Discrimination during adolescence has lasting effect on body

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-09/nu-dda090915.php

Public Release: 9-Sep-2015
Discrimination during adolescence has lasting effect on body
Decades of unjust treatment impacts stress hormone levels, researchers find
Northwestern University

In both blacks and whites, everyday feelings of discrimination can mess with the body's levels of the primary stress hormone, cortisol, new research suggests.

In African-Americans, however, the negative effects of perceived discrimination on cortisol are stronger than in whites, according to the study, one of the first to look at the biological response to the cumulative impact of prejudicial treatment.

The team of researchers, led by Northwestern University, also found that the teenage years are a particularly sensitive period to be experiencing discrimination, in terms of the future impact on adult cortisol levels.

"We found cumulative experiences matter and that discrimination mattered more for blacks," said study lead author Emma Adam, a developmental psychologist at Northwestern's School of Education and Social Policy.

"We saw a flattening of cortisol levels for both blacks and whites, but blacks also had an overall drop in levels. The surprise was that this was particularly true for discrimination that happened during adolescence."

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Having flatter or dysfunctional cortisol levels across the day is linked with higher fatigue, worse mental health, cardiovascular disease and mortality, as well as cognitive problems, such as impaired memory.

The latest study suggests for the first time that the impact of discrimination on cortisol adds up over time. Using data collected over a 20-year period, the researchers showed that the more discrimination people experience throughout adolescence and early adulthood, the more dysfunctional their cortisol rhythms are by age 32.

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"Adolescence might be an important time period because there are a lot of changes in the brain and body," Adam said. "When you experience perceived discrimination during this period of change, it's more likely that those effects are built into the system and have a bigger impact."