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15-09-2020

Perceived discrimination predicts elevated biological markers of inflammation among sexual minority adults

Auteurs: Britney M. Wardecker, Jennifer E. Graham-Engeland, David M. Almeida

Gepubliceerd in: Journal of Behavioral Medicine | Uitgave 1/2021

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Abstract

Sexual minority (SM) adults (those who are lesbian, gay, or bisexual) consistently report more health problems compared to heterosexuals, and they tend to experience excess social stress. Although numerous studies have established links between social stress and clinical outcomes in SM adults, few studies have examined biological factors that may help explain how social stress leads to health disparities among SM adults. We used data from the Midlife in the United States Study (MIDUS) to examine whether two inflammatory markers that have been commonly associated with social stress—C-reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin-6 (IL-6)—differed by sexual orientation and whether any differences were explained by perceptions of discrimination. Participants self-identified as heterosexual (n = 1956) or lesbian, gay, or bisexual (n = 81). After controlling for age, gender, race, and education, SM individuals had higher CRP and IL-6 than heterosexuals on average and these differences were partially explained by perceptions of discrimination. Implications for inflammatory pathways as mechanisms related to SM health disparities and discrimination are discussed.
Voetnoten
1
Smoking was assessed with the question, “Have you ever smoked cigarettes regularly—that is, at least a few cigarettes every day?”, coded as [0] no, [1] yes. Statin medication use was assessed with the question, “Are you taking cholesterol-lowering medication?”, coded as [0] no, [1] yes. Number of chronic conditions was assessed with the question, “Have you ever had any of the following conditions?: heart disease, high blood pressure, circulation problems, blood clots, heart murmur, TIA or stroke, anemia or other blood disease, cholesterol problems, diabetes, asthma, emphysema/COPD, tuberculosis, positive TB skin test, thyroid disease, peptic ulcer disease, cancer, colon polyp, arthritis, glaucoma, cirrhosis or liver disease, alcoholism, depression, blood transfusion, coded as [0] no, [1] yes and summed.
 
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Metagegevens
Titel
Perceived discrimination predicts elevated biological markers of inflammation among sexual minority adults
Auteurs
Britney M. Wardecker
Jennifer E. Graham-Engeland
David M. Almeida
Publicatiedatum
15-09-2020
Uitgeverij
Springer US
Gepubliceerd in
Journal of Behavioral Medicine / Uitgave 1/2021
Print ISSN: 0160-7715
Elektronisch ISSN: 1573-3521
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10865-020-00180-z