TY - JOUR T1 - Effects of Stress Exposure Versus Appraisal on Episodic Memory Trajectories: Evidence for Risk and Resilience among Black Older Adults. JF - The Journals of Gerontology, Series B Y1 - 2022 A1 - Morris, Emily P A1 - Lauren L Brown A1 - Afsara B. Zaheed A1 - Palms, Jordan D A1 - Sol, Ketlyne A1 - Martino, Alexa A1 - Laura B Zahodne KW - Black/African American KW - Episodic Memory KW - Racial differences KW - stress appraisa AB -

OBJECTIVES: Chronic stressors, experienced disproportionately by Black older adults, are a risk factor for memory impairment. Racially patterned stress exposure may contribute to higher rates of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD) among Black older adults compared with Whites, but less is known about the role of stress appraisal. This study examined whether chronic stress exposure mediates racial disparities in memory and whether stress appraisal moderates these associations.

METHODS: Participants included 16,924 older adults (Mage= 67.39, 21% Black) from the 2010 and 2012 waves of the Health and Retirement Study who completed measures of chronic stress exposure (health, financial, housing, relationships, and caregiving) and appraisal. Latent growth curves modeled longitudinal performance on a word list memory task over six years.

RESULTS: Black older adults reported greater stress exposure than Whites, and greater stress exposure partially mediated Black-White disparities in initial memory (standardized indirect effect=-.002, p=.009). However, Black older adults appraised stressors as less upsetting than Whites. While stress appraisal did not moderate links between stress exposure and memory, appraising stressors as less upsetting was independently associated with better initial memory. Thus, Black-White disparities in initial memory was partially offset by Blacks participants' appraisal of stressors as less upsetting (standardized indirect effect=.002, p=.016).

DISCUSSION: Reducing chronic stress exposure may reduce racial disparities in ADRD risk. The counteractive effect of stress appraisal on Black-White disparities in episodic memory highlights resilience factors among Black older adults that should be characterized in future research to move beyond deficit models of ADRD inequality.

VL - 77 IS - 11 ER - TY - JOUR T1 - Disentangling the Stress Process: Race/Ethnic Differences in the Exposure and Appraisal of Chronic Stressors among Older Adults. JF - Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences & Social Sciences Y1 - 2020 A1 - Lauren L Brown A1 - Uchechi A Mitchell A1 - Jennifer A Ailshire KW - Chronic stress KW - Depressive symptoms KW - Racial/ethnic differences KW - Socioeconomic factors AB -

Objectives: Exposure to stressors is differentially distributed by race/ethnicity with minority groups reporting a higher stress burden than their white counterparts. However, to really understand the extent to which some groups bear a disproportionate stress burden we need to consider race/ethnic differences in stress appraisal, specifically how upsetting stressors may be, in addition to stress exposure. We examine racial/ethnic differences in both the number of reported chronic stressors across 5 domains (health, financial, residential, relationship and caregiving) and their appraised stressfulness among a diverse sample of older adults.

Method: Data come from 6,567 adults ages 52+ from the 2006 Health and Retirement Study.

Results: Results show older blacks, US and foreign-born Hispanics report more chronic stress exposure than whites and are two to three times as likely to experience financial strain and housing-related stress. Socioeconomic factors fully explain the Hispanic-white difference in stress exposure, but black-white differences remain. Despite experiencing a greater number of stressors, blacks and US-born Hispanics are less likely to be upset by exposure to stressors than whites. US-born Hispanics are less upset by relationship-based stressors specifically, while blacks are less upset across all stress domains in fully adjusted models. Foreign-born Hispanics are only less upset by caregiving strain.

Discussion: The distinction between exposure and appraisal based measures of stress may shed light on important pathways that differentially contribute to race/ethnic physical and mental health disparities.

U1 - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29878196?dopt=Abstract ER - TY - JOUR T1 - Measuring More Than Exposure: Does Stress Appraisal Matter for Black-White Differences in Anxiety and Depressive Symptoms among Older Adults? JF - Innovation in Aging Y1 - 2020 A1 - Lauren L Brown A1 - Leah R. Abrams A1 - Uchechi A Mitchell A1 - Jennifer A Ailshire KW - Aging KW - Chronic stress KW - Health Disparities KW - Mental Health AB - Prior research and theory suggest that exposure to objectively stressful events contributes to mental health disparities. Yet, Blacks report higher cumulative stress exposure than whites but lower levels of common psychiatric disorders. In order to understand why Blacks bear disproportionate stress exposure but similar or better mental health relative to whites, we need to consider race differences in not only stress exposure, but also stress appraisal—how upsetting stress exposures are perceived to beWe examine whether race differences in the number of reported chronic stressors across five domains (health, financial, residential, relationship, caregiving) and their appraised stressfulness explain Black-white differences in anxiety and depressive symptoms. Data come from 6,019 adults ages 52+ from the 2006 Health and Retirement StudyOlder Blacks in this sample experience greater exposure to chronic stressors but appraise stressors as less upsetting relative to whites. In fully adjusted models stress exposure is related to higher levels of anxiety and depressive symptoms and perceiving stress as upsetting is associated with higher symptomology for whites and Blacks. We also find that Blacks report greater anxiety symptoms but fewer depressive symptoms with more stress exposure relative to whites. Stress appraisal partially explains race differences in the association between stress exposure and anxiety symptoms and fully explains race differences in the association between exposure and depressive symptomsThe relationship between race, chronic stress exposure, and mental health is mediated by stress appraisal. Stress appraisal provides insight on important pathways contributing to Black-white mental health disparities in older adulthood VL - 4 SN - 2399-5300 IS - 5 ER - TY - JOUR T1 - When Is Hope Enough? Hopefulness, Discrimination and Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Allostatic Load. JF - Behav Med Y1 - 2020 A1 - Uchechi A Mitchell A1 - Dellor, Elinam D A1 - Sharif, Mienah Z A1 - Lauren L Brown A1 - Jacqueline M Torres A1 - Ann W Nguyen KW - Aging KW - physiological dysregulation KW - psychosocial resources KW - Resilience KW - stress and coping AB -

Hopefulness is associated with better health and may be integral for stress adaptation and resilience. Limited research has prospectively examined whether hopefulness protects against physiological dysregulation or does so similarly for U.S. whites, blacks and Hispanics. We examined the association between baseline hopefulness and future allostatic load using data from the Health and Retirement Study (n = 8,486) and assessed differences in this association by race/ethnicity and experiences of discrimination. Four items measured hopefulness and allostatic load was a count of seven biomarkers for which a respondent's measured value was considered high-risk for disease. A dichotomous variable assessed whether respondents experienced at least one major act of discrimination in their lifetime. We used Poisson regression to examine the association between hopefulness and allostatic load and included a multiplicative interaction term to test racial/ethnic differences in this association. Subsequent analyses were stratified by race/ethnicity and tested the interaction between hopefulness and discrimination within each racial/ethnic group. Hopefulness was associated with lower allostatic load scores, but its effects varied significantly by race/ethnicity. Race-stratified analyses suggested that hopefulness was protective among whites and not associated with allostatic load among Hispanics irrespective of experiencing discrimination. Hopefulness was associated with lower allostatic load among blacks reporting discrimination but associated with higher allostatic load among those who did not. Findings suggest that hopefulness plays differing roles for older whites, blacks and Hispanics and, for blacks, its protective effects on physiological dysregulation are intricately tied to their experiences of discrimination.

VL - 46 IS - 3-4 ER - TY - JOUR T1 - Does Telomere Length Indicate Biological, Physical and Cognitive Health Among Older Adults? Evidence from the Health and Retirement Study. JF - Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences Y1 - 2018 A1 - Lauren L Brown A1 - Yuan S Zhang A1 - Colter Mitchell A1 - Jennifer A Ailshire KW - Biomarkers KW - Cognitive Ability KW - Health Conditions and Status KW - Telomeres AB - Telomere length (TL) has been suggested as a biomarker that can indicate individual variability in the rate of aging. Yet, it remains unclear whether TL is related to recognized indicators of health in an aging, older nationally representative sample. We examine whether TL is associated with 15 biological, physical and cognitive markers of health among older adults ages 54+. TL was assayed from saliva using quantitative PCR (T/S ratio) in the 2008 Health and Retirement Study (n=4,074). We estimated probability of high risk levels across indictors of health by TL and age-singly and jointly. TL was associated with seven indicators of poor functioning: HDL and total cholesterol, cystatin C, pulse pressure, BMI, lung function, and walking speed. However, after adjusting for age, associations were substantially attenuated; only associations with cholesterol and lung function remained significant. Additionally, findings show TL did not add to the predictive power of chronological age in predicting poor functioning. While TL may not be a useful clinical marker of functional aging in an older adult population, it may still play an important role in longitudinal studies in young and middle aged populations that attempt to understand aging. VL - 73 IS - 7 U1 - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29346517?dopt=Abstract ER - TY - JOUR T1 - Education and Psychosocial Functioning Among Older Adults: 4-Year Change in Sense of Control and Hopelessness. JF - J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci Y1 - 2018 A1 - Uchechi A Mitchell A1 - Jennifer A Ailshire A1 - Lauren L Brown A1 - Morgan E. Levine A1 - Eileen M. Crimmins KW - Activities of Daily Living KW - Aged KW - Educational Status KW - Female KW - Humans KW - Internal-External Control KW - Male KW - Middle Aged KW - Psychology KW - Sadness KW - Social participation KW - Social Support AB -

OBJECTIVES: This study investigates education differences in levels and change in sense of control and hopelessness among older adults.

METHOD: We used data from the Health and Retirement Study, an ongoing biennial survey of a nationally representative sample of older Americans, to examine education differences in sense of control (e.g., mastery and perceived constraints) and hopelessness. Our sample included 8,495 adults aged 52 and older who were interviewed in 2006/2008 and 2010/2012. We assessed separate models for change in sense of control and hopelessness, accounting for recent changes in social circumstances and health status.

RESULTS: Low mastery, perceived constraints, and hopelessness were highest among individuals with less than a high school education. Over a 4-year period, this group experienced the greatest declines in psychosocial functioning, as indicated by greater increases in low mastery, perceived constraints, and hopelessness. Education differences existed net of recent negative experiences, specifically the loss of intimate social relationships and social support and increases in disease and disability.

DISCUSSION: These findings highlight the importance of education for sense of control and hopelessness in older adulthood and demonstrate the cumulative advantage of higher levels of education for psychosocial functioning.

VL - 73 UR - http://psychsocgerontology.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2016/03/23/geronb.gbw031.abstract IS - 5 U1 - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27013537?dopt=Abstract U4 - Health and Retirement Study/Longitudinal analysis/Mastery/Perceived constraints ER - TY - CHAP T1 - Ageing in North America: Canada and the United States T2 - Oxford Textbook of Geriatric Medicine Y1 - 2017 A1 - Eileen M. Crimmins A1 - Hiram Beltrán-Sánchez A1 - Lauren L Brown A1 - Yon, Yongjie A1 - Michel, Jean-Pierre A1 - Beattie, B. Lynn A1 - Martin, Finbarr C. A1 - Jeremy D Walston KW - Aging KW - Cross-National JF - Oxford Textbook of Geriatric Medicine PB - Oxford University Press CY - Cary, NC SN - 978-0198701590 ER - TY - JOUR T1 - Telomere Length Among Older U.S. Adults: Differences by Race/Ethnicity, Gender, and Age. JF - J Aging Health Y1 - 2017 A1 - Lauren L Brown A1 - Belinda L Needham A1 - Jennifer A Ailshire KW - Aged KW - Aging KW - Biomarkers KW - Female KW - Health Status Disparities KW - Humans KW - Interviews as Topic KW - Male KW - Minority Groups KW - Qualitative Research KW - Telomere KW - United States AB -

OBJECTIVE: We examine race/ethnic, gender, and age differences in telomere length (TL) within a diverse, nationally representative sample of older adults.

METHOD: Data come from 5,228 White, Black, and Hispanic respondents aged 54+ in the 2008 Health and Retirement Study. TL was assayed from saliva using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) by comparing telomere sequence copy number with a single gene copy number (T/S ratio). Linear regression was used to examine TL by race/ethnicity, gender, and age adjusting for social, economic, and health characteristics.

RESULTS: Women had longer TL than men (p < .05). Blacks ( p < .05) and Hispanics ( p < .10) had longer TL than Whites. Black women and men had the longest TL relative to other groups ( p < .05), while White men had the shortest TL ( p < .05). Black women and Hispanic men showed greater differences in TL with age.

DISCUSSION: Findings indicate social patterns in TL by race/ethnicity, gender, and age among older adults do not reflect differences observed in most population health outcomes.

VL - 29 UR - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27469599 IS - 8 U1 - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27469599?dopt=Abstract ER -