Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

The Contribution Of Racism-Related Stress And Adversity To Disparities In Birth Outcomes: Evidence And Research Recommendations, Sabrina R. Liu, Laura M. Glynn

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Currently, racial and ethnic differences in adverse birth outcomes and infant mortality are some of the largest and most persistent health disparities in the United States. This narrative review article synthesizes existing literature to present a conceptual model of how racism-related stress and adversity are critical determinants of such disparities. We describe how historical and ongoing racism has created conditions wherein women of color are disproportionately exposed to chronic, multilayered stress and adversity and how the biological consequences of exposure to these stressors confers risk for adverse birth outcomes. Next, we identify important priorities and considerations for future research, including …

Associations Between Air Pollution Exposure And Empirically Derived Profiles Of Cognitive Performance In Older Women, Andrew J. Petkus, Diana Younan, Xinhui Wang, Daniel P. Beavers, Mark A. Espeland, Margaret Gatz, Tara Gruenewald, Joel D. Kaufman, Helena C. Chui, Joshua Millstein, Stephen R. Rapp, Joann E. Manson, Susan M. Resnick, Gregory A. Wellenius, Eric A. Whitsel, Keith Widaman, Jiu-Chiuan Chen

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Background:Elucidating associations between exposures to ambient air pollutants and profiles of cognitive performance may provide insight into neurotoxic effects on the aging brain. Objective:We examined associations between empirically derived profiles of cognitive performance and residential concentrations of particulate matter of aerodynamic diameter < 2.5 (PM2.5) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) in older women. Method:Women (N = 2,142) from the Women’s Health Initiative Study of Cognitive Aging completed a neuropsychological assessment measuring attention, visuospatial, language, and episodic memory abilities. Average yearly concentrations of PM2.5 and NO2 were estimated at the participant’s addresses for the 3 years prior to the assessment. Latent profile structural equation models identified subgroups of women exhibiting similar profiles across tests. Multinomial regressions examined associations between exposures and latent profile classification, controlling for covariates. Result:Five latent profiles were identified: low performance across multiple domains (poor multi-domain; n = 282;13%), relatively poor verbal episodic memory (poor memory; n = 216; 10%), average performance across all domains (average multi-domain; n = 974; 45%), superior memory (n = 381; 18%), and superior attention (n = 332; 15%). Using women with average cognitive ability as the referent, higher PM2.5 (per interquartile range [IQR] = 3.64μg/m3) was associated with greater odds of being classified in the poor memory (OR = 1.29; 95% Confidence Interval [CI] = 1.10–1.52) or superior attention (OR = 1.30; 95% CI = 1.10–1.53) profiles. NO2 (per IQR = 9.86 ppb) was associated with higher odds of being classified in the poor memory (OR = 1.38; 95% CI = 1.17–1.63) and lower odds of being classified with superior memory (OR = 0.81; 95% CI = 0.67–0.97). Conclusion:Exposure to PM2.5 and NO2 are associated with patterns of cognitive performance characterized by worse verbal episodic memory relative to performance in other domains.

Associations Of Hair Dye And Relaxer Use With Breast Tumor Clinicopathologic Features: Findings From The Women’S Circle Of Health Study, Rohan Rao, Jasmine A. Mcdonald, Emily Barrett, Patricia Greenberg, Dede K. Teteh, Susanne B. Montgomery, Bo Qin, Yong Lin, Chi-Chen Hong, Christine B. Ambrosone, Kitaw Demissie, Elisa V. Bandera, Adana A.M. Llanos

Health Sciences and Kinesiology Faculty Articles

Background

Building upon our earlier findings of significant associations between hair dye and relaxer use with increased breast cancer risk, we evaluated associations of select characteristics of use with breast tumor clinicopathology.

Methods

Using multivariable-adjusted models we examined the associations of interest in a case-only study of 2998 women with breast cancer, overall and stratified by race and estrogen receptor (ER) status, addressing multiple comparisons using Bonferroni correction.

Results

Compared to salon application of permanent hair dye, home kit and combination application (both salon and home kit application) were associated with increased odds of poorly differentiated tumors in the overall …

Oxytocin, Cortisol, And Cognitive Control During Acute And Naturalistic Stress, Shari Young Kuchenbecker, Sarah D. Pressman, Jared Celniker, Karen M. Grewen, Ken D. Sumida, Naveen Jonathan, Brendan Everett, George M. Slavich

Health Sciences and Kinesiology Faculty Articles

Although stress is a strong risk factor for poor health, especially for women, it remains unclear how stress affects the key neurohormones cortisol and oxytocin, which influence stress-related risk and resilience. Whereas cortisol mediates energy mobilization during stress, oxytocin has anti-inflammatory, anxiolytic, and analgesic effects that support social connection and survival across the lifespan. However, how these neurohormones interrelate and are associated with cognitive control of emotional information during stress remains unclear. To address these issues, we recruited 37 college-aged women (M_age = 19.19, SD = 1.58) and randomly assigned each to a one-hour experimental session consisting of …