This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in ISI Web of Science Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via ISI Web of Science (18) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Peters, R. M. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Peters, R. M. Social Bookmarking                   What's this?

Racism and Hypertension Among African Americans

Wayne State University College of Nursing

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship of racism and blood pressure (BP). Participants were 162 urban African American adults. Measurements included the Racism and Life Experiences Scale, Krieger Racial Discrimination Questionnaire, State-Trait Personality Inventory (anxiety and depression), State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory, and automated measures of BP. Correlational and multiple regression analyses were done to examine relationships among key variables,t tests and ANOVA tested group differences by age, gender, and racism category. There was a high prevalence of perceived racism, which was not associated with higher BP. The racism/BP relationship was moderated by age with significant age related differences noted. Older participants (40 years or older) experienced more distress from racism, more anger suppression, and higher BP but lower levels of stress emotions. The highest levels of BP were noted in older adults reporting the lowest level of perceived racism, raising the issue of "internalized oppression."

Key Words: racism • hypertension • stress • emotions

CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				C. B. Roberts, A. I. Vines, J. S. Kaufman, and S. A. James Cross-Sectional Association between Perceived Discrimination and Hypertension in African-American Men and Women: The Pitt County Study Am. J. Epidemiol., March 1, 2008; 167(5): 624 - 632. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				E. Brondolo, D. J. Libby, E.-g. Denton, S. Thompson, D. L. Beatty, J. Schwartz, M. Sweeney, J. N. Tobin, A. Cassells, T. G. Pickering, et al. Racism and Ambulatory Blood Pressure in a Community Sample Psychosom Med, January 1, 2008; 70(1): 49 - 56. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				L. K. Hill, I. Kobayashi, and J. W. Hughes Perceived Racism and Ambulatory Blood Pressure in African American College Students Journal of Black Psychology, November 1, 2007; 33(4): 404 - 421. [Abstract] [PDF]

				R. M. Peters, K. J. Aroian, and J. M. Flack African american culture and hypertension prevention. West J Nurs Res, November 1, 2006; 28(7): 831 - 854. [Abstract] [PDF]

				K. S. Thomas, R. A. Nelesen, V. L. Malcarne, M. G. Ziegler, and J. E. Dimsdale Ethnicity, perceived discrimination, and vascular reactivity to phenylephrine. Psychosom Med, September 1, 2006; 68(5): 692 - 697. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				Y. Paradies A systematic review of empirical research on self-reported racism and health Int. J. Epidemiol., August 1, 2006; 35(4): 888 - 901. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				R. Benkert and R. M. Peters African American Women's Coping with Health Care Prejudice West J Nurs Res, November 1, 2005; 27(7): 863 - 889. [Abstract] [PDF]

				Response by Benkert and Peters West J Nurs Res, November 1, 2005; 27(7): 893 - 895. [PDF]