title: Psychosocial Factors Associated with Subclinical Atherosclerosis in South Asians: The MASALA Study.
abstract: South Asians have the highest rates of premature atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease amongst all ethnic groups in the world; however this risk cannot be fully explained by traditional risk factors. Participants from the Mediators of Atherosclerosis in South Asians Living in America Study were included in this cross-sectional analysis. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association of psychosocial factors (including anger, anxiety, depressive symptoms, current and chronic stress, and everyday hassles) with carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT). Three multivariate models were examined to evaluate the association between the psychosocial factors and CIMT. Findings suggest that the impact of psychosocial factors on subclinical atherosclerosis is differential for South Asian men and women. For men, anxiety and depression were associated; while for women, stress was associated with common carotid intima media thickness, independent of traditional CVD risk factors, diet and physical activity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Social, Behavioral and Administrative Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Touro University California, 1310 Club Drive, Vallejo, CA, 94594, USA. bijal.shah@tu.edu.
authors.forename: Bijal M
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-2742-7579
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Shah
authors.affiliation: College of Pharmacy, Touro University California, Vallejo, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Shriraj
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shah
authors.affiliation: Division of General Internal Medicine and Geriatrics, Department of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA.
authors.forename: Namratha R
authors.initials: NR
authors.lastname: Kandula
authors.affiliation: Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Meghana D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Gadgil
authors.affiliation: Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Alka M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Kanaya
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000786:Anger; D001007:Anxiety / Q000208:ethnology; D001211:Asia, Western / Q000208:ethnology; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology*; D059168:Carotid Intima-Media Thickness; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000208:ethnology; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000208:ethnology; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology
keywords: Atherosclerosis; MASALA Study; Risk factors; South Asians