Jane Addams College of Social Work, University of Illinois Chicago, 1040 West Harrison Street, Chicago, IL, 60607, USA.
School of Social Work, Rutgers University-Newark, 360 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, Hill Hall 325, Newark, NJ, 07102, USA.
J Urban Health. 2023 Oct;100(5):892-903. doi: 10.1007/s11524-023-00776-1.
Exposure to chronic stress is a major public health concern. Black youth are vulnerable to chronic stress exposure given their overrepresentation in urban neighborhoods characterized by socio-ecological stressors. We contribute to this emerging body of knowledge by (1) investigating stress-induced variability in cortisol response patterns among Black youth, and (2) examining risk and protective factors associated with physiological stress responses. Salivary cortisol was collected from a community sample of 123 low-income Black youth ages 13 to 21. Latent class analysis (LCA) and logistic regression were utilized to identify discrete groups based on cortisol reactivity, and psychological, behavioral, and socio-ecological correlates of class membership. LCA supported a 2-class model of cortisol reactivity. Youth in class one were indicative of a normative stress response with mean cortisol awakening response of 0.38 μg/dL (SD = 0.19), 0.48 μg/dL (SD = 0.20) at time 2, and 0.44 μg/dL (SD = 0.20) at time 3. Youth in class two exhibited a blunted stress response with mean cortisol awakening response of 0.20 μg/dL (SD = 0.11), 0.21 μg/dL (SD = 0.09) at time 2, and 0.18 μg/dL (SD = 0.08) at time 3. Delinquent peer exposure and post-traumatic stress symptoms were negatively associated with blunted stress responses, while greater depressive symptoms were positively associated with blunted stress responses. Black youth displayed distinct physiological stress reactivity patterns. Interventions are needed to assist youth in coping with stress while transforming the upstream factors that give rise to adverse community conditions.
长期暴露于慢性压力是一个主要的公共卫生问题。由于黑人群体在社会生态压力源为主的城市社区中代表性过高，他们更容易受到慢性压力的影响。我们通过以下两个方面为这一新兴知识体系做出了贡献：（1）研究黑人群体中皮质醇反应模式的应激诱导变化，（2）研究与生理应激反应相关的风险和保护因素。我们从一个由 123 名低收入黑人青少年组成的社区样本中收集了唾液皮质醇。利用潜在类别分析（LCA）和逻辑回归，根据皮质醇反应性以及心理、行为和社会生态因素，确定了不同的类别。LCA 支持皮质醇反应的 2 类模型。一类青少年表现出正常的应激反应，平均皮质醇觉醒反应为 0.38μg/dL（SD=0.19），2 时为 0.48μg/dL（SD=0.20），3 时为 0.44μg/dL（SD=0.20）。二类青少年表现出皮质醇反应迟钝，平均皮质醇觉醒反应为 0.20μg/dL（SD=0.11），2 时为 0.21μg/dL（SD=0.09），3 时为 0.18μg/dL（SD=0.08）。违法同伴接触和创伤后应激症状与皮质醇反应迟钝呈负相关，而更多的抑郁症状与皮质醇反应迟钝呈正相关。黑人青少年表现出明显的生理应激反应模式。需要采取干预措施来帮助青少年应对压力，同时改变导致不良社区条件的上游因素。
