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Culture, Ethnicity, and Cardiovascular Stress Responses in Caregivers of Adult Patients with Cancer
Location: 3
Mentor: Dr. Youngmee Kim
Caregiving for a family member with cancer can be challenging. Cultural factors such as acculturation and ethnicity may be contributory to differential stress responses and subsequent health outcomes, yet such inquiries remain understudied. This study examined the extent to which acculturation was associated with cardiovascular stress responses following an induced stressor, and the moderating role of Hispanic ethnicity, among caregivers of patients with cancer.
Participants were spousal caregivers (N = 138, M age = 58.9, 67.1% female, 60.1% Hispanic) of patients diagnosed with colorectal cancer. Participants completed questionnaires assessing their levels of acculturation and ethnicity. Cardiovascular responses, including systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP), were measured at rest, upon stress induction, and after stress recovery from a relationship- and health-related experimental stressor. Age, body mass index (BMI), gender, and hypertension diagnosis were covariates.
Caregivers reported moderate levels of acculturation and displayed significant changes in cardiovascular responses (p < .001). General linear modeling revealed that Hispanic ethnicity was associated with greater recovery in SBP and DBP (b ≥ 6.85, p ≤ .032), and greater acculturation was associated with greater recovery in DBP (b = 3.07, p = .006). Additionally, among only Hispanic caregivers, greater acculturation was associated with lower SBP and DBP at rest (b ≥ -6.85, p ≤ .013) as well as greater DBP recovery following stress (b = 7.70, p < .001).
Findings suggest the independent, synergistic, and salutary roles of acculturation and Hispanic ethnicity in cardiovascular functioning, particularly in stress recovery. These results emphasize the need for culturally sensitive interventions to prevent premature cardiovascular diseases in caregivers of patients with cancer. Investigations of biopsychosocial mechanisms through which acculturation and Hispanic ethnicity are associated with cardiovascular health in culturally diverse caregiver populations are warranted.
