Race Differences in COVID-19 Stress and Social Isolation: Implications for Depressive Symptoms

The experience of the COVID-19 pandemic may vary widely by race. This study examined race differences in pandemic-related stress, social isolation and the implications for well-being. Participants included 1260 adults (45% women) ages 18 to 97 from the May and June 2020 nationally representative Survey of Consumers and 562 who completed a 6 month follow up in November/December. A total of 76% were White, 10% were Black, 3% were Asian, and 11% were Hispanic. Participants reported experiences of pandemic-related stress, social isolation and depressive symptoms in the last month. Analyses showed that minority groups reported greater pandemic related stress that had negative implications for depressive symptoms over time. The implication of social isolation for the stress-depressive symptoms link also varied by race. Overall this study showed racial inequities in the implications of COVID-19 pandemic and that reducing social isolation may only be beneficial for certain racial/ethnic groups.

The Life Course Origins of the Race Disparity in Cognitive Functioning in Brazil

Background Cognitive health is a major concern for understanding population health in Brazil. Race inequalities have been found for several health outcomes but less is known about older adult cognitive health. Health inequalities have been tied to several life course factors, but less is known about how the racial stratification in Brazil may contribute to race disparities in cognitive health. Method: Data come from the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Aging. We used nested regression models to examine the life course origins of the race differences in cognitive functioning. Results Whites had better cognitive functioning than non-Whites. Education reduced these differences by about half. Health behaviors and cardiometabolic conditions had little to no impact. Discussion Race differences in cognitive functioning in Brazil are in large part attributable to educational opportunities. These finding point to the importance of cognitive development in childhood to understand racial disparities in later life cognitive health.

Race Differences in Trajectories of Hopelessness Among U.S. Older Adults: Do Social Conditions Matter?

Despite being a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, suicidal ideation, and mortality among U.S. older adults, research on hopelessness and how it changes over time are lacking. Although hopelessness generally increases with age, levels of hopelessness may be influenced by race/ethnicity and social or economic factors. This study uses longitudinal data from 8,359 individuals from the Health and Retirement Study to examine race differences in trajectories of hopelessness from 2006 to 2018. We used linear mixed models to estimate trajectories of hopelessness for blacks, whites and Hispanics age 51 and older. The model was fit with a natural spline cubic function to model changes in time trends of hopelessness and the interaction between time and race. Models controlled for demographic characteristics, socioeconomic status, health status, and psychosocial factors that influence hopelessness. We found that older Hispanics have the highest levels of hopelessness, followed by non-Hispanic blacks and non-Hispanic whites. Trajectories of hopelessness were non-linear and differed by race. For older whites, hopelessness increased from 2006-2010 and then decreased until 2018. For older blacks, it decreased the entire time period but did so at a decreasing rate; and, for older Hispanics, hopelessness decreased from 2006-2012 and then increased thereafter. Our study shows that hopelessness generally decreased over time among older adults between 2006 and 2018 in race-specific ways, despite generally increasing with age. These findings suggest that race, age and period effects differentially influence trajectories of hopelessness. Factors contributing to these differences may be related to concurrent social and economic conditions.

BMI Change After Parent’s Death in Adulthood: Examining Age and Race Differences With Time-Varying Effects Modeling

Parental bereavement in adulthood is a stressful event that can have adverse health consequences for middle and older adults, including weight gain. Considering that the impact of bereavement is found to vary depending on the timing of death as well as across race/ethnicity, changes in weight after a parent’s passing may also be contingent on the timing of parent’s death and the bereaved individual’s race/ethnicity. Using Time-Varying Effects Modeling (TVEM), this study examined whether changes in BMI following a parent’s death differed across respondent’s age when their parent passed away. We also tested whether these age differences varied by race. Data came the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) Waves 1 – 13 and we selected respondents who experienced passing of either parent while participating in HRS. Analyses were run separately for mother’s death (n = 6,191) and father’s death (n = 3,301). Results showed significant racial/ethnic differences in BMI change following a mother’s death, particularly during late midlife to early late life. Specifically, non-Hispanic White and Black adults showed a greater increase in BMI compared to Hispanic adults. These race differences were consistent for father’s death as well, but to a lesser extent compared to mother’s death. Results suggest that White and Black adults who lost their parents between late midlife and early late life gained more weight compared to their Hispanic counterparts. This may be attributed to the racial/ethnic differences in health behaviors in response to parent’s death.

The Effects of Mid-life Stress Exposure on Black-White Differences in Cognitive Decline

Cognitive decline is a precursor to cognitive impairment and dementia. Recent research suggests that cognitive decline may begin earlier in the life course for Blacks and that Black-white disparities in cognitive function emerge in midlife. Disproportionate exposure to chronic and acute stressors during mid-life may explain Black-white differences in trajectories of cognitive function over time. In this study we use data from approximately 3,700 Black and white respondents age 51-64 from the Health and Retirement Study to examine race differences in cognitive decline and the role mid-life stress exposure play in these differences. Initial findings suggest that mid-life Blacks have lower levels of cognitive function, but their rates of cognitive decline do not differ significantly from mid-life whites. Financial strain and everyday experiences of discrimination are inversely associated with cognitive decline and only partially explain differences in cognitive decline between mid-life Blacks and whites.

Race Differences in Allostatic Load Among Black and White Men: Does Age Matter?

Although Black-White disparities in health and mortality among men persist, there has been a paucity of work focusing on race differences in physiological dysregulation of biological processes resulting from the cumulative impact of stressors among men. The purpose of this study was to assess potential race differences in Allostatic Load (AL) among adult men and if such differences varied by age. Data were drawn from the 1999-2016 NHANES and the study population included 21,529 non-Hispanic Black (NHB) and 34,282 Non-Hispanic White (NHW) born in US. Adjusting for potential confounders, NHB men 25-44 and 45-64 had a higher AL score (OR = 1.19, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.00, 1.42) and (OR = 1.14, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.02, 1.28) NHW men. No race differences with respect to AL score were observed among the other age groups. The results suggest that age plays a role in race differences in AL

Race, politics, and perceptions of anti-Black and anti-White discrimination over time

Race differences in perceptions of discrimination are well documented, but questions remain about contextual- and individual-difference moderators of when White and Black Americans see racial bias. We examined how temporal framing (focusing on past decades or not), race, political party, and domain of discrimination influence discrimination perceptions. Temporal framing did not moderate perceptions for White or Black participants (Study 1). Perceived anti-White and anti-Black discrimination converged over time (from the 1950s to the present), but especially so among White participants (Studies 1 and 2). Domain of discrimination moderated perceptions, with White respondents perceiving the steepest rise in anti-White discrimination and the steepest decline in anti-Black discrimination in the education and employment domains (Study 2). Across both studies, only White Republicans reported that White Americans face more discrimination than Black Americans. This research extends the literature on racial and political divides in discrimination perceptions, and highlights variability in perceptions across discrimination domains.

Racial Differences in Self-Appraisal, Religious Coping, and Psychological Well-being in later Life during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Older adults from minority groups, especially those with pre-existing health conditions, have been generally considered the most vulnerable to the COVID-19. Due to greater health disadvantages prior to the pandemic, its adverse health impact in terms of mortality has been disproportionately higher on Blacks than Whites. The existing health disadvantages and worsening economic conditions due to the pandemic are likely to be anxiety-inducing that could adversely impact the mental health of Black older adults. Existing studies conducted in the pre-pandemic era have documented paradoxical findings on race differences in later life psychological well-being.