Brody Gene H, Yu Tianyi, Miller Gregory E, Chen Edith
Center for Family Research, Institute for Behavioral Research, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia.
Center for Family Research, Institute for Behavioral Research, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia.
J Adolesc Health. 2015 May;56(5):496-501. doi: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2015.01.017.
Low-grade inflammation, measured by circulating levels of cytokines, is a pathogenic mechanism for several chronic diseases of aging. Identifying factors related to inflammation among African-American youths may yield insights into mechanisms underlying racial disparities in health. The purpose of the study was to determine whether (1) reported racial discrimination from ages 17-19 years forecasts heightened cytokine levels at the age of 22 years and (2) this association is lower for youths with positive racial identities.
A longitudinal research design was used with a community sample of 160 African-Americans who were aged 17 years at the beginning of the study. Discrimination and racial identity were measured with questionnaires, and blood was drawn to measure basal cytokine levels. Ordinary least squares regression analyses were used to examine the hypotheses.
After controlling for socioeconomic risk, life stress, depressive symptoms, and body mass index, racial discrimination (β = .307; p < .01), racial identity (β = -.179; p < .05), and their interaction (β = -.180; p < .05) forecast cytokine levels. Youths exposed to high levels of racial discrimination evinced elevated cytokine levels 3 years later. This association was not significant for young adults with positive racial identities.
High levels of interpersonal racial discrimination and the development of a positive racial identity operate jointly to determine low-grade inflammation levels that have been found to forecast chronic diseases of aging, such as coronary disease and stroke.
通过细胞因子循环水平衡量的低度炎症是几种衰老相关慢性疾病的致病机制。确定非裔美国青年中与炎症相关的因素可能有助于深入了解健康方面种族差异的潜在机制。本研究的目的是确定：（1）17至19岁时报告的种族歧视是否能预测22岁时细胞因子水平升高；（2）对于具有积极种族认同的青年，这种关联是否较低。
采用纵向研究设计，对160名非裔美国人的社区样本进行研究，这些人在研究开始时年龄为17岁。通过问卷测量歧视和种族认同，并采集血液以测量基础细胞因子水平。使用普通最小二乘法回归分析来检验假设。
在控制了社会经济风险、生活压力、抑郁症状和体重指数后，种族歧视（β = 0.307；p < 0.01）、种族认同（β = -0.179；p < 0.05）及其相互作用（β = -0.180；p < 0.05）可预测细胞因子水平。遭受高水平种族歧视的青年在3年后表现出细胞因子水平升高。对于具有积极种族认同的年轻人，这种关联并不显著。
高水平的人际种族歧视和积极种族认同的发展共同作用，决定了已被发现可预测衰老相关慢性疾病（如冠心病和中风）的低度炎症水平。
