Decomposing the Association Between Neighborhood Homicide Rates and Stress-Related Health Outcomes Among Black Men in...

Area of Science:

• Environmental Health
• Psychosocial Epidemiology
• Biomarkers of Stress

Background:

• Chronic stress from neighborhood violence negatively affects health.
• Subjective stress appraisal can influence health outcomes.
• Understanding the link between neighborhood violence and health in older Black men is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore how perceived stress and violence exposure mediate the relationship between neighborhood homicide rates and health outcomes.
• To investigate the physiological stress response in older Black men residing in high-violence neighborhoods.

Main Methods:

• Structural equation modeling was used.
• Data were collected from 127 older Black men in Chicago between May and August 2022.
• Measures included neighborhood homicide rates, perceived stress, perceived violence exposure, hair cortisol concentration, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Main Results:

• Higher homicide rates correlated with increased hair cortisol concentration (p=0.01).
• Perceived stress significantly mediated the effect of homicide rates on hair cortisol (p=0.03).
• Perceived stress and violence exposure were associated with neighborhood homicide rates (p=0.01, p=0.001 respectively), but neighborhood violence did not significantly affect depression or PTSD directly or indirectly through perceived stress or exposure.

Conclusions:

• Neighborhood violence impacts physiological stress responses in older Black men, irrespective of their perception of stress or violence.
• Incorporating actual and perceived stress measures, alongside stress biomarkers like hair cortisol, provides a more comprehensive assessment of stress impacts.
• This highlights the persistent physiological effects of environmental stressors on vulnerable populations.