Stress· 2014Q2
“More than skin deep”: stress neurobiology and mental health consequences of racial discrimination
- 603citations
- Q2SCImago
- 2014year
Short summary
Racial discrimination dysregulates the HPA axis and cortisol levels, impacting mental health by affecting the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and prefrontal cortex (PFC).
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Key points
- Racial discrimination is a significant stressor linked to health disparities in ethnic minorities.
- Chronic elevation of cortisol and HPA axis dysregulation mediate the effects of discrimination.
- Discrimination converges on the ACC and may impair PFC function, mimicking chronic social stress.
- Neurobiological pathways link racial discrimination to adverse mental health outcomes.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
Ethnic minority groups across the world face a complex set of adverse social and psychological challenges linked to their minority status, often involving racial discrimination. Racial discrimination is increasingly recognized as an important contributing factor to health disparities among non-dominant ethnic minorities. A growing body of literature has recognized these health disparities and has investigated the relationship between racial discrimination and poor health outcomes. Chronically elevated cortisol levels and a dysregulated hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis appear to mediate effects of racial discrimination on allostatic load and disease. Racial discrimination seems to converge on the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and may impair the function of the prefrontal cortex (PFC), hence showing substantial similarities to chronic social stress. This review provides a summary of recent literature on hormonal and neural effects of racial discrimination and a synthesis of potential neurobiological pathways by which discrimination affects mental health.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Stress, 2014 · DOI ↗
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Field: Behavioral Neuroscience
Behavioral NeuroscienceNeuroscience