Social support buffering of the relation between low income and elevated blood pressure in at-risk African-American adults

• Published in: Journal of behavioral medicine Vol. 38; no. 5; pp. 830 - 834
• Main Authors: Coulon, S. M., Wilson, D. K.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01.10.2015; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adult; African Americans; Aged; Black or African American; Blood pressure; Blood Pressure - physiology; Body Mass Index; Brief Report; Family Medicine; Female; General Practice; Health aspects; Health Psychology; Health Services; Humans; Hypertension; Hypertension - complications; Hypertension - physiopathology; Hypertension - psychology; Low income groups; Male; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Middle Aged; Obesity - complications; Obesity - physiopathology; Obesity - psychology; Poverty; Residence Characteristics; Risk factors; Social Support; Socioeconomic factors; United States; United States; United States > US; Blood pressure; Socioeconomic status; African-American; Buffering; Income; Social support
• ISSN: 0160-7715; 1573-3521
• DOI: 10.1007/s10865-015-9656-z

Socioeconomic disadvantage has been linked to elevated blood pressure (BP), and the purpose of this study was to assess whether interpersonal social supports buffer these adverse relations in African-American adults. In three communities matched demographically, a subsample of participants ( N  = 204) of the Positive Action for Today’s Health trial provided measures of perceived social support, annual household income, and BP. Multiple regression analyses with cross-product interactions were conducted using follow-up data. The sample had a mean age of 52.8 years ( SD  = 15.1), and was predominantly female (66 %) with a high body mass index ( M  = 33.5, SD  = 14.7). Results indicated an inverse relation between social support and diastolic BP ( B  = −.178, p  = .005), and also an interaction with income ( p  = .046), such that higher social support related to lower diastolic BP in the lowest-income individuals ( B  = −1.05). The same direct ( B  = −.141, p  = .025) and interacting ( B  = −1.42, p  = .040) social support effects were present for systolic BP, however the omnibus model for systolic BP was not significant, F (6, 196) = 1.80, p  = .09. The hypothesized buffering effect of social support on the adverse relation of income to BP was partially supported in at-risk African-American adults. Future prevention efforts for reducing the impact of socioeconomic stress on BP may aim to increase perceptions of social support.