title: Education, psychosocial resources, and metabolic syndrome variables in Latinas.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Individuals with low socioeconomic position (SEP) and Latino ethnicity are at high risk for the metabolic syndrome. In part, this may reflect that these populations benefit from fewer resilient resources to manage stressful environments, resulting in accentuated psychological and physiological costs (1).
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We examined the direct effects of educational attainment (an indicator of SEP) and psychosocial resources on metabolic syndrome variables, and tested indirect effects of education, via resources.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants were 145 middle-aged (M=47.07 years) Latinas recruited from health clinics along the California-Mexico border. Women completed assessments of demographics and resilient resources; metabolic syndrome variables were measured (blood pressure [BP], waist circumference [WC]) or abstracted from medical charts (lipids, glucose).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Women with less education reported fewer psychosocial resources (DeltaR2=.14, p<.0001) and showed a higher risk profile on measures of BP, WC, and plasma glucose (3-7% of variance explained, all ps<.05), relative to those with more education. Resources independently predicted lower WCs (DeltaR2=.07, p<.05). Education exerted an indirect effect (p<.05) through resources on WC, a core factor underlying the metabolic syndrome.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Additional research is warranted to further explore the roles of resilient resources in relationships among SEP, metabolic risk factors, and chronic disease processes.
authors: SDSU/UCSD Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology, San Diego State University, CA 92120, USA. lcgallo@sciences.sdsu.edu
authors: Linda C
authors: LC
authors: Gallo
authors: Karla Espinosa
authors: KE
authors: de los Monteros
authors: Virginia
authors: V
authors: Ferent
authors: Jorge
authors: J
authors: Urbina
authors: Greg
authors: G
authors: Talavera
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002140:California / Q000453:epidemiology; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000208:ethnology*; D008800:Mexico / Q000208:ethnology; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D011584:Psychology; D012944:Social Support