Stress and Allostatic Load Among Latina/os: Evidence from the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latina/os.

Pubmed ID: 33666779

Journal: Journal of immigrant and minority health

Publication Date: Oct. 1, 2021

MeSH Terms: Humans, Male, Female, Public Health, Allostasis, Ethnicity, Hispanic or Latino, Black People

Authors: Niño MD, Chavez YZ

Cite As: Niño MD, Chavez YZ. Stress and Allostatic Load Among Latina/os: Evidence from the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latina/os. J Immigr Minor Health 2021 Oct;23(5):895-903. Epub 2021 Mar 5.

Studies:

Abstract

We investigated associations between measures of environmental and psychological stress (i.e., chronic stress and perceived stress) and allostatic load across gender. We also tested whether other important intersectional factors, such as ethnic background and nativity, moderated stress-allostatic load relationships. Data were drawn from the Hispanic Community Health Study/ Study of Latina/os, a representative, multi-ethnic sample of Latina/os living in four urban communities. The final analytic sample consisted of 3848 Latina/os from five ethnic groups: Cuban, Puerto Rican, Dominican, Mexican, and South/ Central American. Findings indicate greater chronic and perceived stress were significantly associated with allostatic load for males but not for females. We also find, in some cases, ethnic background and nativity moderated relationships between types of stress and allostatic load for males. Findings suggest that environmental and psychological stressors can potentially shape health profiles of Latino males, with important differences across ethnic background and nativity.