A Framework of Minority Stress: From Physiological Manifestations to Cognitive Outcomes

Abstract

Cognitive impairment and dementia continue to threaten the aging population. Although no one is immune, certain groups, namely black older persons, are more likely to have a diagnosis of certain dementias. Because researchers have not found a purely biological reason for this disparity, they have turned to a biopsychosocial model. Specifically, black persons in the United States are more likely to live with social conditions that affect their stress levels which in turn affect physiological regulation leading to conditions that result in higher levels of cognitive impairment or dementia. Here we discuss some of these social conditions such as discrimination, education, and socioeconomic status, and how physiological dysregulation, namely allostatic load that can lead to cognitive impairment and dementia in black persons especially.

Keywords: African American older adults; Blacks; Cognition; Disparities; Diversity and ethnicity; Minority issues.