Key result
Exposure to adverse psychosocial factors, including perceived stress and racial discrimination, was related to higher BMI and blood pressure in 8 of 9 included studies of young African American women.
Why the study?
African American women face multiple adverse psychosocial factors, but the impact of these factors on cardiovascular disease risk during early adulthood is limited.
Are adverse psychosocial factors associated with increased cardiovascular disease risk factors in young African American women?
Systematic Review
Are adverse psychosocial factors associated with increased cardiovascular disease risk factors in young African American women?
Exposure to adverse psychosocial factors such as racism and depression is associated with increased cardiovascular risk factors like higher BMI and blood pressure in young African American women.
Supports psychosocial screening in young African American women; extends observational evidence on cardiometabolic risk.
Objective African American women are exposed to multiple adverse psychosocial factors, including racism, discrimination, poverty, neighborhood stress, anxiety, and depression. The impact of these psychosocial factors on cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk in women during early adulthood is limited. This review aims to summarize and synthesize the recent literature on psychosocial factors related to CVD risk in young African American women.Methods We conducted a comprehensive search of the literature in PubMed, APA PsycINFO, and CINAHL. We systematically reviewed the literature for studies examining associations between psychosocial factors (e.g. racism, discrimination, neighborhood stress, anxiety) and CVD risk factors (e.g. body mass index [BMI], blood pressure, diabetes) in African American women age 19–24 years. Eligible studies measured at least one psychosocial factor, a CVD risk factor, and included young adult African American women (age 19–24) or reported sex-stratified analyses.Results We identified nine studies that met our inclusion criteria: six cross-sectional and three longitudinal studies. Of these, eight studies reported that psychosocial factors (i.e. perceived stress, racial discrimination, internalized racism, depression) are related to higher BMI and blood pressure. The majority of studies were conducted among college students or had a small sample size (<200). The quality of six studies was rated as excellent; the remainder were good and fair.Conclusions Findings from this review suggest that exposure to adverse psychosocial factors may be related to increased CVD risk in early adulthood (age 19–24) in African American women. However, larger prospective analyses are necessary to examine these associations.
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Harris et al. (2021) conducted a systematic review in Cardiovascular disease risk. Adverse psychosocial factors was evaluated on Cardiovascular disease risk factors (e.g., BMI, blood pressure, diabetes). Exposure to adverse psychosocial factors, including perceived stress and racial discrimination, was related to higher BMI and blood pressure in 8 of 9 included studies of young African American women.
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