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In this study, the effects of psychosocial job stressors on the resting blood pressure (BP) of 112 black male workers were examined. The subjects resided in a rural, poor, predominantly black community in eastern North Carolina. The job stressors included unemployment, lack of job security, lack of job success, the perception that wages earned were too low for the work performed (and inhibited anger about unfair wages), and the perception that being black had hindered chances for achieving job success. The effect-modifying influence of on-the-job social support, and John Henryism, on several of these relationships was also examined. For systolic blood pressure, a main effect was observed for job security, and an interaction effect was observed for employment status and time of day of interview. For diastolic blood pressure, significant interactions were observed for job success and John Henryism, and for job success and the perception that being black had hindered chances for achieving job success. These findings further clarify under what conditions John Henryism may be associated with higher BPs in this sample of black men. These findings also shed light on the emotional pathways through which selected job stressors may influence resting BPs in these men.

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) remains a major public health issue in the United States (US) and Black women living with HIV (BWLWH) are disproportionately impacted among women. This study investigates the complexities in influences of family, friend, and special person support systems and their association with post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms (PTSD), depressive symptoms, gendered coping (self-silencing), and a composite HIV risk score related to risk of viral non-suppression through missed medical visits, low medication adherence, and high viral load. Cross-sectional data among BWLWH were analyzed using network analyses via RStudio. Data from 119 BWLWH was reduced to 104, because of missing data on indicators as well as pairwise deletion for the correlation function. Findings revealed variances based on the type of network. For composite risk scores, friend support source had a weak to moderate significant correlation, while symptoms of PTSD and depression only showed a weak positive correlation with the composite risk variable through self-silencing as a form of coping. The post-hoc analysis showed a strong correlation with care as self-sacrifice, based on the composite risk score. Based on the findings from this study, insight was given into symptoms for depression and PTSD, as well as self-silencing and viral non-suppression risk in relation to sources of support for BWLWH. Future interventions to improve the overall health of BWLWH may benefit from incorporating support from friends and lowering care as self-sacrifice., Competing Interests: Declarations. Ethics approval: This study was performed in accordance with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki All study procedures and materials were approved by the Institutional review Board at the University of Miami (5/8/2017, No. 20170281). Consent to participate: Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study. Consent for publication: Research participants have provided informed consent for the publication of the research findings in a peer-reviewed journal. Conflict of interest: Unrelated to data in this manuscript, Dr. Dale is a co-investigator on a Merck & Co. funded project on “A Qualitative Study to Explore Biomedical HIV Prevention Preferences, Challenges and Facilitators among Diverse At-Risk Women Living in the United States” and has served as a workgroup consultant on engaging people living with HIV for Gilead Sciences, Inc., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

The article discusses a study which aims to identify individuals who are at high risk for racial health disparities due to racial discrimination. Topics discussed include the cultural ideologies in the Western world, the psychological and physiological consequences of the just world belief, and the tools used to measure factors such as perceived discrimination, blood pressure, and self-reported physical and mental health.

Education has demonstrated consistent links with many aspects of physical health and is theorized to relate to a variety of behavioral and psychosocial antecedents of health that may ultimately account for these associations. However, many of these associations and the extent to which they manifest specifically for African Americans have not been thoroughly tested. We examined associations of education—distinct from income—with established behavioral and psychosocial antecedents of health in a national sample of African Americans. Education favorably related to many behavioral (e.g., fruit/vegetable intake, lifetime smoking) and psychosocial (e.g., self-efficacy, personality traits, self-esteem, psychological well-being) antecedents of health, but not to all. Some evidence of stronger salutary relations of education for women was found. Results suggest that, for African Americans, education is generally favorably associated with an array of behavioral and psychosocial antecedents of physical health, partially explaining health disparities and providing a point of intervention moving forward. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study demonstrates the potential of racial identity to moderate how gain and loss-framed messaging, as well as culturally-targeted messaging, can affect receptivity to preventive health screening. African-Americans (N = 132) who were noncompliant with recommended colorectal cancer (CRC) screening completed a measure of racial identity centrality—encompassing the extent to which racial identity is a core component of self-concept—and then participated in an online education module about CRC screening, during which either gain or loss-framed messaging was introduced. Half of African-Americans were also exposed to a culturally-targeted self-help message about preventing CRC. Theory of Planned Behavior measures of attitudes, normative beliefs, perceived behavioral control, and intentions to obtain a CRC screen served as outcomes. Results confirmed that effects of messaging on receptivity to CRC screening depended on racial identity. Among low racial identity African Americans, gain-framed messaging most effectively increased normative beliefs about obtaining CRC screening, whereas among high racial identity African Americans loss-framed messaging was most compelling. However, these effects most strongly emerged when culturally-targeted self-help messaging was included. We discuss implications for health disparities theory and research, including a potential to simultaneously deploy culturally-targeted and tailored messaging based on racial identity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined lower life satisfaction, active coping and cardiovascular disease risk factors (diastolic and systolic blood pressure, body mass index, and circumferences) in older African Americans over the phases of an 18-month church-based intervention, using a quasi-experimental design. Participants (n = 89) were 45 years of age and older from six churches (three treatment, three comparison) in North Florida. Lower life satisfaction had a persistent unfavorable effect on weight variables. Active coping showed a direct beneficial effect on selected weight variables. However, active coping was adversely associated with blood pressure, and did not moderate the association between lower life satisfaction and cardiovascular risk factors. The intervention had a beneficial moderating influence on the association between lower life satisfaction and weight variables and on the association between active coping and these variables. Yet, this pattern did not hold for the association between active coping and blood pressure. The relationship of lower life satisfaction and selected cardiovascular risk factors and the positive effect of active coping were established, but findings regarding blood pressure suggest further study is needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study that examines differential exposure and differential vulnerability to early life adversity (ELA) as explanations for socioeconomic and racial disparities in body mass index (BMI). Topics discussed include the finding that background socioeconomic status being inversely associated with BMI. Also mentioned are the findings that significant mediation of group disparities through the pathway was detected as well as ELA and association with BMI for African Americans.