Abstract 13635: Blunted Vascular Endothelial Function in Black Females: Examining the Impact of Psychosocial Stress Exposure versus Internalization and Coping

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Introduction: Among females in the United States, Black females suffer from the highest rates of hypertension, coronary artery disease, and total cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality. Vascular endothelial dysfunction precedes overt CVD and predicts CVD risk and has been reported in this population, but this is not always a consistent finding. Although psychosocial stress from numerous sources likely contributes to this disparity, the precise pathways and mechanisms remain incompletely understood. A growing literature suggests that internalization and coping may be more important than exposure to stressors alone. Therefore, we examined the relationship between endothelial function (brachial artery flow-mediated dilation, FMD) and psychosocial stress exposure (adverse childhood experiences, ACEs; past week discrimination, PWD) versus internalization/coping (John Henryism Active Coping Scale, JHAC12; Giscombe Superwoman Schema Questionnaire, G-SWS-Q). We hypothesized that 1) FMD would be blunted in Black relative to White females and 2) among Black females, internalization and maladaptive coping would exhibit a stronger negative relationship with FMD than exposure to stressful experiences alone. Methods: Twelve Black (21 ± 3 yr) and 8 White (25 ± 6 yr) healthy females underwent standard FMD testing. Black participants completed the ACEs, PWD, JHAC12, and G-SWS-Q inventories. Higher scores indicated greater stressor exposure or endorsement of the internalization/coping constructs. Results: Brachial artery FMD was lower in Black relative to White females (4.93 ± 3.10 vs 8.58 ± 1.62%; p < .01). Neither ACEs ( r = -.10, p = .75) nor PWD ( r = -.24, p = .45) were associated with FMD. JHAC12 scores were ( r = -.61, p = .02) and SWS scores tended to be ( r = -.39, p = .11) negatively associated with FMD. Among the SWS subscales, SWS-Resistance to Being Vulnerable ( r = -.51, p = .04) and SWS-Intense Motivation to Succeed ( r = -.54, p = .04) were negatively associated with FMD. Conclusion: These preliminary data indicate that 1) brachial artery endothelial function is blunted in young Black females and 2) reduced vascular function in Black females may be due more to internalization and maladaptive coping than exposure to stressful experiences alone.