Race Related Stressors and Health Disparities Research Program

National Institute On Minority Health And Health Disparities

Investigators

Linked publications, trials & patents

Abstract

One of the goals of the 'Race-Related Stressors and Health Disparities' research program is to examine the impact of race-related stressors on the health of marginalized racial and ethnic groups. The following manuscripts specifically explore race-related stressors, including healthcare discrimination, county-level barriers, interpersonal discrimination (everyday, lifetime), structural racism and COVID-19-related discrimination. The following manuscripts were developed by the staff of the Race-Related Stressors and Health Disparities research program: #1: Fernandez et al. used latent class analyses to examine racial/ethnic differences in college students underlying perceptions of COVID-19 threat, healthcare discrimination, and U.S. healthcare system inequities and their associations with self-rated mental and physical health. College students with these underlying perceptions were more likely to be Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino, Asian, or Multiracial. Underlying perceptions were associated with worse health, suggesting that structural inequalities and racial/ethnic disparities in COVID-19 risk, healthcare discrimination and concerns over U.S. healthcare system inequities may affect the health of college students. #2: A second study by Fernandez et al. explored whether experiences of county-level vaccination barriers varied across racial/ethnic groups in the U.S., if they were associated with willingness to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, and whether these associations differed across racial/ethnic groups. Data on demographic characteristics and vaccine willingness were collected from 5475 U.S. adults who completed the Race-Related Experiences Associated with COVID-19 and Health in the U.S. (REACH-US) survey that was administered between January 2021 and March 2021. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention COVID-19 Vaccine Coverage Index captured vaccination barriers. American Indian/Alaska Native, Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino, and Multiracial adults were more likely than White adults to live in counties with higher overall county-level vaccination barriers. Higher county-level vaccination barriers were generally associated with less willingness to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, and trends differed across barriers and racial/ethnic groups. Overall, addressing structural barriers to COVID-19 treatment and preventive services is essential for reducing morbidity and mortality. The following manuscripts were developed by collaborators who were not staff of the Race-Related Stressors and Health Disparities research program: #1: Lawrence et al. examined whether discrimination (lifetime, everyday) was associated with all-cause and cardiovascular mortality and whether these associations differed across race and ethnicity, sex, and racial/ethnic residential segregation. The study included 1633 Black, 1403 Hispanic/Latino, and 2473 White adults aged 45 to 84 years who were enrolled in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) from 2000 to 2002 and followed across 5 exams (2002-2018). Everyday discrimination was only associated with increased cardiovascular mortality. Lifetime discrimination was associated with higher risk of cardiovascular and all-cause mortality after adjusting for sociodemographic factors, health behaviors and clinical risk factors. These associations were strongest among Black participants. #2: Strassle et al. assessed the relationship between experiences of COVID-19-related discrimination and psychological distress (i.e., anxiety-depression symptoms, perceived stress, loneliness-isolation), and sleep disturbances across U.S. racial/ethnic groups in the COVID-19s Unequal Racial Burden (CURB) survey. COVID-19-related discrimination was only associated with increased psychological distress among racial/ethnic minority groups, but not among the White or Multi-racial groups. #3: Jayasekera et al. conducted a scoping review of studies evaluating structural racism and cancer mortality disparities to highlight opportunities, challenges, and future directions for simulation modeling research. Of the 8345 articles that were identified, 183 articles were included in the full review. Based on the review, the authors identified several measures and data sources that captured the effects of structural racism, as well as recommended best practices for simulation modelers to consider when incorporating the effects of structural racism into simulation models.