Taking Racism to Heart: The Effects of Race-Related Stress on Cardiovascular Reactivity for Black/White Biracial People

Abstract

This within-groups experimental study examined whether two race-related stressors--social invalidation and discrimination from family--affect cardiovascular reactivity for Black/White Biracial adults (N = 60). This study also tested whether racial centrality moderates the link between race-related stress and cardiovascular reactivity. A mixed model was used to analyze differences in cardiovascular reactivity across control and racial stressor conditions. Findings revealed that discussing experiences of discrimination from family lowered systolic blood pressure. In contrast, in the recovery period following discussion of discrimination from family, systolic blood pressure increased. Social invalidation did not have any effects on cardiovascular reactivity. There was not support for the moderating role of racial centrality in the relationship between racial stress and cardiovascular reactivity.