Discrimination, Coping, and DNAm Accelerated Aging Among African American Mothers of the InterGEN Study
<b>Background:</b> Racial discrimination experiences are associated with the activation of stress biology pathways and signs of accelerated biological aging, including alterations in DNA methylation (DNAm). Coping strategies may mitigate stress from racial discrimination and protect agai...
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MDPI AG
2025-05-01
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4655/9/2/14 |
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| author | Alexandria Nyembwe Yihong Zhao Billy A. Caceres Daniel W. Belsky Calen Patrick Ryan Brittany Taylor Morgan T. Morrison Laura Prescott Stephanie Potts-Thompson Arezo Aziz Fisola Aruleba Erica Matute-Arcos Olajide Williams Cindy Crusto Jacquelyn Y. Taylor |
| author_facet | Alexandria Nyembwe Yihong Zhao Billy A. Caceres Daniel W. Belsky Calen Patrick Ryan Brittany Taylor Morgan T. Morrison Laura Prescott Stephanie Potts-Thompson Arezo Aziz Fisola Aruleba Erica Matute-Arcos Olajide Williams Cindy Crusto Jacquelyn Y. Taylor |
| author_sort | Alexandria Nyembwe |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <b>Background:</b> Racial discrimination experiences are associated with the activation of stress biology pathways and signs of accelerated biological aging, including alterations in DNA methylation (DNAm). Coping strategies may mitigate stress from racial discrimination and protect against long-term adverse health outcomes. <b>Methods:</b> We conducted a secondary analysis of data from the Intergenerational Impact of Genetic and Psychological Factors on Blood Pressure cohort, an all-African-American sample, to test the hypothesis that social support can protect against accelerated biological aging associated with experiences of racial discrimination. We measured biological aging from saliva DNAm using six epigenetic clocks. Clock values were residualized on participant age and the estimated proportion of epithelial cells contributing to the DNA sample and standardized to M = 0, SD = 1 within the analysis sample. The primary analysis was focused on the second-generation PhenoAge and GrimAge clocks and the third-generation DunedinPACE “speedometer,” which previous studies have linked with racial discrimination. <b>Results:</b> In our sample (<i>n</i> = 234; mean age = 31.9 years; SD = 5.80), we found evidence consistent with our hypothesis in the case of the PhenoAge clock, but not the other clocks. Among mothers who did not seek social support, experiences of racial discrimination were associated with an older PhenoAge (b = 0.26, 95% CI = 0.02–0.50, <i>p</i> = 0.03). However, social-support seeking mitigated this risk; at the highest levels of social support, no adverse consequences of discrimination were observed (interaction b = −0.01, 95% CI = −0.02–−0.00, <i>p</i> = 0.03). <b>Conclusions:</b> The replication of results is needed. Future research should also investigate additional adaptive and maladaptive coping strategies utilized by African American women and mothers to identify protective measures that influence health outcomes. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-dcea79ef9d7d456181901fd0b217c4ac |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2075-4655 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
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| series | Epigenomes |
| spelling | doaj-art-dcea79ef9d7d456181901fd0b217c4ac2025-08-20T03:27:10ZengMDPI AGEpigenomes2075-46552025-05-01921410.3390/epigenomes9020014Discrimination, Coping, and DNAm Accelerated Aging Among African American Mothers of the InterGEN StudyAlexandria Nyembwe0Yihong Zhao1Billy A. Caceres2Daniel W. Belsky3Calen Patrick Ryan4Brittany Taylor5Morgan T. Morrison6Laura Prescott7Stephanie Potts-Thompson8Arezo Aziz9Fisola Aruleba10Erica Matute-Arcos11Olajide Williams12Cindy Crusto13Jacquelyn Y. Taylor14Sue & Bill Gross School of Nursing, University of California, Irvine, 854 Health Sciences Rd., Irvine, CA 92697, USACenter for Research on People of Color, School of Nursing, Columbia University, 560 W 168th St, New York, NY 10032, USACenter for Research on People of Color, School of Nursing, Columbia University, 560 W 168th St, New York, NY 10032, USARobert N. Butler Columbia Aging Center, Columbia University, 722 West 168th Street, New York, NY 10032, USARobert N. Butler Columbia Aging Center, Columbia University, 722 West 168th Street, New York, NY 10032, USASchool of Nursing, University of Pittsburgh, 3500 Victoria Street, Victoria Building, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USACenter for Research on People of Color, School of Nursing, Columbia University, 560 W 168th St, New York, NY 10032, USACenter for Research on People of Color, School of Nursing, Columbia University, 560 W 168th St, New York, NY 10032, USACenter for Research on People of Color, School of Nursing, Columbia University, 560 W 168th St, New York, NY 10032, USACenter for Research on People of Color, School of Nursing, Columbia University, 560 W 168th St, New York, NY 10032, USASchool of Medicine, The City College of New York (CUNY), Harris Hall, 160 Convent Avenue, New York, NY 10031, USACenter for Research on People of Color, School of Nursing, Columbia University, 560 W 168th St, New York, NY 10032, USAVagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, 630 W 168th St, New York, NY 10032, USAKeck School of Medicine, University of Southern California (USC), 1975 Zonal Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USACenter for Research on People of Color, School of Nursing, Columbia University, 560 W 168th St, New York, NY 10032, USA<b>Background:</b> Racial discrimination experiences are associated with the activation of stress biology pathways and signs of accelerated biological aging, including alterations in DNA methylation (DNAm). Coping strategies may mitigate stress from racial discrimination and protect against long-term adverse health outcomes. <b>Methods:</b> We conducted a secondary analysis of data from the Intergenerational Impact of Genetic and Psychological Factors on Blood Pressure cohort, an all-African-American sample, to test the hypothesis that social support can protect against accelerated biological aging associated with experiences of racial discrimination. We measured biological aging from saliva DNAm using six epigenetic clocks. Clock values were residualized on participant age and the estimated proportion of epithelial cells contributing to the DNA sample and standardized to M = 0, SD = 1 within the analysis sample. The primary analysis was focused on the second-generation PhenoAge and GrimAge clocks and the third-generation DunedinPACE “speedometer,” which previous studies have linked with racial discrimination. <b>Results:</b> In our sample (<i>n</i> = 234; mean age = 31.9 years; SD = 5.80), we found evidence consistent with our hypothesis in the case of the PhenoAge clock, but not the other clocks. Among mothers who did not seek social support, experiences of racial discrimination were associated with an older PhenoAge (b = 0.26, 95% CI = 0.02–0.50, <i>p</i> = 0.03). However, social-support seeking mitigated this risk; at the highest levels of social support, no adverse consequences of discrimination were observed (interaction b = −0.01, 95% CI = −0.02–−0.00, <i>p</i> = 0.03). <b>Conclusions:</b> The replication of results is needed. Future research should also investigate additional adaptive and maladaptive coping strategies utilized by African American women and mothers to identify protective measures that influence health outcomes.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4655/9/2/14racial discriminationsocial supportaccelerated agingepigeneticsAfrican American women |
| spellingShingle | Alexandria Nyembwe Yihong Zhao Billy A. Caceres Daniel W. Belsky Calen Patrick Ryan Brittany Taylor Morgan T. Morrison Laura Prescott Stephanie Potts-Thompson Arezo Aziz Fisola Aruleba Erica Matute-Arcos Olajide Williams Cindy Crusto Jacquelyn Y. Taylor Discrimination, Coping, and DNAm Accelerated Aging Among African American Mothers of the InterGEN Study Epigenomes racial discrimination social support accelerated aging epigenetics African American women |
| title | Discrimination, Coping, and DNAm Accelerated Aging Among African American Mothers of the InterGEN Study |
| title_full | Discrimination, Coping, and DNAm Accelerated Aging Among African American Mothers of the InterGEN Study |
| title_fullStr | Discrimination, Coping, and DNAm Accelerated Aging Among African American Mothers of the InterGEN Study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Discrimination, Coping, and DNAm Accelerated Aging Among African American Mothers of the InterGEN Study |
| title_short | Discrimination, Coping, and DNAm Accelerated Aging Among African American Mothers of the InterGEN Study |
| title_sort | discrimination coping and dnam accelerated aging among african american mothers of the intergen study |
| topic | racial discrimination social support accelerated aging epigenetics African American women |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4655/9/2/14 |
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