THE STRESS AND WELL-BEING IN EVERYDAY LIFE (SWEL) STUDY: CHALLENGES AND PRELIMINARY FINDINGS

摘要

Hypertension is the number one cause of racial disparities in mortality in the U.S. Cardiovascular reactivity (e.g., heart rate, blood pressure reactions to stress) is hypothesized to be a potential mechanism explaining this disparity. The present study examines race differences in cardiovascular reactivity by incorporating two studies of stress reactivity (a daily stress study and a laboratory stress study) into the Social Relations and Health Study (SRS), a regionally representative sample of individuals (29% AA; 70% EA) from the Detroit area who began participating in 1992 (ages 13 to 93) and completed a second (2005) and third (2015) wave (ages 30 to 95). We will present preliminary analysis of pilot study data (N = 29) using ambulatory ECG monitors which suggests that African American participants (especially men) show greater cardiovascular reactivity to daily social interactions than European American participants. Discussion will address challenges of data collection and future analysis plans.