title: Associations between self-reported discrimination and diurnal cortisol rhythms among young adults: The moderating role of racial-ethnic minority status.
abstract: Discrimination is theorized to set in motion a neuroendocrine response, which includes cortisol secretion from the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. Repeated exposure to perceived discrimination is thought to contribute to alterations in diurnal cortisol rhythms and to have implications for health. Discrimination may have particularly strong effects on racial/ethnic minority individuals, based on histories of past exposure and/or greater perceived implications of discriminatory events. Utilizing an ethnically and racially diverse sample of young adults (N=140; Mage=22.8 years) and a multiple-day naturalistic cortisol protocol, the present study examined associations between self-reported discrimination and diurnal cortisol rhythms, and whether this relation was moderated by racial/ethnic minority status. Results revealed that self-reported discrimination predicted flatter diurnal cortisol slopes for racial/ethnic minority individuals only. These findings align with theory suggesting that discrimination experiences are important among racial/ethnic minorities.
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Development and Family Studies, University of Missouri, 314 Gentry Hall, Columbia, MO 65211, USA. Electronic address: zeidersk@missouri.edu.
authors.forename: Katharine H
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Zeiders
authors.affiliation: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health and Society Scholar, University of California, San Francisco and Berkeley, CA 94118, USA.
authors.forename: Lindsay T
authors.initials: LT
authors.lastname: Hoyt
authors.affiliation: School of Education and Social Policy and Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA.
authors.forename: Emma K
authors.initials: EK
authors.lastname: Adam
mesh_terms: D002940:Circadian Rhythm / Q000502:physiology*; D005006:Ethnicity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000032:analysis*; D007030:Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D008913:Minority Groups; D010913:Pituitary-Adrenal System / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011287:Prejudice; D012463:Saliva / Q000737:chemistry; D057566:Self Report; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D006854:Hydrocortisone
keywords: Discrimination; Diurnal cortisol; HPA axis; Racial/ethnic minority young adults