Search

Background and objectivesAfrican American women experience faster telomere shortening (i.e., cellular aging) compared with other racial-gender groups. Prior research demonstrates that race and gender interact to influence culturally specific norms for responding to socially-relevant stress and other stress-coping processes, which may affect healthy aging.Research design and methodsData are from African American Women's Heart & Health Study participants who consented to DNA extraction (n = 140). Superwoman Schema (SWS) was measured using 5 validated subscales: presenting strength, emotion suppression, resisting vulnerability, motivation to succeed, and obligation to help others. Racial identity was measured using 3 subscales from the Multidimensional Inventory of Black Identity: racial centrality, private regard, and public regard. Relative telomere length (rTL) was measured using DNA extracted from blood samples. Path analysis tested associations and interactions between SWS and racial identity dimensions with rTL.ResultsFor SWS, higher resistance to being vulnerable predicted longer telomeres. For racial identity, high private regard predicted longer telomeres while high public regard predicted shorter telomeres. Interactions were found between public regard and 2 SWS dimensions: among women with high public regard, emotion suppression (β = 0.20, p < .05) and motivation to succeed (β = 0.18, p < .05) were associated with longer rTL. The interaction between high centrality and emotion suppression predicted shorter rTL (β = -0.17, p < .05).Discussion and implicationsCulturally specific responses to gendered racism and racial identity, developed early in life and shaped over the life course, are important psychosocial determinants of cellular aging among African American women.

On March 8, 2020, there was a 650% increase in Twitter retweets using the term "Chinese virus" and related terms. On March 9, there was an 800% increase in the use of these terms in conservative news media articles. Using data from non-Asian respondents of the Project Implicit "Asian Implicit Association Test" from 2007-2020 (n = 339,063), we sought to ascertain if this change in media tone increased bias against Asian Americans. Local polynomial regression and interrupted time-series analyses revealed that Implicit Americanness Bias-or the subconscious belief that European American individuals are more "American" than Asian American individuals-declined steadily from 2007 through early 2020 but reversed trend and began to increase on March 8, following the increase in stigmatizing language in conservative media outlets. The trend reversal in bias was more pronounced among conservative individuals. This research provides evidence that the use of stigmatizing language increased subconscious beliefs that Asian Americans are "perpetual foreigners." Given research that perpetual foreigner bias can beget discriminatory behavior and that experiencing discrimination is associated with adverse mental and physical health outcomes, this research sounds an alarm about the effects of stigmatizing media on the health and welfare of Asian Americans.

Background: Anecdotal reports suggest a rise in anti-Asian racial attitudes and discrimination in response to COVID-19. Racism can have significant social, economic, and health impacts, but there has been little systematic investigation of increases in anti-Asian prejudice. Methods: We utilized Twitter's Streaming Application Programming Interface (API) to collect 3,377,295 U.S. race-related tweets from November 2019-June 2020. Sentiment analysis was performed using support vector machine (SVM), a supervised machine learning model. Accuracy for identifying negative sentiments, comparing the machine learning model to manually labeled tweets was 91%. We investigated changes in racial sentiment before and following the emergence of COVID-19. Results: The proportion of negative tweets referencing Asians increased by 68.4% (from 9.79% in November to 16.49% in March). In contrast, the proportion of negative tweets referencing other racial/ethnic minorities (Blacks and Latinx) remained relatively stable during this time period, declining less than 1% for tweets referencing Blacks and increasing by 2% for tweets referencing Latinx. Common themes that emerged during the content analysis of a random subsample of 3300 tweets included: racism and blame (20%), anti-racism (20%), and daily life impact (27%). Conclusion: Social media data can be used to provide timely information to investigate shifts in area-level racial sentiment.

ObjectiveTelomeres are protective sequences of DNA capping the ends of chromosomes that shorten over time. Leukocyte telomere length (LTL) is posited to reflect the replicative history of cells and general systemic aging of the organism. Chronic stress exposure leads to accelerated LTL shortening, which has been linked to increased susceptibility to and faster progression of aging-related diseases. This study examined longitudinal associations between LTL and experiences of racial discrimination, a qualitatively unique source of minority psychosocial stress, among African Americans.MethodData are from 391 African Americans in the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) Telomere Ancillary Study. We examined the number of domains in which racial discrimination was experienced in relation to LTL collected in Years 15 and 25 (Y15: 2000/2001; Y25: 2010/2011). Multivariable linear regression examined if racial discrimination was associated with LTL. Latent change score analysis (LCS) examined changes in racial discrimination and LTL in relation to one another.ResultsControlling for racial discrimination at Y15, multivariable linear regression analyses indicated that racial discrimination at Y25 was significantly associated with LTL at Y25. This relationship remained robust after adjusting for LTL at Y15 (b = -.019, p = .015). Consistent with this finding, LCS revealed that increases in experiences of racial discrimination were associated with faster 10-year LTL shortening (b = -.019, p = .015).ConclusionsThis study adds to evidence that racial discrimination contributes to accelerated physiologic weathering and health declines among African Americans through its impact on biological systems, including via its effects on telomere attrition. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

PurposeBlack women have the highest estimated allostatic load (AL). AL and self-perceived health are strong health predictors and have been linked to racial discrimination. Research suggests that everyday and institution-specific racial discrimination may predict different AL and self-reported health (SRH) outcomes. Furthermore, discrepancies between AL and self-perceived health could widen disparities. We estimated associations between everyday versus institution-specific racial discrimination with AL and SRH.MethodsData are from a San Francisco Bay Area community sample of 208 black women aged 30-50 years. Participation involved a questionnaire, self-interview, blood draw, and anthropometric measurements. Adjusted generalized linear regression models estimated associations of racial discrimination with AL and SRH.ResultsAfter adjusting for age, socioeconomic position, and medication use, institution-specific discrimination was negatively associated with AL (i.e., better health), whereas everyday experiences showed no association. Those reporting very-high (vs. moderate) institution-specific discrimination had lower AL (β = -1.31 [95% CI: -2.41, -0.20]; AL range: 0-15). No racial discrimination-SRH association was found.ConclusionsFor black women, (1) institution-specific racial discrimination may be differentially embodied compared with everyday experiences and (2) institutional racism may contribute to physiologic stress-regulation regardless of self-perceived health status. Potential factors that may contribute to an inverse racial discrimination-AL association, and future research, are discussed.

Racial discrimination, a psychosocial stressor, may contribute to disproportionate rates of hypertension among African American women. Coping moderates the effects of psychosocial stress on health. Coping dispositions describe stable personality characteristics, whereas contextual frameworks emphasize flexible coping behaviors in response to specific stressful encounters. Using data from the African American Women's Heart and Health Study-a non-probability cross-section of 208 midlife African American women in Northern California-we estimated the association between everyday racial discrimination (Everyday Discrimination Scale, EDS) and prevalence of hypertension (HTN), and evaluated moderation by coping disposition (John Henryism Active Coping scale, JH) versus context-specific active coping behavior (Active Coping with Racism scale, ACR). There were no main associations between EDS, JH, or ACR on HTN prevalence. There was evidence of statistical interaction between EDS and ACR (p-int = 0.05), but not JH (p-int = 0.90). Among those with high levels of ACR, reporting monthly (prevalence ratio (PR) = 2.35, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.13, 4.87), weekly (PR = 2.15, 95% CI = 1.01, 4.61), or daily (PR = 2.36, 95% CI = 1.14, 4.88) EDS was associated with higher HTN prevalence, versus reporting racial discrimination yearly or less. In contrast, among those with low levels of ACR, reporting more chronic racial discrimination was associated with lower hypertension prevalence, although results were less precise. Findings suggest that ongoing active coping with chronic racial discrimination may contribute to hypertension risk among African American women.

ObjectiveTo examine the association between self-reported racial discrimination and allostatic load, and whether the association differs by socioeconomic position.MethodsWe recruited a purposive cross-section of midlife (ages 30-50) African American women residing in four San Francisco Bay area counties (n = 208). Racial discrimination was measured using the Experience of Discrimination scale. Allostatic load was measured as a composite of 15 biomarkers assessing cardiometabolic, neuroendocrine, and inflammatory activity. We calculated four composite measures of allostatic load and three system-specific measures of biological dysregulation. Multivariable regression was used to examine associations, while adjusting for relevant confounders.ResultsIn the high education group, reporting low (b = -1.09, P = .02, 95% CI = -1.99, -0.18) and very high (b = -1.88, P = .003, 95% CI = -3.11, -0.65) discrimination was associated with lower allostatic load (reference=moderate). Among those with lower education, reporting low (b = 2.05, P = .008, 95% CI = 0.55,3.56) discrimination was associated with higher allostatic load. Similar but less consistent associations were found for poverty status. Associations were similar for cardiometabolic functioning, but not for neuroendocrine or inflammatory activity.ConclusionsRacial discrimination may be an important predictor of cumulative physiologic dysregulation. Factors associated with educational attainment may mitigate this association for African American women and other groups experiencing chronic social stress.

On March 8, 2020, there was a 650% increase in Twitter retweets using the term "Chinese virus" and related terms. On March 9, there was an 800% increase in the use of these terms in conservative news media articles. Using data from non-Asian respondents of the Project Implicit "Asian Implicit Association Test" from 2007-2020 (n = 339,063), we sought to ascertain if this change in media tone increased bias against Asian Americans. Local polynomial regression and interrupted time-series analyses revealed that Implicit Americanness Bias--or the subconscious belief that European American individuals are more "American" than Asian American individuals--declined steadily from 2007 through early 2020 but reversed trend and began to increase on March 8, following the increase in stigmatizing language in conservative media outlets. The trend reversal in bias was more pronounced among conservative individuals. This research provides evidence that the use of stigmatizing language increased subconscious beliefs that Asian Americans are "perpetual foreigners." Given research that perpetual foreigner bias can beget discriminatory behavior and that experiencing discrimination is associated with adverse mental and physical health outcomes, this research sounds an alarm about the effects of stigmatizing media on the health and welfare of Asian Americans.

Racial discrimination is conceptualized as a psychosocial stressor that has negative implications for mental health. However, factors related to racial identity may influence whether negative experiences are interpreted as instances of racial discrimination and subsequently reported as such in survey instruments, particularly given the ambiguous nature of contemporary racism. Along these lines, dimensions of racial identity may moderate associations between racial discrimination and mental health outcomes. This study examined relationships between racial discrimination, racial identity, implicit racial bias, and depressive symptoms among African American men between 30 and 50 years of age (n = 95). Higher racial centrality was associated with greater reports of racial discrimination, while greater implicit anti-Black bias was associated with lower reports of racial discrimination. In models predicting elevated depressive symptoms, holding greater implicit anti-Black bias in tandem with reporting lower racial discrimination was associated with the highest risk. Results suggest that unconscious as well as conscious processes related to racial identity are important to consider in measuring racial discrimination, and should be integrated in studies of racial discrimination and mental health.

This study examines the associations between acculturation and three health examination behaviors (physical, dental, and eye exams) among 846 Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese Americans. The study was part of a randomized, community-based trial on liver cancer prevention that targeted Asian Americans in Washington DC metropolitan area. Acculturation was assessed using Suinn-Lew Asian Self-Identity Acculturation (SL-ASIA) scale, acculturation clusters, and length of stay. Health examination behaviors in the last 2 years were self-reported. Potential confounders such as age, gender, ethnicity, income, marital status, self-rated health status, health insurance, and having a regular physician were adjusted. Increased acculturation was associated with greater receipt of preventive services when acculturation was measured by SL-ASIA and acculturation clusters. Compared to those in the "Asian" cluster, those in the "American" cluster and "bicultural" clusters were more likely to have physical exams (American odds ratio (OR) = 1.83, 95 % confidence interval (CI) 0.99, 3.88; bicultural OR = 1.11; 95 % CI 0.72, 1.70), dental exams (American OR = 1.99, 95 % CI 1.09, 3.65; bicultural OR = 1.83, 95 % CI 1.21, 2.78), and eye exams (American OR = 4.48, 95 % CI 2.67, 7.66; bicultural OR = 1.92, 95 % CI 1.31, 2.81). A gradient was observed in these associations with the American cluster having stronger associations than the bicultural cluster. Interaction was found between acculturation and gender for receipt of a physical exam. Future studies are needed to further explicate how access to health care impacts the association between acculturation and health examinations among Asian Americans.

Introduction Health disparities research has demonstrated a negative relationship between racial discrimination and African American women's maternal health outcomes. Yet, the relationship between racial discrimination and preterm labor, a key measure of maternal health, remains understudied. This study sought to examine the associations between preterm labor and direct and vicarious racial discrimination among African American women at three life stages: childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. Methods Logistic regression methods were used to analyze cross-sectional data from the African American Women's Heart & Health Study (AAWHHS; N = 173). The AAWHHS includes detailed maternal health information on a community sample of African American women residing in the San Francisco Bay Area. Results Findings indicated each unit increase in adolescent direct racial discrimination was associated with a 48% increase in the odds of preterm labor (OR: 1.480, 95% CI 1.002-2.187, p < 0.05) and each unit increase in childhood vicarious racial discrimination was associated with a 45% increase in the odds of preterm labor (OR: 1.453, 95% CI 1.010-2.092, p < 0.05) after adjusting for number of pregnancies and socioeconomic variables. Discussion This study provides evidence of an association between life-stage racial discrimination and preterm labor risk among African American women, underscoring a need to consider how both directly and vicariously experienced racial discrimination at different developmental periods impact racial disparities in birth outcomes., Author(s): Katie P. Daniels [sup.1] , Zulema Valdez [sup.2] , David H. Chae [sup.3] , Amani M. Allen [sup.4] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.155203.0, 0000 0001 2234 9391, Department of Sociology, [...]

African American men in the US experience disparities across multiple health outcomes. A common mechanism underlying premature declines in health may be accelerated biological aging, as reflected by leukocyte telomere length (LTL). Racial discrimination, a qualitatively unique source of social stress reported by African American men, in tandem with poor mental health, may negatively impact LTL in this population. The current study examined cross-sectional associations between LTL, self-reported racial discrimination, and symptoms of depression and anxiety among 92 African American men 30-50 years of age. LTL was measured in kilobase pairs using quantitative polymerase chain reaction assay. Controlling for sociodemographic factors, greater anxiety symptoms were associated with shorter LTL (b=-0.029, standard error [SE]=0.014; p

BackgroundLeukocyte telomere length (LTL) is an indicator of general systemic aging, with shorter LTL being associated with several chronic diseases of aging and earlier mortality. Identifying factors related to LTL among African Americans may yield insights into mechanisms underlying racial disparities in health.PurposeTo test whether the combination of more frequent reports of racial discrimination and holding a greater implicit anti-black racial bias is associated with shorter LTL among African-American men.MethodsCross-sectional study of a community sample of 92 African-American men aged between 30 and 50 years. Participants were recruited from February to May 2010. Ordinary least squares regressions were used to examine LTL in kilobase pairs in relation to racial discrimination and implicit racial bias. Data analysis was completed in July 2013.ResultsAfter controlling for chronologic age and socioeconomic and health-related characteristics, the interaction between racial discrimination and implicit racial bias was significantly associated with LTL (b=-0.10, SE=0.04, p=0.02). Those demonstrating a stronger implicit anti-black bias and reporting higher levels of racial discrimination had the shortest LTL. Household income-to-poverty threshold ratio was also associated with LTL (b=0.05, SE=0.02, p

Objective: Black/African American women with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) experience greater organ damage and at younger ages than white women. The objective of this study was to advance research on SLE inequities by identifying sociodemographic risk profiles associated with organ damage accrual specifically among Black/African American women. Methods: Latent profile analysis was conducted among 438 Black/African American women with SLE living in Atlanta, GA and enrolled in the Black Women's Experiences Living with Lupus (BeWELL) Study (May 2015 to April 2017). Proportional hazard and Poisson regression models examined prospective associations between sociodemographic profiles and the timing and degree of organ damage accrual over 2 years. Results: Four profiles emerged: (1) "Younger/Lower SES with Uncontrolled SLE" (44.8%), (2) "Older/Lower SES with Uncontrolled SLE" (23.3%), (3) "Mid-SES with Controlled SLE" (19.6%), and (4) "Higher SES with Controlled SLE" (11.2%). Approximately 42% of participants experienced new organ damage during the follow-up period. Proportional hazard models indicated that "Older/Lower SES with Uncontrolled SLE" participants were at greatest risk of new organ damage (HR = 2.41; 95% CI = 1.39, 4.19), followed by "Younger/Lower SES with Uncontrolled SLE" participants (HR = 1.56; 95% CI = 0.92, 2.67), compared to those in the "Higher SES with Controlled SLE" profile. Poisson regression models revealed that these two groups also exhibited greater organ damage accrual (b = 0.98, SE = 0.24, 95% CI = 0.52, 1.44 and b = 0.72, SE = 0.23, 95% CI = 0.27, 1.17, respectively). Conclusions: Black/African American women with fewer socioeconomic resources and uncontrolled SLE are at greatest risk for increasing disease severity over time. Social inequities likely contribute to racial inequities in SLE progression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the relationship between allostatic load and a novel form of altruistic racism-related fear, or concern for how racism might harm another, which we term vicarious racism-related vigilance. Using a subsample of Black mothers from the African American Women's Heart & Health Study (N = 140), which includes detailed health and survey data on a community sample of Black women in the San Francisco Bay Area, this study investigates the relationship between Black mothers' experiences with racism-related vigilance as it relates to their children and allostatic load—a multisystem metric of underlying health across multiple biological systems. Findings indicate that vicarious racism-related vigilance was positively associated with allostatic load (i.e., worse health). Findings highlight the salience of vicarious racism-related vigilance for the health of Black mothers, underscoring how intersections between race, gender, and parenthood result in susceptibility to unique forms of health-harming stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ObjectivesEmpirical findings on racial discrimination and hypertension risk have been inconsistent. Some studies have found no association between self-reported experiences of discrimination and cardiovascular health outcomes, whereas others have found moderated or curvilinear relationships. The current cross-sectional study examined whether the association between racial discrimination and hypertension is moderated by implicit racial bias among African American midlife men.MethodsThis study examined the data on 91 African American men between 30 and 50 years of age. Primary variables were self-reported experiences of racial discrimination and unconscious racial bias as measured by the Black-White Implicit Association Test. Modified Poisson regression models were specified, examining hypertension, defined as a mean resting systolic level of at least 140 mm Hg or diastolic level of at least 90 mm Hg, or self-reported history of cardiovascular medication use with a physician diagnosis of hypertension.ResultsNo main effects for discrimination or implicit racial bias were found, but the interaction of the two variables was significantly related to hypertension (χ(2)(1) = 4.89, p < .05). Among participants with an implicit antiblack bias, more frequent reports of discrimination were associated with a higher probability of hypertension, whereas among those with an implicit problack bias, it was associated with lower risk.ConclusionsThe combination of experiencing racial discrimination and holding an antiblack bias may have particularly detrimental consequences on hypertension among African American midlife men, whereas holding an implicit problack bias may buffer the effects of racial discrimination. Efforts to address both internalized racial bias and racial discrimination may lower cardiovascular risk in this population.

Objectives. We examined lifetime and 12-month rates of any depressive, anxiety, and substance abuse disorders in a national sample of Asian Americans. We focused on factors related to nativity and immigration as possible correlates of mental disorders. Methods. Data were derived from the National Latino and Asian American Study, the first national epidemiological survey of Asian Americans in the United States. Results. The relationships between immigration-related factors and mental disorders were different for men and women. Among women, nativity was strongly associated with lifetime disorders, with immigrant women having lower rates of most disorders compared with US-born women. Conversely, English proficiency was associated with mental disorders for Asian men. Asian men who spoke English proficiently generally had lower rates of lifetime and 12-month disorders compared with nonproficient speakers. Conclusions. For Asian Americans, immigration-related factors were associated with mental disorders, but in different ways for men and women. Future studies will need to examine gender as an important factor in specifying the association between immigration and mental health.

This study was designed to examine the prospective relations of perceived racial discrimination with allostatic load (AL), along with a possible buffer of the association. A sample of 331 African Americans in the rural South provided assessments of perceived discrimination from ages 16 to 18 years. When youth were 18 years, caregivers reported parental emotional support and youth assessed peer emotional support. AL and potential confounder variables were assessed when youth were 20. Latent growth mixture modeling identified two perceived discrimination classes: high and stable, and low and increasing. Adolescents in the high and stable class evinced heightened AL even with confounder variables controlled. The racial discrimination to AL link was not significant for young adults who received high emotional support.

This study examines relationships among financial strain, unfair treatment, and martial satisfaction among African Americans. Using data from the National Survey of American Life, findings indicated that social stressors that occur inside of the home (i.e., financial strain) as well as those experienced outside of the home (i.e., unfair treatment) have negative consequences for marital quality and psychological distress. Furthermore, the combination of experiencing unfair treatment and financial strain has particularly deleterious mental health consequences for married African Americans. Results also highlight the protective effect of marital satisfaction on psychological distress as well as its potential to buffer the negative effects of unfair treatment and financial strain on psychological distress. Implications for policy to improve marital quality and promote the mental health of African Americans are discussed. (Contains 3 tables and 4 figures.)