An Assessment of the "Capital" Indicators for Measuring Socioeconomic Status of High School Students and the Influence on Family and School Stressors

Past studies have found contradictory results in the relationship between socioeconomic status and adolescent's susceptibility to stress. The inconsistent findings of socioeconomic variations on stress resulted in closer examination on the way SES is measured and its effect on stress. Although the relationships between these variables are well documented, there is ongoing debate on the operationalization of SES and the adequacy of conventional indicators of SES (occupation, education, income) in measuring the SES construct in association with wellbeing. Conceptualization of SES puts limitations on studies examining wellbeing such as the exposure to stress. Moreover, previous studies that examined these relationships focused on a single stressor, while in reality, adolescents are exposed to multiple stressors. To address this gap, this study's main objective is to demonstrate the validity of an alternative SES indicator comprising material capital, human capital and social capital (CAPSES) and its appropriateness for studying multiple stressors among 1,044 secondary school students (age 16-17 years) in Kuala Lumpur. A questionnaire survey method was used to collect data from the respective respondents. The study found that CAPSES serves as a useful indicator of SES to measure stressors and significantly predicted parent, teacher and peer stressors, whereas the conventional SES had only significant effect on parent stressors. The multi-dimensional aspect of CAPSES made it possible to measure the social complexities that are present in adolescents. The study suggests schools to inculcate human values besides focusing on academic achievement as part of the school culture and encourage more parents' involvements in school activities.