Racial and Cultural Factors and Blood Pressure in the African American Community (2010)
Undergraduate: Sierra Carter
Faculty Advisor: Enrique Neblett
Department: Psychology & Neuroscience
The present study examines the protective effect of racial identity, Africentric worldview, and racial composition of the primary community on the relationship between racial discrimination and blood pressure, while also taking into account individual variations in personality. Participants were 162 African American young adults (78% female and 22% male). Participants completed questionnaires assessing demographic characteristics, prior racial discrimination experiences, racial identity, Africentric worldview, and personality. Resting blood pressure was assessed before and after completion of the study measures. Racial discrimination was unrelated to blood pressure. However, racial identity and racial composition of the primary community were associated with blood pressure, irrespective of participants’ prior discrimination experiences or personality characteristics. Results also suggest that Africentric worldview moderates the relationship between racial discrimination and blood pressure such that racial discrimination is positively related to blood pressure at low levels of Africentric worldview, but unrelated and negatively related to blood pressure at moderate and high levels of Africentric worldview, respectively. These results suggest that racial and cultural personal characteristics serve a protective function for blood pressure in African American young adults.