Associations Between Direct and Indirect Forms of Racism Exposure and Stress-Induced Inflammatory Response and Health in Pregnancy

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Danyelle Dawson, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign; Sherryl Goodman, Emory University; Douglas A Granger, Pennsylvania State University; Heidemarie Laurent, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
• Language: English
• Date: 2022-01-01
• Publisher: Springer Nature
• Publication Version: Final Published Version
• Copyright Statement: © W. Montague Cobb-NMA Health Institute 2022, Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s40615-022-01442-z
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities
• Grant/Funding Information: This work was supported by NICHD grant 1R01HD093627-01A1 awarded to Dr. Laurent.
• Keywords: Perinatal health; Racial disparities; Racism-related stress; Inflammatory response
• Research Categories: Psychology, General

Abstract

Theory and research suggest chronic direct and indirect exposures to racism impact health, and stress-responsive inflammation may play a role in these paths. This study examines links between forms of racism-related stress, salivary markers of inflammation during acute psychosocial stress, and perinatal mental and physical health in a racially heterogenous sample. Pregnant people (n = 108, 27% non-white) self-reported personal and vicarious exposure to racism (racial microaggressions, online racism, overt racial/ethnic discrimination) and racial collective self-esteem, as well as affective symptoms and general physical health. Five saliva samples collected before and after the Trier Social Stress Test were assayed for pro-inflammatory cytokines and C-reactive protein. Results revealed associations between racism-related stress and greater inflammatory reactivity/delayed recovery to acute stress, between racial collective self-esteem and lower levels of inflammation, and between profiles of inflammatory responses to stress and mental and physical symptoms. We discuss implications for understanding perinatal health disparities.