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Call for papers - Special Issue of the Swiss Journal of Sociology:

*"Vulnerability in Health Trajectories: Life Course Perspectives"*

Guest editors:
Stéphane Cullati (University of Geneva), [log in to unmask]
Claudine Burton-Jeangros (University of Geneva), [log in to unmask]
Thomas Abel (University of Bern), [log in to unmask]

In contemporary societies, the unequal distribution of health results from
the influence of a range of social factors. The research on health
inequalities has been recently re-visited and partly renewed by life course
perspectives on health. Over the life course, social determinants affect
individual health trajectories and shape the often sharply distinct health
patterns among socially disadvantaged and advantaged groups. Both macro
contexts (historical period, economic recessions) and micro contexts
(family and working spheres, social networks) define how health
trajectories unfold over the life course and how health inequalities
develop among and across sub-populations. Such health inequalities continue
to grow in many affluent countries, calling for more research at the
crossroad of sociology of health and life course epidemiology.

Life course perspectives aim at a comprehensive understanding of the
development of inequalities in health trajectories. Health is dynamic and
changing over the life course, following different patterns (stability in
good or poor conditions, decline, improvement, or recurrent fluctuations).
As individuals age, general health slowly declines and is progressively
impaired with increasing loss of functional and cognition abilities. In
societies characterized by individualization and diversity of lifestyles,
the development of trajectories unfolds at the interplay of agency and
structure. Sociological conceptualizations of agency and structure
contribute to our understanding of the processes by which inequalities in
health trajectories occur over time and how social factors (i.e.,
socioeconomic position, working conditions, marital and family lives,
lifestyles, gender, migration, discrimination) impact on health
trajectories.

Educational, social security and health care systems influence life course
trajectories, the resources individuals use at different stages of their
life and their chances of staying in good health as long as possible.
Socially disadvantaged groups are structurally positioned in unfavourable
conditions in society. Therefore, they are likely to accumulate health
risks (e.g. poor working and housing conditions, family circumstances) and
to lack the material and non-material resources needed to cope with the
adversities of life and to develop healthy lifestyle habits. Such
structural disadvantaged positions put them at higher risk of experiencing
health decline earlier in their life course or at a faster rate of decline
compared to the wealthier. They are also at higher risk of experiencing
non-normative transitions for health reasons (job loss, divorce).

This special issue collects papers examining the processes by which social
advantages and disadvantages affect the health of individuals over their
life course. Which factors lead to health vulnerability and to chronic
illness, handicap and disability, which contribute to an accelerated health
decline (either mental, physical or social health)? Alternatively, which
determinants have a favourable impact on health and allow individuals to
remain in good health as they age? How are these processes influenced by
embeddedness of people in the social structure? What are the social
determinants (social system, socioeconomic position, family and working
lives) and the individual determinants (biological inheritance, emotion,
cognition, health behaviours) that moderate these processes? How can family
and working spheres either support or impede health trajectories?

This special issue invites empirical papers based on either quantitative or
qualitative data, or both. Theoretical papers and systematic reviews are
also very welcomed. Papers should address health trajectories with a life
course perspective. Analyses pertaining to different stages of the life
course (foetal life, children, adolescents, adults, elderly) are welcome.

Please submit your proposal for a contribution to Stéphane Cullati (
[log in to unmask]) by 20 September 2016, including:
- name, email address, and affiliations of all the authors;
- title of the paper;
- abstract of around 500 words, structured (topic, aim, methods, results,
discussion, conclusion).

The guest editors will decide on the acceptance or rejection of the
abstracts until 20 October 2016.

Selected authors will be invited to submit their manuscript (max. 8,000
words, 50,000 characters including tables, figures and references) by 15
March 2017. The manuscripts will go through the usual peer-review process
of the Swiss Journal of Sociology. Accepted languages are English, German
or French. More information about the Swiss Journal of Sociology and the
submission process are available in www.sgs-sss.ch/sociojournal.

The planned publication date is July 2018 (vol. 44, issue 2).

For any questions, please contact Stéphane Cullati at
[log in to unmask]

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