Psychosocial Stress Profiles and Cognitive Function in a Racially and Ethnically Diverse Sample of Adults

We developed comprehensive multi-domain profiles of psychosocial stress in urban-dwelling, racially and ethnically diverse adults (age range: 25-65; N=256; 63% Non-Hispanic Black; 25% Hispanic; 9% Non-Hispanic White) and evaluated associations with cognitive function. Participants completed psychosocial stress measures tapping into ten domains and tasks of processing speed, working memory, and episodic memory. Latent profile analyses controlling for age yielded four-profiles: high neighborhood stress, moderate versus high work stress and daily discrimination, and high health and relationship stress. Profiles significantly differed in income, age, and employment status. The profile with moderate work stress and daily discrimination and the profile with high neighborhood stress each had significantly lower working memory than the other profiles. The finding of lower working memory among individuals in the moderate work stress and daily discrimination profile was not due to sociodemographic variables. Results highlight the potentially cumulative influence of different contextual stressors on cognition.

Psychosocial stressors predict lower cardiovascular disease risk among Mexican-American adults living in a high-risk community: Findings from the Texas City Stress and Health Study

The objective of this study was to examine the link between systemic and general psychosocial stress and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk in a group of U.S. Latinos as a function of acculturation and education within the blended guiding conceptual framework of the biopsychosocial model of the stress process plus the reserve capacity model. We analyzed data from self-identifying Mexican-origin adults (n = 396, 56.9% female, Mage = 58.2 years, 55.5% < 12 years of education, 79% U.S.-born) from the Texas City Stress and Health Study. We used established measures of perceived stress (general stress), neighborhood stress and discrimination (systemic stress) to capture psychosocial stress, our primary predictor. We used the atherosclerotic CVD calculator to assess 10-year CVD risk, our primary outcome. This calculator uses demographics, cholesterol, blood pressure, and history of hypertension, smoking, and diabetes to compute CVD risk in the next 10 years. We also created an acculturation index using English-language use, childhood interaction, and preservation of cultural values. Participants reported years of education. Contrary to expectations, findings showed that higher levels of all three forms of psychosocial stress, perceived stress, neighborhood stress, and perceived discrimination, predicted lower 10-year CVD risk. Acculturation and education did not moderate the effects of psychosocial stress on 10-year CVD risk. Contextualized within the biopsychosocial and reserve capacity framework, we interpret our findings such that participants who accurately reported their stressors may have turned to their social networks to handle the stress, thereby reducing their risk for CVD. We highlight the importance of examining strengths within the sociocultural environment when considering cardiovascular inequities among Latinos.

735 Neighborhood Stress Predicts Fear of Sleep Independently of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Introduction Chronic insufficient sleep is linked to a variety of adverse health outcomes, with African Americans reporting and objectively receiving poorer sleep outcomes in comparison to their non-Hispanic white counterparts. African Americans live disproportionately in low-income and disordered neighborhoods that increase one’s risk of experiencing a traumatic event and interfere with sleep. It has been demonstrated that posttraumatic stress disorder disrupts sleep in part due to its association with sleep-related fears. However, less research has evaluated the additional contribution of perceived neighborhood stress on the sleep-related fears African Americans experience in their sleep environments. Methods The present study features a nonclinical sample of 163 African American participants (ages 18–35) who reside in DC to investigate whether PTSD severity (Clinician Administered PTSD Scale for DSM-5 Severity Score, CAPS-5) and perceived neighborhood stress (City Stress Index, CSI) are predictive of sleep-related fears (Fear of Sleep Inventory, FoSI). Results After controlling for gender, hierarchical linear regression analyses revealed that PTSD severity and perceptions of the neighborhood environment accounted for approximately 33% of the variance in sleep-related fears (∆R2 = .329, p = .000). Regression coefficients suggest that subjective perceptions of the neighborhood (β = .388) may be a stronger predictor of sleep-related fears than PTSD severity (β = .300) Conclusion Results from this study have implications for future interventions that involve improving coping skills among African Americans in the context of their sleep environments. Support (if any) 5R01HL136626 from the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute

Socioenvironmental Risk Factors for Adolescent Marijuana Use in a United States-Mexico Border Community

Purpose: We examined how socioenvironmental risk factors unique to the United States-Mexico border, defined as border community and immigration stress, normalization of drug trafficking, and perceived disordered neighborhood stress, contribute to tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana use among adolescents residing there. Design: Cross-sectional design. Setting: The study was conducted at a high school on the United States-Mexico border. Subjects: A sample of 445 primarily Hispanic students (ages 14-18). Measure: Perceived Disordered Neighborhood Stress Scale, Border Community and Immigration Stress Scale, and Normalization of Drug Trafficking Scale. Analysis: Logistic regression assessed the association between the socioenvironmental risk factors and past 30-day tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana use. Results: Participants with higher border community and immigration stress scores were significantly more likely to have used tobacco (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 1.41, P < .01) and alcohol (aOR = 1.31, P < .01) in the past 30 days. Perceived disordered neighborhood stress also was associated with past 30-day alcohol use (aOR = 1.46, P < .00). The normalization of drug trafficking was associated with past 30-day marijuana use (aOR = 1.45, P < .05). Conclusions: Public health practitioners, educational institutions, and policy makers should consider the economic and normative environment of the United States-Mexico border for future substance use prevention and risk reduction efforts targeting border adolescents.

Biomarkers in the Hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal Axis Were Associated with Maternal Psychosocial Stress and Choline Intake and Status During Pregnancy (P11-011-19)

Objectives Maternal psychosocial stress during pregnancy can lead to heightened activity of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, increasing the risk of pre-term birth, intrauterine restriction, and preeclampsia. Maternal dietary intakes and nutrition status modify epigenetic marks in the placental and fetal HPA axis, which may then counter the negative influence of maternal stress. This study aims to determine the correlation of maternal psychosocial stress and nutrient intakes with biomarkers of HPA axis activity in human pregnancies. Methods Pregnant women (n = 60) were recruited to this observational study. Psychosocial stress survey, dietary recalls and blood samples were obtained in the 3rd trimester. Placentas and cord blood were retrieved at delivery. Results Maternal financial stress, neighborhood stress, and anxiety were positively or tended to be positively associated with maternal blood cortisol levels (P = 0.01-0.08), although none of the psychosocial stress measurements were correlated with placental corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH), glucocorticoid receptor (NR3C1), or 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (11BHSD) expression. Placental NR3C1 expression was positively associated with birth weight (r = 0.42, P = 0.02) while placental CRH was negatively associated with gestational length (r = –0.45, P = 0.01). Overall dietary quality as measured by the Healthy Eating Index (HEI) was not associated with psychosocial stress or related biomarkers, while intakes of the methyl donor choline (r = 0.46, P = 0.04) and omega-3 fatty acids (r = 0.47, P = 0.03) were positively associated with placental NR3C1 expression. Placental choline content was also positively associated with NR3C1 expression (r = 0.39, P = 0.04) and negatively associated with maternal neighborhood stress (r = –0.72, P = 0.02). Conclusions In summary, these data suggest that maternal psychosocial stress may adversely affect HPA axis functioning during pregnancy, whereas choline and other nutrients have the potential to counteract some of the impacts of psychosocial stress. Funding Sources CUNY Interdisciplinary Research Grant.

Skin Conductance Reactivity as a Moderator of Associations Between Youth Perceptions of Neighborhood Stress and Depressive Symptoms

Young adolescents ( N = 68) completed questionnaires concerning perceptions of neighborhood stress (i.e., high negative influences, low cohesion, and connectedness). Youth self-reported their own depressive symptoms and participated in a public speaking task designed to be moderately stressful. Increases in skin conductance in response to this laboratory-based challenge task were measured (i.e., skin conductance level reactivity; SCLR). Higher levels of depressive symptoms were associated with greater perceptions of neighborhood stress, with the effects of neighborhood stress particularly strong among boys. For boys only, the association between perceived neighborhood stress and depressive symptoms was moderated by SCLR. For boys with average or above average levels of SCLR, greater perceptions of neighborhood stress were associated with more depressive symptoms.