Relationships between acculturative stressors and physiological stress response among Latinx immigrants in the...

Chronic exposure to psychological stress is a well-established social determinant of health, particularly among racial and ethnic minority groups. Repeated stress can lead to persistent activation of the biological stress response, which may become maladaptive and harm both physical and mental health. Latinx immigrants are especially susceptible due to ongoing acculturative stress-challenges associated with adapting to a new culture and environment. Despite these risks, Latinx immigrants also exhibit strong resilience, which can help buffer the negative health effects of acculturative stress. Minimal research has explored associations among measures of acculturative stressors, psychosocial resilience factors, and immunological biomarkers of the physiological stress response. The current study examines these relationships within a Latinx immigrant population.

We conducted a secondary analysis of baseline data collected between June 2018 and January 2020 from a community-engaged research study of Latinx immigrants in the U.S. Southeast aged 18-44 (N = 391). Participants completed self-report measures of acculturative stressors, resilience factors, and health, as well as urine specimens for biomarker analysis using immunoassays. Hypotheses were tested with Spearman's correlations and multivariate linear regressions.

In bivariate correlations, only IL-18, a pro-inflammatory cytokine, and IL-10, an anti-inflammatory cytokine, were associated with acculturative stressors. In our final regression models accounting for acculturative stressors and resilience factors, no moderation effects were observed, and only BMI remained a significant predictor of IL-18. Exploratory mediation analysis demonstrated that BMI partially mediated the relationship between pre-migration stress and IL-18.

The results highlight significant associations among acculturative stressors, inflammatory cytokines, and BMI. Further exploration of these relationships can identify key social determinants and mechanisms underlying health inequities, such as those related to obesity and cardiometabolic health. These findings may contribute to the design of more effective health promotion and disease prevention interventions for Latinx immigrant populations.