Open AccessWhen Anger Remains Unspoken: Anger and Accelerated Epigenetic Aging Among Stress-Exposed Black Americans
Author(s) -
Brooke G. McKenna,
Yara Mekawi,
Şeyma Katrinli,
Sierra Carter,
Jennifer Stevens,
Abigail Powers,
Alicia K. Smith,
Vasiliki Michopoulos
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
psychosomatic medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.62
H-Index - 187
eISSN - 1534-7796
pISSN - 0033-3174
DOI - 10.1097/psy.0000000000001007
Subject(s) - anger , stressor , psychology , clinical psychology , confidence interval , medicine
Race-related lifetime stress exposure (LSE) including racial discrimination, trauma, and stressful life events have been shown to contribute to racial health disparities. However, little is known about associations between race-related stressors and premature biological aging that confer the risk of adverse health outcomes. Even less is known about the mechanisms through which race-related stressors may be associated with accelerated aging. Early evidence suggests psychological processes such as anger, and particularly the internalization of anger, may play a role.