In recent years, strong evidence has accrued indicating that inflammation (INF) and metabolic syndrome (MS) represent dysregulated biological systems that predict onset of chronic, age-related diseases such as cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, cancer, and dementia. Although a wealth of findings has indicated that psychosocial stress is a major determinant of INF and MS, a number of crucial questions remain unanswered. First, we do not know whether sensitive period (early biological programming), stress accumulation, social schematic, or mismatch models best account for the development of INF and MS. Second, we have little information regarding the range of stressors within a developmental period that are most critical. Studies of childhood stress usually simply assess low SES or exposure to harsh parenting, and these measurements typically entail retrospective reports. Research on the effect of adult stress sometimes includes community context but usually fails to consider the way that childhood stress may moderate reactions to adult stressors. And, whether the focus is childhood or adult adversity, there has been limited consideration of the way that race-related stressors such as segregation, perceived racism, discrimination, and internalized racism impact biological dysregulation. Third, we know little about the extent to which factors such as parental support, racial socialization, social support, or religiosity operate to reduce the deleterious impact of childhood, adolescent, or adult stressors on INF and MS. A final limitation of past research is that it has focused, with a few exceptions, on White samples whereas African Americans display significantly higher rates of almost every type of chronic illness and score higher on biomarkers of INF and most indictors of MS. In order to address these unanswered questions and limitations, this proposal seeks funding to add biomarkers of INF and MS, as well as telephone interview data regarding stress and health behaviors, to the 18 years of longitudinal data that has been collected on the Family and Community Health Study (FACHS) sample of roughly 700 African Americans (now 28 years of age). Specifically, we plan to pursue the following specific aims: 1) identify the cluster of SES- and race-related stressors experienced in childhood, adolescence, and adulthood that best predict adult INF and MS. 2) Use these stress indices to test competing models regarding the manner in which stressors from various developmental periods combine to influence biological dysregulaton. And, 3) investigate the extent to which the experience of supportive parenting and racial socialization during childhood, and/or supportive relationships and religiosity during adulthood, are moderating factors that promote healthy biomarkers for INF and MS. There are few, if any, efficacious preventive interventions that address the causes of health disparities. The Institute of Medicine prescribes that such efforts be based on the results of longitudinal, epidemiological research with target populations. Currently, there are no prospective investigations that identify the protective factors that interrupt the translation of social determinants of stress into biological vulnerabilities for African Americans. The results of the proposed research will identify protective processes and serve as the basis for empirically-based, health disparities preventive interventions.

Public Health Relevance

Improving the quality of longer lives requires information regarding the causes of age-related diseases such as cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, arthritis, cancer, and dementia. In recent years, strong evidence has accrued indicating that inflammation and metabolic syndrome represent dysregulated biological systems that predict onset of these illnesses. The present study tests competing models regarding the manner in which stress and protective factors combine to influence the development of inflammation and metabolic syndrome.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
1R01HL118045-01A1
Application #
8621298
Study Section
Social Psychology, Personality and Interpersonal Processes Study Section (SPIP)
Program Officer
Nelson, Cheryl R
Project Start
2014-03-01
Project End
2018-02-28
Budget Start
2014-03-01
Budget End
2015-02-28
Support Year
1
Fiscal Year
2014
Total Cost
$559,782
Indirect Cost
$111,125
Name
University of Georgia
Department
Social Sciences
Type
Schools of Arts and Sciences
DUNS #
004315578
City
Athens
State
GA
Country
United States
Zip Code
30602
Lei, Man-Kit; Beach, Steven R H; Simons, Ronald L (2018) Childhood trauma, pubertal timing, and cardiovascular risk in adulthood. Health Psychol 37:613-617
Landor, Antoinette; Barr, Ashley (2018) Politics of Respectability, Colorism, and the Terms of Social Exchange in Family Research. J Fam Theory Rev 10:330-347
Beach, Steven R H; Lei, Man Kit; Simons, Ronald L et al. (2018) MTHFR regulatory effects on methylation of CG05575921 in response to smoking: Effects are also discernable using MTHFR expression. Am J Med Genet B Neuropsychiatr Genet 177:529-534
Simons, Ronald L; Lei, Man Kit; Beach, Steven R H et al. (2017) Methylation of the oxytocin receptor gene mediates the effect of adversity on negative schemas and depression. Dev Psychopathol 29:725-736
Berg, Mark T; Simons, Ronald L; Barr, Ashley et al. (2017) Childhood/Adolescent stressors and allostatic load in adulthood: Support for a calibration model. Soc Sci Med 193:130-139
Simons, Ronald L; Lei, Man Kit; Beach, Steven R H et al. (2016) Economic hardship and biological weathering: The epigenetics of aging in a U.S. sample of black women. Soc Sci Med 150:192-200
Lei, Man-Kit; Beach, Steven R H; Simons, Ronald L et al. (2016) Stress, relationship satisfaction, and health among African American women: Genetic moderation of effects. J Fam Psychol 30:221-32
Lei, Man-Kit; Beach, Steven R H; Simons, Ronald L et al. (2015) Neighborhood crime and depressive symptoms among African American women: Genetic moderation and epigenetic mediation of effects. Soc Sci Med 146:120-8
Simons, Ronald L; Klopack, Eric T (2015) Invited address: ""The times they are a-changin'"" gene expression, neuroplasticity, and developmental research. J Youth Adolesc 44:573-80