Psychosocial Exposures Research Articles

Cerebral vascular function in young, healthy non-Hispanic Black and White females

Non-Hispanic Black (BL) individuals are ~2-times more likely to suffer from conditions including cognitive dysfunction and Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) – conditions which are among the fastest growing causes of morbidity and mortality in the US. The prevalence of ADRD is expected to double by 2060 with a more rapid increase in the BL (and Hispanic) population. Importantly, reduced vascular function, particularly in the cerebral circulation, contributes to elevated risk for and prevalence of ADRD. While previous research has provided valuable insight into mechanisms of cerebral vascular dysfunction, this work has been primarily conducted in males and has largely not included socioeconomic/racial discrimination measurements, which are critical to understanding race/ethnicity-related disparities in cerebral vascular health. To our knowledge no studies have specifically examined cerebral vascular function in young, healthy BL females relative to WH females. Therefore, we tested the hypothesis that cerebral vascular function would be blunted in BL relative to WH females. METHODS: Eleven healthy WH (age: 26±7 yr; BMI: 26±3 kg/m2) and 17 healthy (age: 21±2 yr; BMI: 26±4 kg/m2) BL females participated. Beat-to-beat blood pressure, end-tidal carbon dioxide tension, and middle cerebral artery mean blood velocity (MCAVmean) were continuously collected. Transfer function analysis (i.e. gain, phase, and coherence) of blood pressure and MCAVmean were calculated in the very-low, low, and high-frequency ranges to assess cerebral autoregulation. Cerebral vascular function was also assessed as the % increase in MCA vascular conductance (CVCi = MCAVmean/mean arterial pressure) during administration of a hypercapnic gas (6% CO2 gas). Socioeconomic background and psychosocial stress exposures were assessed as: 1) parental education level; 2) adverse childhood experiences (ACEs); and 3) perceived ethnic discrimination (PEDQ). RESULTS: Transfer function analysis of gain, phase, and coherence was similar across all frequency ranges ( P>0.05 for all) and the % increase in CVCi ( P=0.71) during hypercapnia was similar between BL and WH females. Although perceived ethnic discrimination was greater in BL relative to WH females ( P<0.001), there were no group differences in parental education level nor ACEs ( P>0.05 for both). CONCLUSION: These preliminary data suggest that cerebral vascular function is not different between young, healthy BL and WH females of similar socioeconomic background. Future studies should continue to examine these relationships but expand inclusion to a wider age group with a greater diversity in socioeconomic background. Funding: NIH R15 (HL156128, RMB) & AHA Predoctoral Fellowship (915133, ZTM) This is the full abstract presented at the American Physiology Summit 2023 meeting and is only available in HTML format. There are no additional versions or additional content available for this abstract. Physiology was not involved in the peer review process.

Contribution of social, behavioral, and contextual exposures to Black-White disparities in incident obesity: The CARDIA study.

The aim of this study was to quantify the contributions of socioeconomic, psychosocial, behavioral, reproductive, and neighborhood exposures in young adulthood to Black-White differences in incident obesity. In the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study, 4488 Black or White adults aged 18 to 30 years without obesity at baseline (1985-1986) were followed over 30 years. Sex-specific Cox proportional hazard models were used to estimate Black-White differences in incident obesity. Models were adjusted for baseline and time-updated indicators. During follow-up, 1777 participants developed obesity. Black women were 1.87 (95% CI: 1.63-2.13) times more likely and Black men were 1.53 (95% CI: 1.32-1.77) times more likely to develop obesity than their White counterparts after adjusting for age, field center, and baseline BMI. Baseline exposures explained 43% of this difference in women and 52% in men. Time-updated exposures explained more of the racial differencein women but less for men, compared with baseline exposures. Adjusting for these exposures accounted for a substantial but incomplete proportion of racial disparities in incident obesity. Remaining differences may be explained by incomplete capture of the most salient aspects of these exposures or potential variation in the impact of these exposures on obesity by race.

Work-Related Factors Associated With Health and Well-Being of Early Care and Education Workers.

We assessed and examined relationships between the health and working conditions of early care and education workers. We surveyed early care and education workers ( n = 2242) about their socioeconomic characteristics; work organization; psychosocial, physical, and ergonomic exposures; coping behaviors; and health. Nearly half of respondents reported chronic health conditions. Most worked full time, half earned less than $30,000 a year, and many reported unpaid hours or inability to take breaks. One-quarter reported economic strain. Numerous exposures were prevalent. Workers' general health was poorer than normed averages, although their physical functioning was slightly better. Sixteen percent of workers reported work-related injuries, and 43% reported depressive symptoms. Factors associated with health included socioeconomic characteristics, having a chronic condition, job type, access to benefits, eight psychosocial stressors, four physical exposures, sleep, and alcohol consumption. Findings support the need for attention to this workforce's health.

Lifespan psychosocial stressors, optimism, and hemodynamic acute stress response in a national sample.

To understand the association between psychosocial stressors and cardiovascular health by evaluating: (a) lifespan patterns of childhood and adulthood stressors in relation to hemodynamic acute stress reactivity and recovery and (b) the role of optimism in these associations. Participants (n = 1,092, 56% women, 21% racial/ethnic minority, Mage = 56.2) were from the Midlife in the United States Study II Biomarker Project. Lifespan profiles of psychosocial stressor exposure (low lifespan exposure, high childhood only, high adulthood only, persistent exposure) were constructed from responses to the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire and a life events inventory. Optimism was measured with the Life Orientation Test-Revised. Hemodynamic acute stress reactivity to and recovery from cognitive stressors were assessed using a standardized laboratory protocol involving continuous measurements of systolic and diastolic blood pressure (BP) and baroreflex sensitivity (BRS). Compared with the low lifespan exposure group, the high childhood- and persistent-exposure groups showed lower BP reactivity, and to a lesser extent, slower BP recovery. Persistent exposure was also associated with slower BRS recovery. Optimism did not modify the association between stressor exposure and any hemodynamic acute stress responses. However, in exploratory analyses, greater stressor exposure across all developmental periods was indirectly associated with reduced BP acute stress reactivity and slower recovery via lower optimism levels. Findings support childhood as a unique developmental period wherein high adversity exposure may exert an enduring influence on adulthood cardiovascular health by limiting individuals' capacity to cultivate psychosocial resources and altering hemodynamic responses to acute stressors. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Family instability in childhood affects language and memory in adulthood: results from the Pró-Saúde Study, Brazil.

The study aims to investigate associations between adverse childhood psychosocial exposures and declarative memory, language, and executive function in adults with secondary schooling or more and without dementia. In 361 participants from the Pró-Saúde Study, we estimated associations between maternal educational attainment, principal source of the family´s income, food insecurity, and childhood family structure and performance in learning, word recall, and semantic and phonemic verbal fluency tests using multiple linear regression models. Individuals whose mother was the family breadwinner (mean difference: -1.97, 95%CI: -3.27; -0.72) and head-of-household (mean difference: -1.62, 95%CI: -2.89; -0.35) or who lived with a non-parental caregiver or in institutions in childhood (mean difference: -2.19, 95%CI: -4.29; -0.09) showed a reduction in the mean number of words in language and memory in adulthood. The results provide further evidence of the effect of adverse exposures in childhood. Without effective interventions, such exposures are likely to have far-reaching impacts on cognition.

Proteome analysis of monocytes implicates altered mitochondrial biology in adults reporting adverse childhood experiences

The experience of adversity in childhood has been associated with poor health outcomes in adulthood. In search of the biological mechanisms underlying these effects, research so far focused on alterations of DNA methylation or shifts in transcriptomic profiles. The level of protein, however, has been largely neglected. We utilized mass spectrometry to investigate the proteome of CD14+ monocytes in healthy adults reporting childhood adversity and a control group before and after psychosocial stress exposure. Particular proteins involved in (i) immune processes, such as neutrophil-related proteins, (ii) protein metabolism, or (iii) proteins related to mitochondrial biology, such as those involved in energy production processes, were upregulated in participants reporting exposure to adversity in childhood. This functional triad was further corroborated by protein interaction- and co-expression analyses, was independent of stress exposure, i.e. observed at both pre- and post-stress time points, and became evident especially in females. In line with the mitochondrial allostatic load model, our findings provide evidence for the long-term effects of childhood adversity on mitochondrial biology.

Occupational exposure to noise and myocardial infarction risk one year later in Sweden

Objective: To explore the association between occupational noise exposure and myocardial infarction (MI) one year later. Methods: Data came from the SNOW cohort, comprised of all individuals born between 1930 and 1990 in Sweden, with demographic, occupational, and outcome data available from 1960 until 2017. In this study, we included working individuals with at least one occupational code between 1985 and 2013. These were matched to a job exposure matrix (JEM) in five categories (LAeq8h): <70, 70-74, 75-80, 80-85, >85 dB(A). MI status in the year following exposure was ascertained using the patient register. To account for time-varying occupational data, we utilized a discrete-time proportional hazards model adjusted for individual confounders and other occupational exposures. Results: Preliminary results show that exposure to over 75 dB(A) of occupational is associated with a 13-21% increased risk for MI one year later. After adjusting for psychosocial work exposures, physical workload, exposure to vibrations, and chemical and particle exposure, noise exposure was no longer associated with an increased risk for MI. Conclusion: Exposure to noise was not associated with an increased risk for MI one year later after adjusting for other work exposures among this younger, working population. Additional in-depth analyses are ongoing.

Independent Associations Between Trait-Anger, Depressive Symptoms and Preclinical Atherosclerotic Progression.

Previous research from our group found that recent depressive symptoms were associated with 3-year change in carotid intima-media thickness (CA-IMT), a biomarker of cardiovascular disease risk, in an initially healthy sample of older adults. Trait measures of anxiety, anger, and hostility did not predict 3-year CA-IMT progression in that report. The current study sought to reexamine these associations at a 6-year follow-up point. Two-hundred seventy-eight participants (151 males, mean age = 60.68 years) from the original sample completed an additional IMT reading 6 years following the initial baseline assessment. Though not significant at 3-years, trait-anger emerged as a predictor of IMT progression at the 6-year point. When examined in separate regression models, both depression and trait-anger (but not anxiety or hostility) predicted 6-year IMT change (b = .017, p = .002; b = .029, p = .01, respectively). When examined concurrently, both depression and anger were independently associated with 6-year IMT progression (b = .016, p = .010, b = .028, p = .022, respectively). Exploratory analyses suggest that the relative contributions of anger and depression may differ for males and females. The use of sequential follow-ups is relatively unique in this literature, and our results suggest a need for further research on the timing and duration of psychosocial risk exposures in early stages of cardiovascular disease.

Constructing and validating an occupational job strain index based on five Norwegian nationwide surveys of living conditions on work environment

BackgroundIt has been claimed that Nordic register data are a “goldmine” for research. However, one limitation is the lack of information on working conditions. Job exposure matrices (JEMs) are one solution to this problem. Thus, the three aims of this study were (i) to investigate the reliability of an occupation-based psychosocial JEM, i.e., a Job Strain Index (job strain or JSI abbreviated), (ii) to examine the construct and criterion-related validity of this measure of job strain (iii) and assesses the concurrent and the predictive validity of an occupation-based Job Strain Index for use in analyses of Norwegian register data.MethodThe study utilized five waves of the nationwide Norway Survey of Living Conditions in the Work Environment with a total sample of 43,977 individuals and register data with a total sample of 1,589,535 individuals. Job strain was composed of items belonging to the two dimensions of Karasek’s DC model, job demands and job control (1979). The reliability of the JSI and its dimensions and components were investigated by measuring the degree of agreement (Cohen’s kappa), sensitivity, specificity, and internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha). Construct validity was assessed by confirmatory factor analysis, and criterion-related validity was measured by concurrent validity and predictive validity. The selected concurrent criteria were self-reported survey information on long-term sick absence, anxiety, depression, and sleeping difficulty. The predictive criteria were register information on receipt of disability benefits, mortality, and long-term sick leave.ResultsAgreement between individual and occupation-based job strain and components was fair to poor. The sensitivity and specificity of occupation-based job strain and its components varied from acceptable to low. The consistency of the items comprising job demand and job control was clearly acceptable. Regarding concurrent validity, significant associations between (both individual and occupational) job strain, and long-term sick leave and sleeping difficulty were observed for both genders. Occupation-based job strain indicated an elevated risk for anxiety and depression among men, but not among women. As for predictive reliability, significant associations between occupation-based job strain and all three health outcomes were observed for both men and women.ConclusionOur occupation-based JSI serves as a reliable and valid indicator of psychosocial job exposure that can be used in analyses of Norwegian register data where individual information on such conditions is missing.

The fractions and burden of cardiovascular diseases and depression attributable to psychosocial work exposures in the European Union

The fractions and burden of cardiovascular diseases and depression attributable to psychosocial work exposures in the European Union

COMMUNAL SUPPORT PREDICTS BETTER MENTAL HEALTH: KNOWLEDGE TRANSLATION AMONG OLDER ADULTS DURING COVID-19

Abstract The well-being of older adults has been linked to the quality of their neighbourhood environment. Given that COVID-19 affected poorer neighbourhoods disproportionately, we partnered with community organizations to identify meso-level psychosocial factors that may improve loneliness, depressive mood, and cognitive function. Five variables were identified through focus groups with older adults and community organizations. These variables were drawn from validated scales, including communal provisions, neighbourhood friendship, self-expression, social experiences, and time outdoors. This paper presents preliminary findings from surveys administered to 151 community-dwelling older adults across British Columbia and interviews in four neighbourhoods.Purposeful and snowball sampling were used to recruit older adults (age 55+) from community centres and neighbourhood houses. Online surveys measured the five meso-level psychosocial exposure variables. Outcome variables included an index of loneliness, depressive mood, self-rated memory, semantic fluency and delayed recall. Data was geocoded and aggregated by Forward Sortation Area. Regression and cross-level mediation analysis were conducted. Four neighbourhoods were selected from a 2x2 matrix of high and low neighbourhood deprivation (CANUE, 2016). Mental health was associated with better social experiences (B=.26, p=.003). Time outdoors (B=.35, p=.047) was associated with better delayed recall. Mental health was better in poorer neighbourhoods (B=.20, p=.015). This was partially mediated by communal provisions (B=.19, p=.032). Social experiences (B=.23, p=.009) fully mediated these effects on mental health. Participants described being of local community services and took on opportunities to volunteer. Social experiences and neighbourhood resources may help support mental health and well-being among older adults during the pandemic and beyond.

Co-exposures to physical and psychosocial work factors increase the occurrence of workplace injuries among French care workers.

The aim of this study was to analyze the effect of co-exposures to physical and psychosocial factors (PSF) regarding the incidence of workplace injuries (WI) among care workers. Additional objective was to identify the work factors associated with the co-exposure combinations leading to the highest rates of WI. The study sample consisted of 4,418 care workers participating to the French Working Conditions Survey both in 2013 and 2016. WI were assessed during the 4-year follow-up by matching the databases of the National Health Insurance Funds' compensation system. We assessed exposure for physical factors and PSF using factorial analyses and hierarchical clustering. We implemented a Poisson regression model with the WI incidence as the outcome and the clusters as independent variables of interest. Logistic regression model allowed identifying the work factors that predicted co-exposure combinations with a WI rate > 40%. WI were highly related to both physical and psychosocial exposures. With low exposure to one or the other, there was no increased risk of WI. Physical factors and PSF potentiated each other and their co-exposure significantly increased the risk of WI, with model predicted rates per 1,000 persons-year for those most exposed to physical risk of 14.6 [4.5-24.8] with low PSF and 38.0 [29.8-46.3] with high PSF. Work factors that predicted co-exposure combinations with a rate > 40 WI% were: working as nursing assistant or hospital services officer, lack of predictability and flexibility of schedules, overtime, controlled schedules, work-family imbalance and insufficient preventive measures. Our findings highlight the need to take into account psychosocial factors in addition of only considering physical factors when analyzing WI occurrence, as usually done. Prevention actions must be taken to reduce both physical and psychosocial exposure. These results provide keys points for the prevention of WI among care workers.

Prenatal socioenvironmental exposures and autism spectrum disorder: A web of confusion.

Although evidence of heritability for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is strong, studies of twin pairs suggest that at least some portion of the etiology is attributable to environmental factors, either directly or through interaction with genes. Given the multitude of environmental and psychosocial exposures that have been reported to increase atypical neurodevelopment in offspring, in this article, we summarize what prenatal air pollutant, chemical, and occupational exposures and psychosocial stressors have been reportedly associated with ASD and co-occurring neurodevelopmental disorders. We highlight consistencies in reported associations and recommend areas for research to close gaps in our understanding of environmental risk for ASD. Because this issue is of particular importance in historically marginalized communities and low- and middle-income countries, we also discuss the importance of environmental justice issues and exposure disparities in research, and we advocate for prioritizing policies to reduce disparities and improve service provision in vulnerable populations.

Integrative Wellness Approaches to Mitigate Perceived Stress, Increase Vitality, and Build Community during COVID-19: A Pilot Study.

In January 2020, a small, private school of nursing in a university in the pacific northwest, established the Initiative for Vital Practice (I4VP). The I4VP's primary goal was to create a sustainable pathway for increasing vital practice through increasing resiliency and self-care practices. The ensuing pathway's objectives were to, (1) take previously identified factors related to perceived stress related to workloads, impacts on professional quality of life and psychosocial exposures during the COVID-19 pandemic; and (2) develop and pilot test a wellness intervention (i.e., wellness pods) for faculty and staff to build community and find new ways to enhance well-being through peer support. Five focused Wellness Pods were developed on Microsoft Teams platform using the individual channels: (1) stress and mind-body exploration pod; (2) mindfulness in healthcare pod; (3) healing relationship pod; (4) environmental pod; and (5) physical activity pod. Faculty and staff self-selected into a Wellness Pod that interested them. The Wellness Pods met weekly in person over a period of two months. Quantitative and qualitative data was collected via cross-sectional surveys including: four sociodemographic items, one item on current stress level, one write-in item on current stress management at work, two write-in items focused on the cognitive reasoning for participation, the 7-item subjective vitality scale focused individual difference, the 7-item subjective vitality scale focused on the state level, the 10-item perceived stress scale, and one item ranking which wellness pod the individual wanted to participate in. There was one trained facilitator for the overall Wellness Pods operations and communication. The average score on the perceived stress scale was 22.3 (SD = 3.5), indicating moderate levels of perceived stress. The average score on the individual difference vitality score was 26.5 (SD = 7.6), whereas the state level vitality score was 21.4 (SD = 9.98), indicating moderate levels of subjective vitality. Two categories: stress management and wellness pods, were identified through content analysis. Through pilot testing, this project demonstrated feasibility for future wellness pods interventions for faculty and staff at schools of nursing. Future research is needed to evaluate the effectiveness of the wellness pods intervention.

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

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.

Syndemic violence victimization, alcohol and drug use, and HIV transmission risk behavior among HIV-negative transgender women in India: A cross-sectional, population-based study.

Transgender women globally are disproportionately burdened by HIV. Co-occurring epidemics of adverse psychosocial exposures accelerate HIV sexual risk, including among transgender women; however, studies using additive models fail to examine synergies among psychosocial conditions that define a syndemic. We examined the impact of synergistic interactions among 4 psychosocial exposures on condomless anal sex (CAS) among transgender women in India. A national probability-based sample of 4,607 HIV-negative transgender women completed the Indian Integrated Biological and Behavioural Surveillance survey, 2014-2015. We used linear probability regression and logistic regression to assess 2-, 3-, and 4-way interactions among 4 psychosocial exposures (physical violence, sexual violence, drug use, and alcohol use) on CAS. Overall, 27.3% reported physical and 22.3% sexual violence victimization (39.2% either physical or sexual violence), one-third (33.9%) reported frequent alcohol use and 11.5% illicit drug use. Physical violence was associated with twofold higher odds of CAS in the main effects model. Statistically significant two- and three-way interactions were identified, on both the multiplicative and the additive scales, between physical violence and drug use; physical and sexual violence; physical violence, sexual violence, and alcohol use; and physical violence, alcohol use and drug use. Physical and sexual violence victimization, and alcohol and drug use are highly prevalent and synergistically interact to increase CAS among HIV-negative transgender women in India. Targeted and integrated multilevel initiatives to improve the assessment of psychosocial comorbidities, to combat systemic transphobic violence, and to provide tailored, trauma-informed alcohol and substance use treatment services may reduce HIV risk among transgender women.

Psychosocial stress exposure and lung function in childhood: effect modification by child sex

Psychosocial stress exposure and lung function in childhood: effect modification by child sex

Scoping report and interactive evidence map on studies of environmental exposures, psychosocial stressors, and cardiovascular diseases in disproportionally impacted communities

Background and Aim Worldwide, cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death, with two-thirds of CVD- related deaths occurring in low- and middle-income countries. In addition to socioeconomic status (SES), CVD rates vary by race, ethnicity, and place. Environmental Health disparities (EHD) are predominately caused by systematic racism leading to higher exposure to environmental toxins, higher indicators of psychosocial stress, and social inequities. Our goal is to inform the scientific community and disproportionally affected populations (DAP) on the scope of the literature on CVD EHD and identify research gaps. Methods To target relevant epidemiological studies and reviews, we searched PubMed using a broad range of terms for DAPs, environmental exposures, psychosocial stressors, and CVD outcomes. DAPs included racial, ethnic, and sexual minority groups and people with lower SES status or living in rural areas. Using exclusion/inclusion criteria, we screened the studies to determine relevancy. Included studies were reviewed and characterized by specific populations, environmental exposures, psychosocial stressors, and CVD outcomes. We visualized and explored the findings using six interactive evidence maps in Tableau. Results We identified >1,400 relevant primary studies on CVD and psychosocial stressors or environmental exposures; >800 were conducted in DAP. The most studied racial/ethnic population was Black people (>300), and there were very few studies on sexual minorities (<10). Most DAP studies reported on personal behaviors (>60%), air pollution (~35%), SES indicators, and hypertension (~55%) for all DAP; however, some patterns differ according to the DAP. About 20% of studies reported allostatic load, and 7% evaluated racism and CVD. A research gap is the evaluation of environmental-psychosocial stressors interactions and CVD. Conclusions Our evidence map is a resource for DAP and scientific communities to explore the state of the science on CVD EHD and can be used to develop health equity solutions. Keywords: EHD, CVD

Associations of social processing abilities with psychosocial stress sensitivity

Through the long-term activation of the sympathetic nervous system and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, chronic psychosocial stress can compromise mental and bodily health. Psychosocial stress is determined by the perception of social interactions as ego-threatening, and thus strongly influenced by individual social processing capacities. In the current study, we investigated whether three key components of social processing are linked to how individuals respond to the experience of acute psychosocial stress exposure. Empathy, compassion, and Theory of Mind (ToM) were assessed using a state-of-the-art paradigm, the EmpaToM. Participants (N = 118) also underwent the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST), a standardized psychosocial laboratory stress test. Stress responses were measured in terms of salivary cortisol and alpha-amylase, heart-rate, high-frequency heart-rate variability (HF-HRV), and subjective stress experience. ToM performance correlated with different aspects of the acute psychosocial stress response. More specifically, higher levels of ToM were linked to increased alpha-amylase and reduced HF-HRV sensitivity to stress. Empathy and compassion levels had no influence on stress sensitivity. We conclude that ToM performance has a stable albeit contradictory association with acute psychosocial stress, while empathy and compassion tendencies appear to be largely unrelated. Overall, the relationship between EmpaToM-derived empathy, compassion, and ToM characteristics with stress sensitivity in the TSST is relatively weak.

Sexual minority health and allostatic load in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey: A systematic scoping review with intersectional implications

Understood largely from a minority stress framework, sexual minorities (SM) are hypothesized to suffer more physical and mental health burdens compared to their heterosexual counterparts. Several studies have used data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) in the United States to assess SM health disparities and the ‘wear and tear’ of allostatic load. Because findings are generally mixed and sometimes contradictory with sexual minority stress theory, we endeavoured to explore existing NHANES studies of SM health. Our scoping review yielded a comprehensive analysis of all existing published articles (N = 43) that have used the NHANES to assess any outcome regarding SM health and well-being. Our synthesis confirms that SM sub-groups are significantly different from one another and from their heterosexual peers on several key health variables. Surprisingly, gay men appear to have the lowest allostatic load and no differences have yet been identified among women as a function of sexual identity/behavior. The existing literature suggests a need to use the NHANES more broadly and to include more psychosocial variables to better delineate sexual minority stress. This is especially important to consider at a physiological level in allostatic load research that should better include health behaviors available in NHANES and from other available datasets as moderators linking psychosocial exposures (e.g., minority stress) and health outcomes. Suggested future directions are proposed in an intersectional perspective that incorporates interactions among sex, gender, sexual identity/behaviors, race, ethnicity, age cohorts, socioeconomic status, and lived experiences.