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Associations Between Maternal Experiences of Discrimination and Biomarkers of Toxic Stress in School-Aged Children

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Abstract

Objective

To examine associations between maternal experiences of discrimination and child biomarkers of toxic stress in a multiethnic, urban sample of mothers and children (4–9 years).

Methods

Data were drawn from a cross-sectional study of maternal–child dyads (N = 54) living in low-income neighborhoods in New Haven, Connecticut, USA. Mothers reported experiences of discrimination. Noninvasive biomarkers of toxic stress were collected to assess neuroendocrine (hair cortisol), immune (salivary cytokines, c-reactive protein), and cardiovascular (blood pressure) functioning in children.

Results

Maternal experiences of discrimination were associated with increased log-transformed salivary interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels in children (β = 0.15, p = 0.02).

Conclusions

Vicarious racism, or indirect exposure to discrimination experienced by caregivers, is associated with poor health outcomes for children. Immune pathways may be a biological mechanism through which racial discrimination “gets under the skin,” but additional research is needed to fully understand these relationships. Uncovering the physiological mechanisms linking vicarious racism with child health is an important step towards understanding possible early roots of racial and ethnic health inequities.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Institute of Nursing Research of the National Institutes of Health (F31NR016385 and T32NR008346), the NAPNAP Foundation, the Connecticut Nurses Foundation, the Jonas Nurse Leaders Scholars Program, and the Alpha Nu chapter of Sigma Theta Tau International. We thank Andrea Miller for her assistance with recruitment and data collection and the Yale School of Nursing Center for Biobehavioral Research for providing necessary resources. We also thank the families who participated in this study for contributing their time and expertise.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Yale School of Nursing, Yale University, 400 West Campus Drive, Orange, CT, 06477, USA

    Eileen M. Condon, Margaret L. Holland, Nancy S. Redeker & Lois S. Sadler

  2. Yale Child Study Center, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA

    Arietta Slade, Linda C. Mayes & Lois S. Sadler

Authors
  1. Eileen M. Condon
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  2. Margaret L. Holland
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  3. Arietta Slade
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  4. Nancy S. Redeker
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  5. Linda C. Mayes
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  6. Lois S. Sadler
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Correspondence to Eileen M. Condon.

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Condon, E.M., Holland, M.L., Slade, A. et al. Associations Between Maternal Experiences of Discrimination and Biomarkers of Toxic Stress in School-Aged Children. Matern Child Health J 23, 1147–1151 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-019-02779-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-019-02779-4

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