Abstract
Purpose: An intersectionality framework has been increasingly incorporated into quantitative study of health inequity, to incorporate social power in meaningful ways. Researchers have identified “person-centered” methods that cluster within-individual characteristics as appropriate to intersectionality. We aimed to review their use and match with theory. Methods: We conducted a multidisciplinary systematic review of English-language quantitative studies wherein authors explicitly stated an intersectional approach, and used clustering methods. We extracted study characteristics and applications of intersectionality. Results: 782 studies with quantitative applications of intersectionality were identified, of which 16 were eligible: eight using latent class analysis, two latent profile analysis, and six clustering methods. Papers used cross-sectional data (100.0%) primarily had U.S. lead authors (68.8%) and were published within psychology, social sciences, and health journals. While 87.5% of papers defined intersectionality and 93.8% cited foundational authors, engagement with intersectionality method literature was more limited. Clustering variables were based on social identities/positions (e.g., gender), dimensions of identity (e.g., race centrality), or processes (e.g., stigma). Results most commonly included four classes/clusters (60.0%), which were frequently used in additional analyses. These described sociodemographic differences across classes/clusters, or used classes/clusters as an exposure variable to predict outcomes in regression analysis, structural equation modeling, mediation, or survival analysis. Author rationales for method choice included both theoretical/intersectional and statistical arguments. Conclusion: Latent variable and clustering methods were used in varied ways in intersectional approaches, and reflected differing matches between theory and methods. We highlight situations in which these methods may be advantageous, and missed opportunities for additional uses.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 221-237 |
Number of pages | 17 |
Journal | Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology |
Volume | 57 |
Issue number | 2 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Feb 2022 |
Externally published | Yes |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:This analysis was funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research through a Sex and Gender Science Chair (GSB-171372). The authors would like to thank the following people for work on the larger systematic search and extraction upon which this review is based: Ruo Su Zhang, Alma Villa-Rueda, Sahana Kukan, Fatima Kudaeva, Rachel Girimonte, Siobhan Churchill, and Isabella Aversa.
Funding Information:
This analysis was funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research through a Sex and Gender Science Chair (GSB-171372). The authors would like to thank the following people for work on the larger systematic search and extraction upon which this review is based: Ruo Su Zhang, Alma Villa-Rueda, Sahana Kukan, Fatima Kudaeva, Rachel Girimonte, Siobhan Churchill, and Isabella Aversa.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021, The Author(s).
Keywords
- Clustering methods
- Health equity
- Intersectionality
- Latent variable methods
- Research methods
- Systematic review
PubMed: MeSH publication types
- Journal Article
- Review
- Systematic Review