New research published in Psychoneuroendocrinology explored the relationship between adolescents’ perceived safety, cortisol levels, and race. The findings indicated that race did not play a role in feelings of perceived safety among U.S. adolescents. However, for all participants, those who reported feeling less safe also had higher cortisol levels. This reinforces the work of other researchers who have found a link between stress and higher cortisol levels.
Research has found that the amount of stress people experience may differ based on race. Black Americans report more stress than White Americans and suffer more physical consequences of stress compared to their White peers. Researchers believe one cause of these differences in stress is perceived safety.
African-Americans frequently report feeling unsafe in their communities. In addition, adolescence is frequently a time of uncertainty with dramatic physical and emotional changes. Adolescents who are African-American may therefore be more vulnerable to stress than adults.
One method to measure long-term stress is by examining cortisol in hair. Cortisol is a hormone produced by the adrenal glands. It plays a crucial role in various bodily functions and is often referred to as the “stress hormone” because its levels increase during times of stress. Consistently high cortisol levels in the body are thought to lead to various adverse health outcomes, including heart disease and a suppressed immune system.
Christopher Browning and colleagues sought to use hair samples and real-time data on perceived safety to determine if Black adolescents are experiencing higher physical stress due to feeling unsafe. Hair analysis provides a longer-term picture of cortisol exposure compared to other methods, such as blood or saliva testing.
The study recruited 120 adolescents from Franklin County, Ohio. The participants provided samples of their hair and, for one week, completed what is known as a momentary ecological assessment (EMA). An EMA is intended to capture a real-time safety assessment as participants move through their day. An app would notify subjects to answer survey questions at random times between 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. The questions asked about their current location, activity, and perceived safety.
The results revealed that participants who did not feel safe had significantly higher cortisol levels in their hair samples. But the researchers did not find differences in perceived safety or cortisol levels based on race, and Black and White participants reported similar levels of perceived safety.
In exploring the potential connection between the two variables of safety and cortisol, the data revealed that the more time participants spent in routine locations (home, work/school) vs. non-routine (leisure activities), the stronger the relationship between perceived safety and cortisol. The research team hypothesized this might be because the effects of feeling unsafe are more acute in familiar environments.
In addition, Browning and colleagues suggest that perceived safety and cortisol may be connected because feeling unsafe creates stress through hyper-vigilance and fear. Chronically feeling fearful causes the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal system to release excessive cortisol.
The study includes some limitations. Its cross-sectional design prevents the researchers from drawing conclusions about causality. Second, the study asked participants to choose an ordinary week, but unknown stimuli could create short-term stress. Finally, the study was conducted in a Midwestern city; other regions of the United States may yield different results.
The research team was surprised by the lack of differences between Black and White participants. They hypothesize that this may be due to different interpretations of what feels safe or because their interpretations of safety are the same, but physiological responses are not. Future research is needed to determine the origin of this finding.
The study, “Everyday perceptions of safety and racial disparities in hair cortisol concentration,” was authored by Christopher R. Browning, Jodi L. Ford, Jake Tarrence, Darlene A. Kertes, Rita H. Pickler, Baldwin M. Way, and Catherine A. Calder.