Dec 23, 2024 Story by: Editor
A recent analysis has revealed a connection between caregiving stress and an increased risk of high blood pressure in Black women aged 21 to 44. This demographic already experiences a higher prevalence of hypertension compared to women from other racial and ethnic groups.
While previous studies have established a link between caregiving and hypertension among middle-aged and older Black women, this relationship has been less explored in younger women.
The study, published in the journal Hypertension by the American Heart Association, followed participants for an average of 7.4 years. During this period, 43.5% of all participants developed high blood pressure. Notably, 51.7% of women reporting moderate to high caregiving stress experienced hypertension, compared to 40.6% of those with low or no caregiving stress.
“Our analysis suggests that caregiver strain as a source of chronic stress may significantly contribute to the development of hypertension, a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD), among reproductive-age Black women,” said Dr. Milla Arabadjian, an assistant professor in the Department of Foundations of Medicine at NYU Grossman Long Island School of Medicine and the study’s corresponding author.
Uncontrolled blood pressure is common among younger Black women with hypertension, underscoring the importance of identifying modifiable risk factors, such as caregiving stress, to better prevent and manage the condition.
The findings are further highlighted by a recent advisory from U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy, which noted that caregivers and parents have faced significantly higher levels of stress and mental health challenges over the past decade compared to non-caregivers. The study authors emphasized that caregiving represents a chronic source of stress, particularly for women, who make up the majority of informal caregivers.
Study Details
The researchers analyzed data from the Jackson Heart Study (JHS), a long-term investigation of cardiovascular health among Black adults. This secondary analysis explored links between caregiving stress, the demands of high-needs dependents, and hypertension in reproductive-age women.
The Jackson Heart Study, launched in 2000, tracks the health of over 5,300 Black adults from three counties in Mississippi. Caregiving stress was measured using a question from the global perceived stress scale, which asked participants: “Over the past 12 months, how much stress did you experience related to caring for others?” Responses were rated on a four-point scale from “not stressful” to “very stressful.” For analysis, responses were grouped into low/no caregiving stress and moderate/high caregiving stress categories.
Hypertension was defined as a systolic blood pressure above 140 mm Hg, a diastolic pressure above 90 mm Hg, or self-reported use of antihypertensive medication during follow-up exams.
“Given the high lifetime risk of CVD, especially among reproductive-age Black women, we need to better identify the root causes contributing to the strain,” said Dr. Tanya M. Spruill, senior author and associate professor in the Departments of Population Health and Medicine at NYU Langone Health. “If a lack of affordable childcare is a source, then linkage to childcare resources could be one solution. If the source of strain is a communication challenge with a child or elderly relative, education might be tailored to help with that,” added Dr. Spruill, who co-leads the Jackson Heart Study Hypertension Working Group.
Collaborating Researchers
The study also included contributions from Dr. Yiwei Li of NYU Langone; Calvin L. Colvin of the Mailman School of Public Health; Dr. Jacquelyn Y. Taylor from Columbia University; Miriam A. Miles and Dr. Paul Muntner from the University of Alabama at Birmingham; Dr. Byron C. Jaeger from Wake Forest School of Medicine; Jolaade Kalinowski from the University of Connecticut; Dr. Lenette M. Jones from the University of Michigan; and Dr. Kenneth R. Butler from the University of Mississippi Medical Center.
The Jackson Heart Study is funded by grants from the National Institutes of Health, including the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) and the National Institute for Minority Health and Health Disparities. Additional support for this analysis came from NHLBI grant R01HL117323. Source: NYU Langone Health
