Journal
PSYCHONEUROENDOCRINOLOGY
Volume 99, Issue -, Pages 225-235Publisher
PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD
DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2018.09.001
Keywords
Racial discrimination; African American; Race/ethnicity; Stress; Allostatic load; Socioeconomic position
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Funding
- University of California, Berkeley (UCB) Hellman Fund, USA
- UCB Population Center, USA
- UCB Research Bridging Grant, USA
- UCB Experimental Social Science Laboratory, USA
- Robert Wood Johnson Health and Society Scholars Program (UCB site), USA
- UC Center for New Racial Studies, USA
- UCB Institute for the Study of Societal Issues, USA
- NIMHD, USA [P60MD006902, UL1GM118985]
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Objective: To examine the association between self-reported racial discrimination and allostatic load, and whether the association differs by socioeconomic position. Methods: We 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. Results: In 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. Conclusions: Racial 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.
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