The Unique and Interactive Associations Between Discrimination and Economic Hardship Predicting Black Children’s Basal Cortisol Levels

Abstract

Disparities between Black and White populations have been attributed to racial discrimination and socioeconomic inequalities because of historic and systemic oppression. Prior research has demonstrated how experiences of discrimination and economic strain may shape children’s developing stress response systems. Effects of chronic stress, proximally measured via cortisol, a stress hormone, are correlated with mental health outcomes. Using data from the Family Life Project, a prospective longitudinal sample of Black children living in predominantly low-income communities (N = 550), this study explored the unique and interactive relations between parents’ experiences of economic strain and racial discrimination with individual differences in Black children’s basal cortisol levels at age 48 months. Hierarchical regression analysis revealed that there were no significant main or interactive effects of discrimination and measures of socioeconomic status of children’s basal cortisol levels. Despite these null findings, this study highlights the importance of considering the multi-level aspects of social and racial identities when exploring children’s developmental outcomes.