Oregon Social Learning Center, Eugene, OR, USA.
J Biosoc Sci. 2010 Jul;42(4):433-61. doi: 10.1017/S0021932010000039. Epub 2010 Feb 24.
Perceived discrimination has been linked to poor health outcomes among ethnic and racial minorities in the United States, though the relationship of discrimination-related stress to immigrant health is not well understood. This article reports findings from a preliminary study that examined blood pressure and Epstein-Barr virus antibody levels in relation to self-reported indicators of stress, acculturation and social support among 79 adult immigrant Latino farm workers in Oregon, US. Findings show that increases in discrimination-related stress predicted elevated systolic blood pressure (SBP) and Epstein-Barr virus antibody levels among male participants. Though female participants reported similar levels of discrimination stress, this perceived stress was not reflected in biological measures. Among women, greater English language engagement was linked to higher SBP, and more years in the US was associated with higher diastolic blood pressure. Study results suggest that male and female immigrants' physiological responses to stress may be influenced in distinctive ways by processes of adjustment to life in the US. If replicated, the finding that discrimination stress predicts elevated SBP may have clinical and public health implications given that elevated SBP is an established risk factor for cardiovascular disease.
在美国，少数民族和种族群体普遍认为受到歧视与健康状况不佳有关，但歧视相关压力对移民健康的影响尚不清楚。本文报告了一项初步研究的结果，该研究调查了 79 名美国俄勒冈州成年拉丁裔农业移民工人的压力、文化适应和社会支持的自我报告指标与血压和爱泼斯坦-巴尔病毒抗体水平之间的关系。研究结果表明，与歧视相关的压力增加预示着男性参与者的收缩压（SBP）和爱泼斯坦-巴尔病毒抗体水平升高。尽管女性参与者报告了类似程度的歧视压力，但这种感知到的压力并没有反映在生物测量中。在女性中，更多地使用英语与更高的 SBP 相关，而在美国的时间更长与更高的舒张压相关。研究结果表明，男性和女性移民对压力的生理反应可能受到适应美国生活的过程以不同的方式影响。如果得到证实，歧视压力预测收缩压升高的发现可能具有临床和公共卫生意义，因为收缩压升高是心血管疾病的既定风险因素。
