The Journals of Gerontology: Series A, 66A<\/em>(5), 493\u2013500.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Yang, Y. C.<\/strong>, Boen, C., Schorpp, K., Gerken, K., &amp; Harris, K. M. (2017). <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1080\/19485565.2017.1279536\">Early life socioeconomic status and adult physiological functioning: A life course examination of biosocial mechanisms. <\/a><em>Biodemography and Social Biology, 63<\/em>(2), 87\u2013103.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Yang, Y. C.<\/strong>, Boen, C. E., Schorpp, K. M., Johnson, M., &amp; Harris, K. M. (2020). <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1093\/geronb\/gby108\">Socioeconomic status and biological risks for health and illness across the life course. <\/a><em>The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, 75<\/em>(3), 613\u2013624.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Yang, Y. C.<\/strong>, Walsh, C. E., Shartle, K., Stebbins, R. C., Aiello, A. E., Belsky, D. W., Harris, K. M., Chanti-Ketterl, M., &amp; Plassman, B. L. (2024). <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/08982643231184593\">An early and unequal decline: Life course trajectories of cognitive aging in the United States. <\/a><em>Journal of Aging and Health, 36<\/em>(3\u20134), 230\u2013245.<a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/08982643231184593?utm_source=chatgpt.com\">&nbsp;<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Yang, Y. C.<\/strong>, Zhang, M., Shartle, K., Aiello, A. E., &amp; Harris, K. M. (Forthcoming). S<a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1093\/geronb\/gbag137\">ocial disconnection and cognitive aging across the life course: Coordinated longitudinal analysis of three national cohort studies.<\/a> <em>The Journals of Gerontology: Series B<\/em>.<a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1093\/geronb\/gbag137\">&nbsp;<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:320px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Last updated on: <\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-date__modified-date wp-block-post-date\"><time datetime=\"2026-09-01T14:27:10+00:00\">September 1, 2026<\/time><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This line of research aims to address two fundamental questions in the quest of diminishing health inequalities:&nbsp; 1) Why do social factors impact health?&nbsp; 2) When do social disparities in&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5302,"featured_media":0,"parent":20,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"ndt4_page_lede":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-79","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","card-container","article"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.nd.edu\/yang-c-yang\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/79","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.nd.edu\/yang-c-yang\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.nd.edu\/yang-c-yang\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.nd.edu\/yang-c-yang\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5302"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.nd.edu\/yang-c-yang\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=79"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/sites.nd.edu\/yang-c-yang\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/79\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":317,"href":"https:\/\/sites.nd.edu\/yang-c-yang\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/79\/revisions\/317"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.nd.edu\/yang-c-yang\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/20"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.nd.edu\/yang-c-yang\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=79"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}