The Association between Air Pollution and Psychosocial Stress in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis

Abstract

The Association between Air Pollution and Psychosocial Stress in the Multi-Ethnic Study of AtherosclerosisAbstract Number:2864 Anjum Hajat*, Ana Diez Roux, Margaret Hicken, and Joel Kaufman Anjum Hajat* University of Washington, United States, E-mail Address: [email protected] Search for more papers by this author , Ana Diez Roux Drexel University, United States, E-mail Address: [email protected] Search for more papers by this author , Margaret Hicken University of Michigan, United States, E-mail Address: [email protected] Search for more papers by this author , and Joel Kaufman University of Washington, United States, E-mail Address: [email protected] Search for more papers by this author AbstractResearchers have stated that exposures to environmental hazards cluster with stress and psychosocial factors; however, limited empirical evidence is available to corroborate this hypothesis. Examining this association is important to research on the joint effects of air pollution and psychosocial stress on health. Using data from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis we examined stress-related and psychosocial biomarker and survey measures including: urinary catecholamines (epinephrine (EPI), norepinephrine (NE) and dopamine (DA)), lifetime and everyday discrimination, chronic burden, depression, emotional support, anger, anxiety, optimism, job strain, cynical distrust, loneliness, social support, social strain and perceived stress. We used annual average air pollution estimates of particulate matter (PM2.5) in µg/m3 at each study participant’s home address. In order to estimate associations of these factors with air pollution we modeled PM2.5 as a function of each of the stress biomarkers and psychosocial factors individually, controlling for age, race, sex, immigrant status, study site and socioeconomic status (education, income and occupation). The mean value of PM2.5 was 16.1µg/m3. Initial results show that interquartile range increases in EPI, NE, and DA were associated with a 0.08 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.02, 0.15), 0.09 (CI: 0.01, 0.19), and 0.14 µg/m3 (CI: 0.04, 0.23) higher PM2.5, respectively. Those who reported experiencing discrimination in the past year had 0.14 µg/m3 higher PM2.5 (CI: 0.01, 0.26) than those who did not and persons in the highest tertile of cynical distrust had 0.09 µg/m3 higher PM2.5 (CI: 0.01, 0.16) versus those in the lowest tertile. Other psychosocial factors investigated were not associated with air pollution. Although the magnitude of effect is small, these results suggest that certain psychosocial factors and biomarkers of stress are important to research on the health effects of air pollution.