Discrimination, Racial Identity, and Hypertension Among Black Americans Across Young, Middle, and Older Adulthood

Psychological Resilience and Cognitive Functioning in Black and White Men and Women

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Psychological resilience is associated with better physical and mental health, but little is known about its role in cognitive health from an intersectional perspective. This study aimed to assess the relationship between psychological resilience and cognitive function across subgroups of older non-Hispanic Black and White men and women while taking stress exposure into account.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

A total of 453 participants (Black men = 87; Black women = 147; White men = 98; White women = 121) from the Michigan Cognitive Aging Project completed the Brief Resilience Scale and a neuropsychological battery. Analyses of variance were used to assess differences in psychological resilience across the intersection of gender and race. Linear regressions assessed relationships between psychological resilience and global cognition, controlling for sociodemographics and discrimination. Interaction terms and stratified regressions characterized these relationships across intersectional groups.

RESULTS

The level of psychological resilience did not differ across intersectional groups despite differences in stress exposure. Higher resilience was associated with better global cognition in the whole sample (β = 0.12, p = .002), but this association was found only among Black men (β = 0.40, p < .001).

DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS

Levels of resilience did not differ between Black and White older adults, despite disproportionate stress exposure among Black older adults. Links between psychological resilience and cognition may depend on stressors and resources that are differentially patterned across intersectional groups. Psychological resilience may be particularly important for cognitive health among Black men, who are frequently underrepresented in cognitive aging research.

Bridging health self-efficacy and patient engagement with patient-centered culturally sensitive health care for Black American adults

This study investigates whether systems-level interventions, specifically patient-centered culturally sensitive health care (PC-CSHC) from healthcare providers, office staff, and the clinic environment, moderate the relationship between health self-efficacy and patient engagement among Black American adults. An online survey was completed by 198 Black American adults. PC-CSHC from healthcare providers, office staff, and the clinic environment did not mitigate the adverse effects of low health self-efficacy on patient engagement. However, PC-CSHC from healthcare providers (b = 0.38) was as significant as health self-efficacy (b = 0.37) in predicting patient engagement, R2 = 0.47, F(9, 177) = 19.61, p < 0.001. Provider-delivered PC-CSHC can enhance patient engagement among Black American adults. This systems-level approach has the potential to reach more patients than intrapersonal interventions alone and alleviates the undue burden placed on Black Americans to leverage intrapersonal strengths in the face of health disparities rooted in structural racism.

Racial discrimination predicts subjective cognitive decline: Perceived relationship support buffers the association

OBJECTIVES

Recent studies show that chronic exposure to racial discrimination increases the occurrence of subjective cognitive decline (SCD) among Black Americans. Little research, however, has examined potential for protective factors, such as perceived partner support, to buffer these effects.

METHODS

This study utilized longitudinal data over a 10-year period from the Family and Community Health Study (FACHS) to examine the associations between experiences of racial discrimination, marital status, partner support, and SCD, measured by the Everyday Cognition (ECog) Scale, among 286 middle-aged Black American women. Regression analysis and internal moderator analyses were employed to analyze the data.

RESULTS

About 31% were in married relationships. Thirty-four percent reported cognitive decline, especially in forgetting object locations and dates. Chronic discrimination predicted SCD, and for those in couple relationships, partner support buffered the adverse effects of discrimination, with those in warm and supportive relationships experiencing less SCD than those in relatively unsupportive relationships or not in a relationship.

CONCLUSIONS

The study's findings support the idea that racism influences SCD and underscores the importance of supportive couple relationships in promoting resilience. The results also highlight the potential value of culturally relevant family interventions and support strategies to reduce the impact of discrimination-induced stress on cognitive health.

Dyadic loneliness, age, and cognitive functioning among midlife and older Black couples

Objectives: Within marriages, loneliness has been linked with individuals' own and their partners' cognitive health. Yet little research has situated Black older adults within a relational, dyadic context.

Method: This study analyzed longitudinal dyadic data from the Health and Retirement Study (2010-2016; n = 1270 participants from 635 couples) from both partners in opposite-sex midlife and older couples where at least one partner reported being Black or African American.

Results: Results indicated (1) husbands' loneliness was associated with worse cognitive functioning 4 years later for wives who had high baseline cognitive functioning themselves; (2) wives' loneliness was associated with worse cognitive functioning 4 years later only for oldest-old husbands; and (3) wives' cognitive functioning was associated with slower increases to husbands' loneliness 4 years later.

Conclusion: Findings indicate that loneliness has dyadic consequences for cognitive functioning among older Black couples, but that context is crucial for determining who is at greatest risk of harmful repercussions from a partner's loneliness.

A Latent Class Analysis of Personal Coping Resources and Depressive Symptoms Among Middle-Aged and Older Latinx Adults

Objectives: To identify coping profiles and evaluate their implications for depressive symptoms among Latinx adults. Methods: Data come from a community-dwelling sample of Latinx adults ages 45+ in Florida (N = 461). Latent class analysis was used to identify profiles of personal coping resources based on patterns across spirituality (spiritual coping, divine fate), ethnic identity (centrality, connectedness), and personal control (mastery, self-esteem). Multivariable linear regression assessed differences in depressive symptoms across coping resource classes. Results: Four coping resource profiles were identified: (1) low resources overall, yet high spiritual coping; (2) high spirituality and personal control; (3) high spirituality and ethnic identity; and (4) high resources overall. Members of Class 4 had significantly fewer depressive symptoms than members of Class 1 and Class 3, controlling for sociodemographic characteristics, p < .001. Discussion: Results elucidate nuances in personal coping resources among aging Latinx adults, identify under-resourced groups, and suggest that resource profiles characterized by few personal coping resources are linked with more depressive symptoms. Findings clarify the underpinnings of the latent coping construct and have implications for mental health promotion interventions among aging Latinx adults.

Factors Associated with Postpartum Maternal Functioning in Black Women: A Secondary Analysis

In the United States, 29−44% of Black women experience postpartum depressive symptoms (PDS), yet few are properly identified and/or connected to mental care services. The purpose of this secondary analysis was to examine the relationship between maternal functioning and clinical variables (PDS, maternal−infant attachment), racial variable (Black racial identity types—low race salience, assimilated and miseducated, self-hating, anti-White, multiculturalist, and conflicted), and sociodemographic characteristics (relationship status, education, insurance, childbirth type). A total of 116 women living in the southern United States were included in the analysis. Multivariate analyses revealed that Black racial identity (p = 0.02), PDS (p < 0.0001), maternal−infant attachment (p < 0.0001), and educational level (p = 0.03) were independently associated with maternal functioning. This work provides new evidence regarding the role of various clinical and racial factors on Black postpartum women’s adjustment to motherhood. This analysis also adds to the growing body of evidence of reliability for the BIMF in Black postpartum women.