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Elbasheir A, Felger JC, Michopoulos V, Ely TD, Wommack EC, Carter SE, Harnett NG, Fani N. C-reactive protein moderates associations between racial discrimination and ventromedial prefrontal cortex activation during attention to threat in Black American women. Neuropsychopharmacology 2024; 49:593-599. [PMID: 37752223 PMCID: PMC10789862 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-023-01737-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2023] [Revised: 08/17/2023] [Accepted: 09/05/2023] [Indexed: 09/28/2023]
Abstract
Prior research has shown that racial discrimination (RD) impacts activation in threat network regions, including the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) and middle occipital cortex during attention to threat-relevant stimuli. However, little is known about the biological mechanisms that may modulate these effects; inflammation may be a pathway linking RD and threat network activation. As such, the current study aimed to explore whether systemic inflammation, measured by C-reactive protein (CRP) levels, may moderate the relationship between RD and activation in the vmPFC and middle occipital cortex during attention to threat. Blood samples for inflammatory marker (CRP) assays were obtained from forty Black American women (mean [SD] age, 39.93 [9.97] years; range, 22-58 years) recruited from an ongoing trauma study; participants also viewed threat-relevant stimuli as part of an attention task during fMRI. We found that CRP moderated the relationship between RD and vmPFC activation during attention to threat, such that participants with relatively higher concentrations of CRP ( ≥ 23.97 mg/L) demonstrated significant positive associations between RD and vmPFC activation [β = 0.18, CI (0.04, 0.32), t = 2.65, p = 0.01]. No significant associations were observed for participants who showed moderate (10.89 mg/L) or low (0.20 mg/L) CRP concentrations. CRP did not moderate the relationship between RD and middle occipital cortex activation. Our data present a mechanism through which RD may influence immune system activation and, in turn, threat network activation. Inflammation may contribute to brain health vulnerabilities in Black Americans via its effects on threat circuits; this merits further investigation in large-scale studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aziz Elbasheir
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Jennifer C Felger
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Vasiliki Michopoulos
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Tim D Ely
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Evanthia C Wommack
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Sierra E Carter
- Department of Psychology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | | | - Negar Fani
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA.
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Donnelly R, Remani B, Erving CL. Dual pandemics? Assessing associations between area racism, COVID-19 case rates, and mental health among U.S. adults. SSM - MENTAL HEALTH 2023; 4:100248. [PMID: 38125912 PMCID: PMC10732532 DOI: 10.1016/j.ssmmh.2023.100248] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Mental health worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially among racially minoritized adults. Population-level racial attitudes, or area racism, may be associated with mental health, particularly during this historical moment, but this possibility has not been tested in prior research. In the present study, we use nationally representative data from the Household Pulse Survey (April-October 2020) to document associations between area racism and depression/anxiety in the United States among non-Hispanic Black, non-Hispanic Asian, Hispanic, non-Hispanic White, and other racial/ethnic minority adults. We further consider the national COVID-19 case rate to examine an additional macro-level stressor. Findings indicate that area racism was positively associated with depression and/or anxiety for Black, Hispanic, White, and other racial/ethnic minority adults. Moreover, COVID-19 cases posed an additional, independent mental health threat for most groups. This study points to area racism as a macro-level stressor and an antecedent of mental health for racially diverse groups of Americans.
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Hennein R, Tiako MJN, Tineo P, Lowe SR. Development and Validation of the Vicarious Racism in Healthcare Workers Scale. J Racial Ethn Health Disparities 2023; 10:2496-2504. [PMID: 36287336 PMCID: PMC9607839 DOI: 10.1007/s40615-022-01430-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2022] [Revised: 10/04/2022] [Accepted: 10/06/2022] [Indexed: 10/31/2022]
Abstract
Vicarious racism occurs when hearing about or observing people of the same racial and/or ethnic group experience racism. Healthcare workers may face unique experiences of vicarious racism through witnessing or hearing about racism that their patients and colleagues face. However, there are no validated measures of vicarious racism for the healthcare worker population. In this study, we developed and conducted an initial evaluation of the Vicarious Racism in Healthcare Workers Scale. We developed the 12-item scale based on a qualitative study exploring the experiences of racism among healthcare workers and existing literature on the topic. We administered the scale to a cohort of 259 healthcare workers identifying as a racialized minority to evaluate its factor structure, internal consistency, and construct validity. Factor analysis yielded two factors: racism in social networks and racism in society at-large. This two-factor solution had good model fit (standardized root mean square residual = 0.061). The internal consistencies of the overall scale, social networks subscale, and society subscale were excellent (α = 0.93, 0.92, and 0.89, respectively). We found evidence in support of convergent validity; scale scores were higher among Black healthcare workers compared with non-Black healthcare workers and those with greater social support needs. Scale scores were positively correlated with directly experienced racism and symptoms of posttraumatic stress, depression, and anxiety. The scale demonstrated discriminant validity; scale scores did not differ based on gender or job. The Vicarious Racism in Healthcare Workers Scale demonstrated favorable psychometric properties and may be used to assess vicarious racism in this population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel Hennein
- Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, Yale School of Public Health, 60 College St, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA.
- Yale School of Medicine, 333 Cedar St, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA.
| | | | - Petty Tineo
- Department of Psychology, Montclair State University, 1 Normal Ave, Montclair, NJ, 07043, USA
| | - Sarah R Lowe
- Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Yale School of Public Health, 60 College St, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA
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MICHAELS ELIK, LAM‐HINE TRACY, NGUYEN THUT, GEE GILBERTC, ALLEN AMANIM. The Water Surrounding the Iceberg: Cultural Racism and Health Inequities. Milbank Q 2023; 101:768-814. [PMID: 37435779 PMCID: PMC10509530 DOI: 10.1111/1468-0009.12662] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2022] [Revised: 04/03/2023] [Accepted: 05/08/2023] [Indexed: 07/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Policy Points Cultural racism-or the widespread values that privilege and protect Whiteness and White social and economic power-permeates all levels of society, uplifts other dimensions of racism, and contributes to health inequities. Overt forms of racism, such as racial hate crimes, represent only the "tip of the iceberg," whereas structural and institutional racism represent its base. This paper advances cultural racism as the "water surrounding the iceberg," allowing it to float while obscuring its base. Considering the fundamental role of cultural racism is needed to advance health equity. CONTEXT Cultural racism is a pervasive social toxin that surrounds all other dimensions of racism to produce and maintain racial health inequities. Yet, cultural racism has received relatively little attention in the public health literature. The purpose of this paper is to 1) provide public health researchers and policymakers with a clearer understanding of what cultural racism is, 2) provide an understanding of how it operates in conjunction with the other dimensions of racism to produce health inequities, and 3) offer directions for future research and interventions on cultural racism. METHODS We conducted a nonsystematic, multidisciplinary review of theory and empirical evidence that conceptualizes, measures, and documents the consequences of cultural racism for social and health inequities. FINDINGS Cultural racism can be defined as a culture of White supremacy, which values, protects, and normalizes Whiteness and White social and economic power. This ideological system operates at the level of our shared social consciousness and is expressed in the language, symbols, and media representations of dominant society. Cultural racism surrounds and bolsters structural, institutional, personally mediated, and internalized racism, undermining health through material, cognitive/affective, biologic, and behavioral mechanisms across the life course. CONCLUSIONS More time, research, and funding is needed to advance measurement, elucidate mechanisms, and develop evidence-based policy interventions to reduce cultural racism and promote health equity.
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Affiliation(s)
- ELI K. MICHAELS
- Division of Epidemiology, School of Public HealthUniversity of California
| | - TRACY LAM‐HINE
- Division of Epidemiology & Population HealthStanford University School of Medicine
| | | | - GILBERT C. GEE
- Jonathan and Karin Fielding School of Public HealthUniversity of California
| | - AMANI M. ALLEN
- Division of Epidemiology, School of Public HealthUniversity of California
- Division of Community Health Sciences, School of Public HealthUniversity of California
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5
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Erving CL, Zajdel R, McKinnon II, Van Dyke ME, Murden RJ, Johnson DA, Moore RH, Lewis TT. Gendered Racial Microaggressions and Black Women's Sleep Health. SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY QUARTERLY 2023; 86:107-129. [PMID: 38371316 PMCID: PMC10869115 DOI: 10.1177/01902725221136139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/20/2024]
Abstract
Gendered racial microaggressions reflect historical and contemporary gendered racism that Black women encounter. Although gendered racial microaggressions are related to psychological outcomes, it is unclear if such experiences are related to sleep health. Moreover, the health effects of gendered racial microaggressions dimensions are rarely investigated. Using a cohort of Black women (N = 400), this study employs an intracategorical intersectional approach to (1) investigate the association between gendered racial microaggressions and sleep health, (2) assess whether gendered racial microaggressions dimensions are related to sleep health, and (3) examine whether the gendered racial microaggressions-sleep health association persists after accounting for depressive symptoms and worry. Gendered racial microaggressions were associated with poor sleep quality overall and four specific domains: subjective sleep quality, latency, disturbance, and daytime sleepiness. Two gendered racial microaggressions dimensions were especially detrimental for sleep: assumptions of beauty/sexual objectification and feeling silenced and marginalized. After accounting for mental health, the effect of gendered racial microaggressions on sleep was reduced by 47 percent. Future research implications are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Rachel Zajdel
- National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA
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Keum BT, Li X. Online Racism, Rumination, and Vigilance: Impact on Distress, Loneliness, and Alcohol Use. COUNSELING PSYCHOLOGIST 2022. [DOI: 10.1177/00110000221143521] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
We examined the potential anticipatory response (rumination, vigilance) associated with online racism and its impact on psychological distress, loneliness, and alcohol use severity. With a sample of 407 racial minority adults, we conducted a path analysis to examine the indirect relation of online racism on our outcome variables via online racism-related rumination and offline racism-related vigilance. Online racism was significantly linked to psychological distress, alcohol use severity, and loneliness. Rumination and vigilance explained significant indirect relations between online racism and psychological distress and loneliness. Only rumination explained the significant indirect relation between online racism and alcohol use severity. Posthoc multigroup analysis suggested that the path model estimates for the full sample applied equivalently to the African American/Black, Asian/Asian American, and Latinx/Hispanic American groups. Online racism is likely an unjust burden for racial minority individuals that may give rise to prolonged rumination and anticipation about facing racial discrimination in their offline world.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian TaeHyuk Keum
- Department of Social Welfare, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Xu Li
- Department of Educational Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI, USA
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Jones NE, Lewis K, Brown AM. Navigating a hyperracialized space: exploring the intersections of whiteness, social control, and mental health in st. louis county, missouri. ETHNIC AND RACIAL STUDIES 2022; 46:966-986. [PMID: 36919022 PMCID: PMC10010681 DOI: 10.1080/01419870.2022.2085523] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2021] [Accepted: 05/26/2022] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Places marred by a legacy of racial violence have contemporary implications for racial and ethnic minorities. However, there is limited work examining how racial and ethnic minorities perceive and navigate these spaces and how they may affect their health. We examine the daily lives of Black residents of St. Louis County, living in what we refer to as a hyperracialized space, or areas characterized by multiple forms of violence, to understand how navigating a hyperracialized space impacts how Black residents negotiate space and make meaning of their health. Qualitative interviews (n = 20) revealed three themes: (1) Whiteness and the maintenance of a hyperracialized space, (2) unspoken rules of police encounters and the embodiment of self-regulation, (3) and hypervigilance. Narratives reveal how individuals and institutions concretize a hyperracialized space through social control. Moreover, participants discussed how their environment influenced how they interacted with and navigated space, the toll of which elicited hypervigilance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole E. Jones
- Department of Sociology, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, US
| | - Kaleea Lewis
- Department of Public Health and Department of Women’s and Gender Studies, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, US
| | - Alaysia M. Brown
- Department of Human Development and Family Science, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, US
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Wu TY, Hsieh HF, Chow CM, Yang X, Resnicow K, Zimmerman M. Examining racism and firearm-related risks among Asian Americans in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic. Prev Med Rep 2022; 27:101800. [PMID: 35656206 PMCID: PMC9152798 DOI: 10.1016/j.pmedr.2022.101800] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2021] [Revised: 04/14/2022] [Accepted: 04/17/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Firearm-related injury is a major public health concern in the U.S. Experience of racism and discrimination can increase the risk of minority group members engaging in or being victims of firearm-related violence. Given the increased racism endured by Asian Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic, it is imperative to understand firearm-related behaviors in this population. The purpose of this study was to examine how Asian Americans' racism and discrimination experiences were related to firearm-related behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic. Cross-sectional data were collected between December 2020 and January 2021 from a national sample of 916 Asian Americans. Measures included demographics, firearm-related risks, and three measures of racism/discrimination experiences since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Among individuals who purchased a gun since the start of the pandemic, 54.6% were first-time gun owners. Among household gun owners, 42.8% stored loaded guns and 47.1% stored guns unlocked. More than 38% of individual gun owners have carried a gun more frequently since the pandemic. After controlling for family firearm ownership and demographics, regression analyses showed that Asian Americans who experienced racial discrimination were more likely to purchase a gun and ammunition and intend to purchase more ammunition during the COVID-19 pandemic. AAs who perceived more cultural racism were more likely to purchase a gun. Individuals who reported higher anticipatory racism-related stress reported greater intent to purchase guns. Our findings suggest an urgent need to investigate further the compounded effects of racism, the COVID-19 pandemic, and firearm-related behaviors in this population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tsu-Yin Wu
- Center for Health Disparities Innovation and Studies, Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti, MI, USA,Corresponding author.
| | - Hsing-Fang Hsieh
- School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Chong Man Chow
- Psychology, Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti, MI, USA
| | - Xining Yang
- Center for Health Disparities Innovation and Studies, Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti, MI, USA
| | - Ken Resnicow
- School of Public Health and Rogel Cancer Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Marc Zimmerman
- School of Public Health and the Institute for Firearm Injury Prevention, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
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Hunte R, Klawetter S, Paul S. "Black Nurses in the Home is Working": Advocacy, Naming, and Processing Racism to Improve Black Maternal and Infant Health. Matern Child Health J 2022; 26:933-940. [PMID: 34817758 PMCID: PMC10027493 DOI: 10.1007/s10995-021-03283-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/18/2021] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES 1) To explore how racism-related stress impacts Black women's health, pregnancy, and parenting. 2) To explore how a culturally-specific program affects the relationship between racism-related stress and Black women's health, pregnancy, and parenting. METHODS This qualitative study uses a Black Feminist approach to center the lived experiences and perspectives of Black women. Focus groups were conducted with clients and staff of a culturally-specific program that provides perinatal care for Black families. A thematic analysis was conducted using a Reproductive Justice framework as a guide. RESULTS Participants consisted of 23 program clients and staff who all identified as Black women. Four themes emerged from the analysis: 1) The pervasive reach of structural racism, 2) Shared identities facilitate trust and healing, 3) Racism directly impacts mental health, and 4) Advocacy on macro and micro levels is a vital service. CONCLUSIONS FOR PRACTICE Results show the chronicity and toxicity of structural racism on Black women's physical and mental health. The presence of overt and subtle forms of racism occur in multiple systems and require interventions on macro- and micro-levels. Culturally-specific perinatal care programs that prioritize racial concordance between providers and clients/patients are well-received and effective models of care. Black perinatal care should include culturally-specific approaches, advocacy on behalf of and alongside Black people, mental health support with attention to racism-related stress, and interrogation of implicit bias. Multipronged interventions guided by Reproductive Justice principles provide a holistic framework to address interpersonal and systemic racial oppression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roberta Hunte
- School of Social Work, Portland State University, PO Box 751-SSW, Portland, OR, 97207, USA
| | - Susanne Klawetter
- School of Social Work, Portland State University, PO Box 751-SSW, Portland, OR, 97207, USA.
| | - Sherly Paul
- Healthy Birth Initiatives, 5329 NE Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Portland, OR, 97211, USA
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10
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Hope EC, Volpe VV, Briggs AS, Benson GP. Anti-racism activism among Black adolescents and emerging adults: Understanding the roles of racism and anticipatory racism-related stress. Child Dev 2022; 93:717-731. [PMID: 35211959 PMCID: PMC9306571 DOI: 10.1111/cdev.13744] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
This study examines associations between individual racism, anticipatory racism‐related stress, and anti‐racism activism among Black adolescents (n = 443; Mage = 15.6; 57.4% female) and emerging adults (n = 447; Mage = 23.8; 77.6% female). The authors tested competing hypotheses about associations between individual racism and anti‐racism activism on anticipatory racism‐related stress. Findings indicated anticipatory racism‐related stress may be both a catalyst and consequence of engagement in anti‐racism activism for Black adolescents and emerging adults. Results for each age group varied by type of stress (physiological; psychological) and activism (low‐risk; high‐risk). Supporting youth engagement in anti‐racism activism without increasing anticipatory racism‐related stress is a key priority for meaningfully advancing scholarship on the development of anti‐racism and pursuit of racial justice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elan C Hope
- Department of Psychology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
| | - Vanessa V Volpe
- Department of Psychology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
| | - Alexis S Briggs
- Department of Psychology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
| | - G Perusi Benson
- Department of Psychology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
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11
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Longitudinal Effects of Racial Discrimination on Depressive Symptoms Among Black Youth: Between- and Within-Person Effects. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2022; 61:56-65. [PMID: 34015482 PMCID: PMC8599529 DOI: 10.1016/j.jaac.2021.04.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2020] [Revised: 03/18/2021] [Accepted: 05/07/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Black youth experience racial discrimination at high rates. This study sought to further understand the longitudinal effects of racial discrimination on the mental health of Black youth by examining cross-lagged associations between perceived racial discrimination and depressive symptoms at the between-person (interindividual) level and the within-person (intraindividual) level. METHOD A group of 346 Black youths (mean age 10.9 years) from the rural southern United States reported racial discrimination and depressive symptoms 4 times over 24.5 months. A cross-lagged panel model was used to examine between-person concurrent and lagged effects, and a random intercept cross-lagged panel model was used to examine within-person concurrent and lagged effects. RESULTS There were significant concurrent associations at all waves in both models. Additionally, there were significant lagged effects from perceived racial discrimination to depressive symptoms, but not from depressive symptoms to perceived racial discrimination, in both models. CONCLUSION Youth experiencing higher levels of racial discrimination subsequently develop more depressive symptoms than youth experiencing less discrimination (between-person effects), and youth experiencing higher levels of discrimination relative to their own average subsequently report increases in depressive symptoms (within-person effects). These findings provide a rigorous test of conceptual models outlining the harmful effects of racial discrimination on mental health, add to a growing body of work documenting these effects on Black youth, and underscore the need for systemic changes to reduce the amount of discrimination Black youth experience and for interventions to promote resilience among Black youth in the face of cultural marginalization.
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12
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Measuring the biological embedding of racial trauma among Black Americans utilizing the RDoC approach. Dev Psychopathol 2021; 33:1849-1863. [DOI: 10.1017/s0954579421001073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
AbstractThe National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) initiative aims to understand the mechanisms influencing psychopathology through a dimensional approach. Limited research thus far has considered potential racial/ethnic differences in RDoC constructs that are influenced by developmental and contextual processes. A growing body of research has demonstrated that racial trauma is a pervasive chronic stressor that impacts the health of Black Americans across the life course. In this review article, we examine the ways that an RDOC framework could allow us to better understand the biological embedding of racial trauma among Black Americans. We also specifically examine the Negative Valence System domain of RDoC to explore how racial trauma is informed by and can help expand our understanding of this domain. We end the review by providing some additional research considerations and future research directives in the area of racial trauma that build on the RDoC initiative.
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13
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Spears EC, Allen AM, Chung KW, Martz CD, Hunter EA, Fuller-Rowell TE, Lim SS, Drenkard C, Chae DH. Anticipatory racism stress, smoking and disease activity: the Black women's experiences living with lupus (BeWELL) study. J Behav Med 2021; 44:760-771. [PMID: 34159500 DOI: 10.1007/s10865-021-00235-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2020] [Accepted: 06/05/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
African American women with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) have worse disease outcomes compared to their White counterparts. Stressors associated with race may contribute to poorer health in this population through maladaptive behavioral pathways. This study investigated relationships between stress associated with anticipating racism, smoking, and SLE disease activity. Data were from 432 African American women with SLE in the Black Women's Experiences Living with Lupus (BeWELL) Study. Controlling for sociodemographic and health-related covariates, multivariable regression analyses revealed a significant association between anticipatory racism stress (ARS) and disease activity (p = 0.00, b = 1.13, 95% CI [0.43, 1.82]). A significant interaction between ARS and smoking also indicated that smoking exacerbated the effect of ARS on disease activity (p = 0.04, b = 1.95, CI = 0.04, 3.96). Test for evidence of smoking mediating the effect of ARS on disease activity were not statistically significant (z = 1.77, p = 0.08). Findings have implications for future SLE disparities research among African American women with SLE.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erica C Spears
- Department of Health Behavior and Health Systems, School of Public Health, University of North Texas Health Science Center, Fort Worth, TX, USA.
| | - Amani M Allen
- Divisions of Community Health Sciences and Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Kara W Chung
- Department of Human Development and Family Studies, College of Human Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, USA
| | - Connor D Martz
- Department of Human Development and Family Studies, College of Human Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, USA
| | - Evelyn A Hunter
- Department of Special Education, Rehabilitation & Counseling, College of Education, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, USA
| | - Thomas E Fuller-Rowell
- Department of Human Development and Family Studies, College of Human Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, USA
| | - S Sam Lim
- Department of Medicine, Division of Rheumatology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Christina Drenkard
- Department of Medicine, Division of Rheumatology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - David H Chae
- Department of Global Community Health and Behavioral Science, School of Public Health & Tropical Medicine, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, USA
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14
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Holloway K, Varner F. Parenting despite discrimination: Does racial identity matter? CULTURAL DIVERSITY & ETHNIC MINORITY PSYCHOLOGY 2021; 27:781-795. [PMID: 34279979 PMCID: PMC8497417 DOI: 10.1037/cdp0000452] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Previous research suggests that parents' characteristics and race-related experiences shape the racial socialization messages they give their children. Parents' beliefs about race may also relate to how they interpret and respond to race-related stressors. The current study drew on the Sociohistorical Integrative Model for the Study of Stress in Black Families to examine the moderating roles of gender and racial identity subscales (i.e., racial centrality, private regard, and public regard) on the relations between race-related stressors (i.e., personal, vicarious, and anticipated racial discrimination) and racial socialization. METHOD Path analyses were conducted in Mplus 8.2 using online survey data from a national sample of 567 African American parents of adolescents. RESULTS There were seven significant three-way interactions. Racial centrality and gender moderated the relations between both personal and vicarious racial discrimination and each racial socialization message. Private regard and gender moderated the relations between personal racial discrimination and preparation for bias and between vicarious racial discrimination and cultural socialization. Public regard and parent gender moderated the relation between personal racial discrimination and cultural socialization. CONCLUSIONS The findings highlighted that parents' experiences of personal, vicarious, and anticipated racial discrimination have different relations with their racial socialization messages. In addition, they highlighted that racial identity and parent gender are related to the type of racial socialization messages African American parents who are exposed to race-related stressors give their children. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).
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Fani N, Carter SE, Harnett NG, Ressler KJ, Bradley B. Association of Racial Discrimination With Neural Response to Threat in Black Women in the US Exposed to Trauma. JAMA Psychiatry 2021; 78:1005-1012. [PMID: 34319369 PMCID: PMC8319825 DOI: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2021.1480] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
IMPORTANCE Racial discrimination has a clear impact on health-related outcomes, but little is known about how discriminatory experiences are associated with neural response patterns to emotionally salient cues, which likely mediates these outcomes. OBJECTIVE To examine associations of discriminatory experiences with brainwide response to threat-relevant cues in trauma-exposed US Black women as they engage in an attentionally demanding task. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS A cross-sectional study was conducted from May 1, 2014, to July 1, 2019, among 55 trauma-exposed US Black women to examine associations of racial discrimination experiences with patterns of neural response and behavior to trauma-relevant images in an affective attentional control task. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and trauma exposure were entered as covariates to isolate variance associated with experiences of racial discrimination. EXPOSURES Varying levels of trauma, PTSD symptoms, and experiences of racial discrimination. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Experiences of Discrimination Questionnaire (EOD) (range, 0-9) for count of the number of situations for which each participant reported having unfair treatment for a racial reason. Experiences of trauma and PTSD symptoms were assessed with the Traumatic Events Inventory (TEI) (number of times the person was exposed to trauma; score range, 0-112) and PTSD Symptom Scale (PSS) (score range, 0-51). Response to trauma-relevant vs neutral distractor cues were assessed via functional magnetic resonance imaging during performance of an affective Stroop (attentional control) task. Statistical analyses were conducted at a whole-brain, voxelwise level with familywise error correction. RESULTS In this study of 55 Black women in the US (mean [SD] age, 37.7 [10.7] years; range, 21-61 years), participants reported a mean (SD) TEI frequency of 33.0 (18.8) and showed moderate levels of current PTSD symptoms (mean [SD] PSS score, 15.4 [12.9]). Mean (SD) EOD scores were 2.35 (2.44) and were moderately correlated with current PTSD symptoms (PSS total: r = 0.36; P=.009) but not with age (r = 0.20; P = .15) or TEI frequency (r = -0.02; P = .89). During attention to trauma-relevant vs neutral images, more experiences of racial discrimination were associated with significantly greater response in nodes of emotion regulation and fear inhibition (ventromedial prefrontal cortex) and visual attention (middle occipital cortex) networks, even after accounting for trauma and severity of PTSD symptoms (brainwide familywise error corrected; r = 0.33 for ventromedial prefrontal cortex; P = .02). Racial discrimination was also associated with affective Stroop task performance; errors on trials with threat-relevant stimuli were negatively correlated with experiences of racial discrimination (r = -0.41; P = .003). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE These findings suggest that experiences of racial discrimination associate with disproportionately greater response in brain regions associated with emotion regulation and fear inhibition and visual attention. Frequent racism experienced by Black individuals may potentiate attentional and regulatory responses to trauma-relevant stressors and lead to heightened modulation of regulatory resources. This may represent an important neurobiological pathway for race-related health disparities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Negar Fani
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
| | | | - Nathaniel G. Harnett
- Division of Depression and Anxiety, McLean Hospital, Belmont, Massachusetts,Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Kerry J. Ressler
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia,Division of Depression and Anxiety, McLean Hospital, Belmont, Massachusetts,Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Bekh Bradley
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia,Atlanta Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Atlanta, Georgia
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Shell EM, Teodorescu D, Williams LD. Investigating Race-related Stress, Burnout, and Secondary Traumatic Stress for Black Mental Health Therapists. JOURNAL OF BLACK PSYCHOLOGY 2021. [DOI: 10.1177/00957984211033963] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
The present study examined the relationships among burnout, secondary traumatic stress (STS), and race-related stress among a national sample of 250 Black mental health therapists (counselors, social workers, psychologists, and marriage and family therapists). We investigated the predictive nature of the three subscales (Individual Racism, Cultural Racism, and Institutional Racism) of the Index of Race-Related Stress–Brief Version (IRRS-B) and selected demographic variables on therapists’ reports of burnout and STS assessed on the Professional Quality of Life Scale–Version 5 (ProQOL-5). All three forms of race-related stress significantly predicted both burnout and STS for Black mental health therapists. Of the demographic variables, hours worked per week significantly predicted burnout and STS. Additionally, highest degree obtained significantly predicted STS for Black mental health therapists. The utility of these findings in understanding the connections among race-related stress, burnout, and STS are discussed as well as directions for future research.
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Keum BT, Ahn LH. Impact of online racism on psychological distress and alcohol use severity: Testing ethnic-racial socialization and silence about race as moderators. COMPUTERS IN HUMAN BEHAVIOR 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.chb.2021.106773] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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Holloway K, Varner F. Maternal Race-Related Stressors and African American Adolescents' Academic and Behavioral Outcomes. FAMILY RELATIONS 2021; 70:603-618. [PMID: 38323092 PMCID: PMC10846896 DOI: 10.1111/fare.12540] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2020] [Accepted: 09/07/2020] [Indexed: 02/08/2024]
Abstract
Objective The purpose of the current study was to use the integrative model for the Study of Stress in Black American Families to test whether a set of maternal race-related stressors were related to adolescents' academic and behavioral outcomes through maternal depressive symptoms and involved-vigilant parenting. Gender differences in these relations were tested also. Background Research on race-related stressors has predominantly focused on the role of personal racial discrimination experiences on individual outcomes. Yet parents' vicarious and anticipated racial discrimination also may be related to parents' psychological functioning, family processes, and adolescent development. Method Path analyses were conducted in Mplus 8.2 using online survey data from a national sample of 317 African American mothers of adolescents to examine direct and indirect relations between maternal personal, vicarious, and anticipated racial discrimination, and adolescents' problem behaviors, grades, and academic persistence. Results Maternal personal racial discrimination experiences were positively related to adolescents' internalizing and externalizing problem behaviors directly and indirectly through maternal depressive symptoms and involved-vigilant parenting. Anticipated racial discrimination and vicarious racial discrimination were indirectly related to better adolescent outcomes through positive relations with maternal involved-vigilant parenting. Conclusion Maternal personal, vicarious, and anticipated racial discrimination act differently in relation to adolescent competencies in African American families.
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Mekawi Y, Carter S, Brown B, Martinez de Andino A, Fani N, Michopoulos V, Powers A. Interpersonal Trauma and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder among Black Women: Does Racial Discrimination Matter? J Trauma Dissociation 2021; 22:154-169. [PMID: 33460354 PMCID: PMC9082823 DOI: 10.1080/15299732.2020.1869098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
There is evidence that the more frequent, severe, and chronic posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptomatology experienced by Black compared to White individuals cannot be explained by disparities in socioeconomic status or trauma exposure. One factor that may be important to consider is racial discrimination, which is associated with numerous negative mental health outcomes yet has not been studied in the context of interpersonal traumas for Black women. This study aims to fill this gap by examining the independent and interactive roles of racial discrimination and interpersonal trauma in predicting PTSD symptoms in a community sample of trauma-exposed, Black women (n = 292). Consistent with the previous literature, we found that more frequent experiences of racial discrimination were associated with more severe PTSD symptoms overall (r = .34) and by symptom cluster. Furthermore, we found a significant interaction between experiences of racial discrimination and experiences of interpersonal trauma (b = .46, 95%CI[.04, .88], SE = .28; ΔR2 = .01, p = .03) such that the association between PTSD symptoms and interpersonal trauma was stronger at higher (+1 SD above the mean) levels of racial discrimination. This pattern was replicated for most PTSD symptom clusters. These results suggest that racial discrimination experiences exacerbate the association between interpersonal traumatic experiences and PTSD symptoms among Black women.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yara Mekawi
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Sierra Carter
- Department of Psychology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Brittney Brown
- College of Health Professions, Mercer University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Ana Martinez de Andino
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Negar Fani
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Vasiliki Michopoulos
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Abigail Powers
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
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Brooks JR, Hong JH, Cheref S, Walker RL. Capability for suicide: Discrimination as a painful and provocative event. Suicide Life Threat Behav 2020; 50:1173-1180. [PMID: 33196132 DOI: 10.1111/sltb.12671] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2019] [Revised: 05/10/2020] [Accepted: 05/14/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Developing the capability to die by suicide, and overcoming one's natural instinct of self-preservation, is thought to occur as a result of habituation to the fear and pain surrounding suicide. However, investigations of suicide capability have yet to examine whether perceived discrimination serves as a painful and provocative event that contributes to capability for suicide. The purpose of the current study was to examine the association of perceived discrimination and suicide capability for Black and White adults. METHOD The study sample included 173 Black adults (67.6% female; Mage = 23.18, SD = 5.74) and 272 White adults (60.7% female; Mage = 22.80, SD = 5.90). Participants completed a questionnaire battery that included measures of perceived discrimination, depression, and suicide ideation. RESULTS Regression analyses revealed for Black adults (but not White adults), perceived discrimination was associated with an increased capability for suicide after accounting for depressive symptomatology, suicide ideation, non-discriminatory painful and provocative events experienced, age, and gender (β = .226, t = 3.154, p = .002). CONCLUSIONS These findings provide preliminary evidence that perceived discrimination may play a role in suicide capability for Black adults and highlight the importance of considering contextual experiences when examining suicidality in underserved groups.
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21
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Relations between racial stress and critical consciousness for black adolescents. JOURNAL OF APPLIED DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.appdev.2020.101184] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Madubata IJ, Odafe MO, Talavera DC, Hong JH, Walker RL. Helplessness Mediates Racial Discrimination and Depression for African American Young Adults. JOURNAL OF BLACK PSYCHOLOGY 2018. [DOI: 10.1177/0095798418811476] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Racial discrimination is associated with depressive symptoms for young African American adults. Yet few studies have examined the psychological mechanisms for this association. The purpose of this preliminary study was to examine the mediating effect of helplessness on the association between perceived racial discrimination and depressive symptoms in a sample of 172 African American young adults. Measures of perceived racial discrimination, depression, and helplessness were administered. Though the majority of the sample reported minimal or no symptoms of depression, approximately 37% of the sample reported dysphoric or more severe depression symptomatology. After controlling for age, perceived racial discrimination was directly and indirectly associated with depressive symptoms via helplessness. These findings provide some insight into the cognitive mechanisms through which depressive symptoms may emerge for African American young adults exposed to racial discrimination.
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Guo J, Mrug S, Knight DC. Emotion socialization as a predictor of physiological and psychological responses to stress. Physiol Behav 2017; 175:119-129. [PMID: 28377196 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2017.03.046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/26/2016] [Revised: 03/29/2017] [Accepted: 03/30/2017] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Reactivity patterns to acute stress are important indicators of physical and mental health. However, the relationships between emotion socialization and stress responses are not well understood. This study aimed to examine whether parental responses to negative emotions predicted physiological and psychological responses to acute stress in late adolescence and emerging adulthood, and whether these relationships varied by gender and ethnicity. Participants were 973 individuals (mean age=19.20years; 50% male; 63% African American, 34% European American) who reported on parental emotion socialization. Participants completed a standardized social stress test (the Trier Social Stress Test; TSST). Heart rate, blood pressure and salivary samples were assessed from baseline throughout the task and during recovery period. Psychological responses to stress were measured immediately after the TSST. Unsupportive parental responses to children's negative emotions were associated with blunted cortisol reactivity and greater negative emotions to a psychosocial stress task in females and African American youth, whereas supportive parental responses predicted greater cortisol reactivity and lower negative emotions to stress in European American youth, as well as less negative emotions in males. However, parental responses to negative emotions did not predict heart rate or SBP reactivity to the TSST. Findings suggest that parental emotion socialization may be an important factor influencing HPA axis reactivity and psychological responses to stress, with important differences across gender and ethnic youth subgroups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinhong Guo
- Department of Psychology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 1720 2nd Ave South, Birmingham, AL 35294, United States.
| | - Sylvie Mrug
- Department of Psychology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 1720 2nd Ave South, Birmingham, AL 35294, United States.
| | - David C Knight
- Department of Psychology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 1720 2nd Ave South, Birmingham, AL 35294, United States.
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Culturally-Based Communication about Health, Eating, and Food: Development and validation of the CHEF scale. Appetite 2016; 96:399-407. [DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2015.09.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2014] [Revised: 08/23/2015] [Accepted: 09/21/2015] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
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Paradies Y, Ben J, Denson N, Elias A, Priest N, Pieterse A, Gupta A, Kelaher M, Gee G. Racism as a Determinant of Health: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0138511. [PMID: 26398658 PMCID: PMC4580597 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0138511] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1181] [Impact Index Per Article: 131.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2015] [Accepted: 08/30/2015] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite a growing body of epidemiological evidence in recent years documenting the health impacts of racism, the cumulative evidence base has yet to be synthesized in a comprehensive meta-analysis focused specifically on racism as a determinant of health. This meta-analysis reviewed the literature focusing on the relationship between reported racism and mental and physical health outcomes. Data from 293 studies reported in 333 articles published between 1983 and 2013, and conducted predominately in the U.S., were analysed using random effects models and mean weighted effect sizes. Racism was associated with poorer mental health (negative mental health: r = -.23, 95% CI [-.24,-.21], k = 227; positive mental health: r = -.13, 95% CI [-.16,-.10], k = 113), including depression, anxiety, psychological stress and various other outcomes. Racism was also associated with poorer general health (r = -.13 (95% CI [-.18,-.09], k = 30), and poorer physical health (r = -.09, 95% CI [-.12,-.06], k = 50). Moderation effects were found for some outcomes with regard to study and exposure characteristics. Effect sizes of racism on mental health were stronger in cross-sectional compared with longitudinal data and in non-representative samples compared with representative samples. Age, sex, birthplace and education level did not moderate the effects of racism on health. Ethnicity significantly moderated the effect of racism on negative mental health and physical health: the association between racism and negative mental health was significantly stronger for Asian American and Latino(a) American participants compared with African American participants, and the association between racism and physical health was significantly stronger for Latino(a) American participants compared with African American participants. Protocol PROSPERO registration number: CRD42013005464.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yin Paradies
- Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalization, Faculty of Arts and Education, Deakin University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Jehonathan Ben
- Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalization, Faculty of Arts and Education, Deakin University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Nida Denson
- School of Social Sciences and Psychology, University of Western Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Amanuel Elias
- Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalization, Faculty of Arts and Education, Deakin University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Naomi Priest
- Australian Centre for Applied Social Research Methods, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
| | - Alex Pieterse
- Division of Counseling Psychology, University at Albany, State University of New York, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Arpana Gupta
- Oppenheimer Center for Neurobiology of Stress, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
| | - Margaret Kelaher
- Centre for Health Policy Programs and Economics, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Gilbert Gee
- Department of Community Health Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Fielding School of Public Health, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
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Hoggard LS, Hill LK, Gray DL, Sellers RM. Capturing the cardiac effects of racial discrimination: Do the effects "keep going"? Int J Psychophysiol 2015; 97:163-70. [PMID: 25931114 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2015.04.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2014] [Revised: 04/24/2015] [Accepted: 04/24/2015] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Racial discrimination negatively impacts cardiac functioning, but few studies examine the more distal cardiac effects of racial discrimination experiences. The present study examined the momentary and prolonged impact of lab-based intergroup and intragroup racial discrimination on heart rate variability (HRV) and heart rate (HR) in a sample (N = 42) of African American (AA) women across two days. On day one, the women were exposed to simulated racial discrimination from either a European American (EA) or AA confederate in the lab. On day two, the women returned to the lab for additional physiological recording and debriefing. Women insulted by the EA confederate exhibited lower HRV on day one and marginally lower HRV on day two. These women also exhibited marginally higher HR on day two. The HRV and HR effects on day two were not mediated by differences in perseveration about the stressor. The findings indicate that racial discrimination - particularly intergroup racial discrimination - may have both momentary and prolonged effects on cardiac activity in AAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lori S Hoggard
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
| | - LaBarron K Hill
- Center for the Study of Aging and Human Development, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA; Center for Biobehavioral Health Disparities Research, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - DeLeon L Gray
- College of Education, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | - Robert M Sellers
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
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