The psychophysiological salience of past experiences of discrimination.

Abstract

Objectives: This study sought to test whether a discrimination recall task would elicit a significant parasympathetic response in multiracial undergraduate women. The study also investigated whether parasympathetic responsivity to the discrimination recall would be similar or different from that elicited by a widely used stress paradigm-the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST), and whether responses would differ for Black and White women. Method: Multiracial undergraduate women (n = 67; M age = 19.4 years; 32% White, 22% Black) completed the TSST and a discrimination recall task. Parasympathetic activity was assessed using highfrequency heart rate variability (HF-HRV). Results: Women exhibited significant HF-HRV responsivity to the discrimination recall and showed smaller average decreases in HF-HRV to the discrimination recall than the TSST. However, whereas White women exhibited decreased HF-HRV in response to both tasks, Black women showed increased HF-HRV for the discrimination recall but decreased HF-HRV for the TSST. Conclusions: Findings complement a growing body of research suggestive that experiences of discrimination are psychophysiologically salient. Additionally, discriminatory experiences may elicit distinctive patterns of HF-HRV responsivity compared to generic social stressors. Efforts to elucidate the unique role of discrimination-specific HF-HRV responsivity may be critical for delineating discrimination-health linkages. Public Significance StatementFindings suggest that a discrimination recall task elicits a significant psychophysiological stress response in multiracial women. A subset of women show distinctive patterns of psychophysiological responsivity to discrimination recalls compared to a generic social stress paradigm. A further investigation of the unique role of discrimination-specific psychophysiological responsivity may be critical for delineating discrimination-health linkages.

All Stressors Are Not Equal: The Salience of Racial Discrimination and Appraisal for Blood Pressure in African American Women

“…In general, appraisal measures were more strongly associated with BP than measures of frequency; in addition, the pattern of associations differed between measures of racial discrimination and general stress. This study adds to the body of evidence on the salience of stressors related to social identity threat (61)(62)(63)(64)(65)93) and documents racial discrimination as a unique and prominent form of psychosocial stress among AA women (52)(53)(54)59,85). Taken together, this study highlights the potential importance of a) distinguishing between different forms of stress impacting the health of AA women, especially stressors related to social identity threat like racial discrimination, and b) measuring and understanding appraisal of stress events rather than just the accumulation of stress events, to capture the entire stress process and the stress-health relationship more accurately.…”

“…Further research is needed to determine if study results can be replicated with racial discrimination experienced in different life domains, and how social/racial identity threat stressors may exacerbate stress processes stemming from different domains (e.g., school, health care, work) and/or manifestations (e.g., social/interpersonal versus economic) (102). The conceptual model (Figure 1) recognizes that past experiences (direct or vicarious) can activate the stress response process regardless of stress event occurrence, via cognitive preservation, worry, anticipation, and expectation, among other things (1,20,64,93,103). However, this analysis focused on measuring the same stressors via events and appraisals and cannot make any conclusions about appraisals outside the context of the stress events measured.…”

The Birth and Beyond (BABY) study: protocol for a birth cohort study investigating the social and environmental determinants of pregnancy-related outcomes in Black American families

“…Pregnant people with forms of stress dysregulation are thought to show distinctive psychophysiological responses to the cry task, 11 and the discrimination recall has been found to elicit distinctive patterns of physiological responsivity among Black women of reproductive age. 12 At the 6 month timepoint, infants complete a series of standardised activities from the Laboratory Assessment of Temperament and Behaviour (Lab-TAB 13 14 ) and the still-face paradigm. 15 The activities from the Lab-TAB are designed to elicit infant reactivity and regulation.…”

“…When participants provide permission, the neutral and discrimination recalls are audio recorded for later coding. Pregnant people with forms of stress dysregulation are thought to show distinctive psychophysiological responses to the cry task,11 and the discrimination recall has been found to elicit distinctive patterns of physiological responsivity among Black women of reproductive age 12…”