Abstract
The association between racial discrimination (discrimination) and stress-related alterations in the neuroendocrine response—namely, cortisol secretion—is well documented in African Americans (AAs). Dysregulation in production of cortisol has been implicated as a contributor to racial health disparities. Guided by Clark et al. (Am Psychol 54(10):805–816, 1999. doi:10.1037/0003-066X.54.10.805) biopsychosocial model of racism and health, the present study examined the psychological pathways that link discrimination to total cortisol concentrations in AA males and females. In a sample of 312 AA emerging adults (45.5% males; ages 21–23), symptoms of anxiety, but not depression, mediated the relation between discrimination and total concentrations of cortisol. In addition, the results did not reveal sex differences in the direct and indirect pathways. These findings advance our understanding of racial health disparities by suggesting that the psychological consequences of discrimination can uniquely promote physiologic dysregulation in AAs.
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This research was supported by a Grant from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Development (NICHD) (5T32HD079350-02) for the Daniel B. Lee. Melissa K. Peckins was supported by a Grant from the NICHD (2T32 HD007109-36).
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Daniel B. Lee, Melissa K. Peckins, Justin E. Heinze, Alison L. Miller, Shervin Assari, and Marc A. Zimmerman declare that they have no conflict of interest.
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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.
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Lee, D.B., Peckins, M.K., Heinze, J.E. et al. Psychological pathways from racial discrimination to cortisol in African American males and females. J Behav Med 41, 208–220 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10865-017-9887-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10865-017-9887-2