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This page lists recent publications from the NICE Lab. Click on the citations below to view the study abstracts.

Murphy, M. C., Emerson, K. T., Kroeper, K. M., & Green, D. J. (2025). The evolution of mindset research: Forging connections across individuals, situations, and cultures. In Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 72(1), 57-123.

Mindset theory was originally developed to address a puzzling question of motivation: why do once motivated and eager children become disengaged, disinterested, and unwilling to learn? Decades of research has explored and continues to examine how people’s beliefs about the fixedness or malleability of intelligence and ability (i.e., entity and incremental lay theories, or fixed and growth mindsets) form a meaning system that shapes their goals, beliefs, and behavior. This chapter describes how the field of mindset science has evolved over time—as all good scientific theories do—updating as new evidence, critiques and challenges, and common misconceptions spur deeper theory development and additional investigations. Here, we examine three levels of mindset research: the micro-level (mindset as an individual difference), the meso-level (situational and interpersonal nature of mindset), and the macro-level (mindset as a cultural factor). Finally, we discuss several avenues for future research in order to understand how to create robust, engaging environments where all people are provided with the opportunity and support to grow, develop, and learn.

Abstract not available.

Yantis, C., Green, D., & Taylor, V. J. (2025). The role of racial shared reality in Black Americans' identity-safety during interracial interactions. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 118, 104734.

Black Americans often expect conversations about race with White people to go poorly, with heightened concerns about being stereotyped, devalued, and misunderstood. We propose one reason for these patterns is Black individuals' belief that their understanding of race is distinct from that of White people–that is, they do not expect to have racial shared reality with White individuals. Across 3 studies (N = 836 Black Americans), we find that racial shared reality—perceived consensus with another person about race and racism—is an important predictor of Black Americans' expectations for identity-safety during race-relevant interactions with White people. Specifically, a race-conscious cue from a White person (i.e., acknowledging racial privilege or disadvantage) versus a colorblind cue (Studies 1–3) or no cue (Study 3) increased Black individuals' felt racial shared reality with their partner which, in turn, predicted greater anticipated identity-safety interacting with them (Studies 1–3), heightened allyship perceptions (Studies 2 & 3), and increased willingness to disclose an experience with racism (Study 3). Moreover, racial shared reality explains the effect of race-conscious cues (vs. colorblind cue or no cue) on these outcomes independently of perceived similarity (Study 1), feeling understood (Studies 1 & 2), and perceived partner prejudice (Study 3). Our findings highlight racial shared reality as a critical component of productive interracial conversations about race from Black Americans' perspectives.

Abstract not available.

Yantis, C., Green, D. J., Marshburn, C. K., Johnson, I. R., & Taylor, V. J. (2025). The racial shared reality scale: Capturing Black Americans' perceived consensus with White Americans about race and racism. Journal of experimental psychology. General, 154(5), 1368–1387.

Black individuals often feel unheard and misunderstood by White people during conversations about race. These experiences could be due in part to a perceived disconnect between their own and White people’s views on race. In the current research (N = 1,470 Black Americans), we developed and tested a new scale to capture this potential mechanism—racial shared reality (RSR)—which we conceptualize as Black Americans’ perceived consensus with White Americans about race and racism. First, we demonstrated the RSR scale’s validity and reliability (Studies 1 and 2a), including its consistency across time (Study 2b). We also showed the scale’s predictive validity. Specifically, RSR uniquely predicted Black Americans’ general interaction experiences with White people (e.g., identity-safety; Study 2b) as well as their expectations for feeling understood when disclosing a personal experience of racial bias (Study 3). These patterns held even when controlling for established predictors of interaction quality, including perceptions of White individuals’ prejudice, similarity, and general shared reality. Finally, in the context of an anticipated live interaction with a White person about racial profiling, we found that a cue intended to promote identity-safety—a White person’s racially diverse (vs. all White) friendship network—was effective in part because it boosted Black individuals’ felt RSR with their White partner (Study 4). Together, this work demonstrates that RSR is critical for understanding Black individuals’ experiences discussing race with White people and provides a new tool for assessing RSR in future research.

Abstract not available.

Green, D. J., Wout, D. A., Murphy, M. C., & Milless, K. L. (2025). The role of gender in shaping Black and Latina women’s experiences in anticipated interracial interactions. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 116, 104686.

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People's fear of being negatively stereotyped or devalued based on one or more of their social identities — social identity threat — contributes to negative anticipated experiences in interracial interactions. Prior research, however, has largely failed to consider the role of gender in shaping people's experiences in interracial interactions. To address this gap, the present research examined the implications of anticipated cross-gender interracial interactions among Black and Latina women who experience social identity threat based on their multiple marginalized identities. Across three studies, Black and Latina women imagined (Study 1) or anticipated (Studies 2 and 3) an interaction with a White man or a White woman. In the third study, Black and Latina women anticipated a cross-gender (vs. gender-matched) interaction with a same race/ethnicity partner or White partner. Compared to women who expected to interact with a White female partner, Black and Latina women who imagined or anticipated an interaction with a White male partner reported more perceived partner prejudice. Greater perceived partner prejudice, in turn, increased their levels of social identity threat, which predicted more anticipated negative interpersonal outcomes (e.g., anticipated trust and belonging, friendship interest) in the interaction. These results suggest that for Black and Latina women, the negative effects of interracial interactions may be most pronounced in cross-gender interracial interactions.

Abstract not available.

Green, D. J., Barnes, T. A., & Klein, N. D. (2024). Emotion regulation in response to discrimination: Exploring the role of self-control and impression management emotion-regulation goals. Scientific Reports, 14(1), 26632.

Contending with discrimination can yield a cascade of negative psychological and physiological outcomes which adversely affect health. How individuals manage their emotions in response to discrimination can influence the extent of these negative health outcomes. Research finds, however, that Black and Latine individuals are more likely to use expressive suppression (vs. cognitive reappraisal) in response to discrimination, which is associated with adverse mental health outcomes. In the present research, we explored whether self-control (the ability to manage impulses and regulate thoughts, emotions, and behavior to achieve long-term goals) and impression management emotion-regulation goals (regulating emotions to shape others’ perceptions of one’s personality and skills) could help explain the differential use of suppression and reappraisal in response to discrimination. Across two cross-sectional studies, we found that Black and Latine participants’ everyday discrimination experiences were related to lower self-control and increased impression management emotion-regulation goals. Reduced self-control was, in turn, linked to less use of reappraisal, while impression management emotion-regulation goals were associated with both greater reappraisal and suppression use in response to discrimination. Reappraisal was also related to participants’ self-reported depressive symptoms. These findings contribute to our understanding of the factors that are associated with emotion regulation in response to discrimination.

Abstract not available.

Green, D. J., Duker, A., & Richeson, J. A. (2024). Emotion regulation in the context of discrimination: Progress and challenges. Handbook of emotion regulation, 1(3), 190-196.

There are large and persistent health disparities between people based on their sociodemographic characteristics, including race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, and socioeconomic status, among other factors. These health inequities are due, at least in part, to a broad class of factors that epidemiologists call "social determinants of health". This chapter reviews the role that emotion regulation plays in shaping the affective outcomes of interpersonal discrimination. It begins with the premise that stigma-based stressors, such as discrimination, typically lead people to engage in certain forms of emotion regulation (e.g., suppression) that, in turn, increase the risk of negative psychological and physical health outcomes. It also considers the efficacy of various forms of emotion regulation to promote more positive psychological outcomes of contending with group-based discrimination, noting potential constraints associated with the discrimination context that may limit efficacy. The chapter follows this discussion with a charge to broaden the scope of the types of outcomes considered when assessing whether an emotion regulation strategy is adaptive. It closes with a call for greater engagement between scholars of the psychology of intergroup relations, stigma and prejudice, and affective science in order to reduce the burden of discrimination on its victims.

Abstract not available.

Green, D. J., Kroeper, K. M., & Murphy, M. C. (2024). Cuing disparities: The consequences of race‐based social stressors for academic achievement. Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology, 34(1), 2747.

Underrepresented racially and ethnically minoritized (URM) students contend with individual-level race-based stressors in college, like racialized discrimination and microaggressions. In this study, we consider whether URM students' perceptions of racial inequity on campus—a context-level race-based stressor—trigger adverse psychological and physical stress responses that, in turn, undermine academic achievement. Using a sample of 781 science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) students, we found in a longitudinal study that URM students report perceiving more inequality on campus compared with White and Asian students. Greater perceived inequality was, in turn, associated with increased psychological and physical stress responses, which, in some cases, predicted lower grades. Promoting more equitable college environments, therefore, may help attenuate inequalities in stress responses, ultimately, enhancing academic achievement. Please refer to the Supplementary Material section to find this article's Community and Social Impact Statement.

Abstract not available.

Green, D. J., Duker, A., Onyeador, I. N., & Richeson, J. A. (2023). Solidarity‐based collective action among third parties: The role of emotion regulation and moral outrage. Analyses of Social Issues and Public Policy, 23(3), 694-723.

Introduction: Societal injustice can trigger moral outrage, an important predictor of solidarity-based collective action. The present work investigated whether the impact ofemotion regulation strategies on feelings of moral outrage shapes solidarity-based collective action intentions in the context of two recent examples of environmental injustice — water crises of 2015–2016 and 2021 in Flint, Michigan, and the Benton Harbor, Michigan.Methods: Three studies investigated the effect of engaging in distancing compared with immersion when processing information about the events on feelings of moral outrage among people who did not live in either city. The studies also investigated the downstream effect of moral outrage on people’s willingness to engage in collective action in solidarity with those affected. Results: Processing the injustice by engaging in distancing compared with immersion resulted in less moral outrage, which reduced interest in engaging in collective action. Conclusions: This research highlights the important role of emotion regulation strategies in influencing solidarity-based collective action among people not directly targeted by an injustice.Keywords: emotion regulation, injustice, moral outrage, solidarity-based collective action

Abstract not available.

Pearson, A. R., White, K. E., Nogueira, L. M., Lewis Jr, N. A., Green, D. J., Schuldt, J. P., & Edmondson, D. (2023). Climate change and health equity: A research agenda for psychological science. American Psychologist, 78(2), 244.

Climate change poses unique and substantial threats to public health and well-being, from heat stress, flooding, and the spread of infectious disease to food and water insecurity, conflict, displacement, and direct health hazards linked to fossil fuels. These threats are especially acute for frontline communities. Addressing climate change and its unequal impacts requires psychologists to consider temporal and spatial dimensions of health, compound risks, as well as structural sources of vulnerability implicated by few other public health challenges. In this review, we consider climate change as a unique context for the study of health inequities and the roles of psychologists and health care practitioners in addressing it. We conclude by discussing the research infrastructure needed to broaden current understanding of these inequities, including new cross-disciplinary, institutional, and community partnerships, and offer six practical recommendations for advancing the psychological study of climate health equity and its societal relevance.

Abstract not available.

Ford, B. Q., Green, D. J., & Gross, J. J. (2022). White fragility: An emotion regulation perspective. American psychologist, 77(4), 510.

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To address anti-Black racism, systemic change across many domains in American life will be necessary. There are many barriers to change, however, and progress requires identifying these barriers and developing tools to overcome them. Given that White individuals disproportionately occupy ‘gatekeeping’ positions of power, one key barrier to systemic change is rooted in White individuals’ emotional (and emotion-regulatory) responses when considering their own role in racism (e.g., involvement in racist systems, biased actions). White people often experience such moments as a jeopardy to their valued goals and are consequently highly motivated to reduce the negative emotions they feel by denying or avoiding the issue – a multi-faceted response known as a White fragility response. When White individuals enact a White fragility response, they can further damage the well-being of Black members of their community and weaken their own motivation for systemic change. Given its stark costs, it is critical to understand White fragility responses. In this article, we argue that White fragility can be usefully viewed through the lens of emotion and emotion regulation theory. In particular, we describe the emotion and emotion regulation responses that characterize White fragility, summarize the wide-ranging consequences of White fragility responses, highlight more sustainable ways forward, and end by considering a broader fragility framework that acknowledges multiple dimensions of power. Although emotion regulation lies at the heart of White fragility, emotion regulation is also a tool that can be leveraged for greater justice.

Abstract not available.

Duker, A., Green, D. J., Onyeador, I. N., & Richeson, J. A. (2022). Managing emotions in the face of discrimination: The differential effects of self-immersion, self-distanced reappraisal, and positive reappraisal. Emotion, 22(7), 1435.

Contending with sexism is associated with negative affective outcomes, including increased anger, anxiety, and depression. Prior research demonstrates that the use of emotion-regulation strategies, such as self-distanced reappraisal, when contending with general negative interpersonal experiences, can help people manage their emotions, attenuating the associated negative affect. The present research considers whether the affective benefits of reappraisal extend to past experiences of discrimination. Specifically, we examine whether using self-distanced reappraisal (Studies 1 and 2) or positive reappraisal (Study 2) when contending with sexism yields more positive and less negative affective outcomes, relative to engaging in self-immersion. Contrary to previous research examining more general negative interpersonal experiences, we find limited evidence that self-distanced reappraisal is an effective emotion-regulation strategy for women contending with sexism (N = 1,236). The present work offers preliminary evidence, however, that positive reappraisal may be a promising emotion-regulation strategy that reduces the negative affective consequences associated with reliving past instances of sexism, compared with either self-immersion or self-distanced reappraisal. We discuss the implications of these findings for understanding the efficacy of different emotion-regulation strategies in the context of discrimination.

Abstract not available.

Motz, B. A., Canning, E. A., Green, D. J., Mallon, M. G., & Quick, J. D. (2021). The influence of automated praise on behavior and performance. Technology, Mind, and Behavior, 2(3), 1–12

Positive feedback has known benefits for improving task performance, but it is not clear why. On the one hand, positive feedback may direct attention to the task and one’s motivations for having performed the task. On the other hand, positive feedback may direct attention to the task’s value for achieving a future goal. This ambiguity presents a challenge for the design of automated feedback interventions. Specifically, it is unclear whether positive feedback will more effectively influence behavior when it praises the recipient for having performed an action, or when it highlights the action’s value toward a goal. In the present study, we test these competing approaches in a large-scale field experiment (n = 1,766). Using a mobile app, we assigned college students to receive occasional notifications immediately upon submitting online assignments that either praised them for having submitted their coursework, or that highlighted the value of submitting coursework for academic success, or to a no-treatment control group. We find that only praise messages improved submission rates and course performance, suggesting that drawing attention to the feedback-eliciting task is necessary and sufficient for influencing behavior at scale.

Abstract not available.

Lewis Jr, N. A., Green, D. J., Duker, A., & Onyeador, I. N. (2021). Not seeing eye to eye: Challenges to building ethnically and economically diverse environmental coalitions. Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences, 42, 60-64.

Environmental issues are collective action problems that can only be solved with coordinated efforts among diverse groups of people. Whether people are willing to collaborate to solve these problems, however, depends on their perceptions of, and trust in, each other. If people misperceive each other—for instance, due to inaccurate beliefs about who truly cares about environmental issues—then it becomes difficult to build diverse coalitions to address these collective problems. In this paper we review recent research on factors that lead diverse groups of people to misperceive each other’s environmental concerns, and the consequences of these misperceptions for collective action. We then conclude by discussing a more inclusive approach for building diverse coalitions in environmental movements.

Abstract not available.

Boykin, C. M., Brown, N. D., Carter, J. T., Dukes, K., Green, D. J., Harrison, T., ... & Williams, A. D. (2020). Anti-racist actions and accountability: Not more empty promises. Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: An International Journal, 39(7), 775-786.

Purpose – The current piece summarizes five critical points about racism from the point of view of Black scholars and allies: (1) Black people are experiencing exhaustion from and physiological effects of racism, (2) racism extends far beyond police brutality and into most societal structures, (3) despite being the targets of racism, Black people are often blamed for their oppression and retaliated against for their response to it, (4) everyone must improve their awareness and knowledge (through both formal education and individual motivation) to fight racism and (5) anti-racist policies and accountability are key to enact structural reformation.

Findings – The first three of these points detail the depths of the problem from the perspectives of the authors and the final two lay out a call to action.

Practical implications – This viewpoint is the joint effort of 14 authors who provided a unified perspective.

Originality/value – This was one of the most original experiences the authors have had – working with 13 former/current students on joint perspectives about police brutality and racism more generally. The authors thank for the opportunity.

Abstract not available.

Green, D. J., Wout, D. A., & Murphy, M. C. (2021). Learning goals mitigate identity threat for Black individuals in threatening interracial interactions. Cultural Diversity & Ethnic Minority Psychology, 27(2), 201.

Objective: Interactions between members of different racial and ethnic groups are often stressful. These interactions are stressful, in part, because they contribute to social identity threat—the fear of being judged or treated negatively based on one’s social group membership. Previous work separately suggests that the diversity of an interaction partner’s friendship network and the goals that people set for themselves influence social identity threat. Bringing these two bodies of work together, the present research examines whether adopting a learning (vs. performance) goal mitigates identity threat for Black people anticipating an interaction with a White partner who had a racially homogenous (vs. diverse) friendship network (a context previously shown to arouse identity threat). Method: Two experimental studies (N = 310) were conducted. Black adults (M_age = 29.66, 64% women) primed with either a performance or learning goal anticipated an interaction with a White partner who had either a racially diverse (Study 1) or racially homogenous (Studies 1 and 2) friendship network. After, we assessed participants’ social identity threat and anticipated interaction experiences. Results: Black adults primed with learning (vs. performance) goals expected to be perceived more positively by their interaction partner and expected to have more positive interaction experiences when they anticipated an interaction with a White partner who had a racially homogenous network of friends. Conclusions: These findings suggest that learning goals can mitigate threat among Black individuals within an otherwise identity-threatening interaction context, thus opening the door for positive interracial contact in the future even in the context of challenging interracial interactions.

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Abstract not available.

Muenks, K., Canning, E. A., LaCosse, J., Green, D. J., Zirkel, S., Garcia, J. A., & Murphy, M. C. (2020). Does my professor think my ability can change? Students’ perceptions of their STEM professors’ mindset beliefs predict their psychological vulnerability, engagement, and performance in class. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 149(11), 2119.

Two experiments and 2 field studies examine how college students’ perceptions of their science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) professors’ mindset beliefs about the fixedness or malleability of intelligence predict students’ anticipated and actual psychological experiences and performance in their STEM classes, as well as their engagement and interest in STEM more broadly. In Studies 1 (N=252) and 2 (N=224), faculty mindset beliefs were experimentally manipulated and students were exposed to STEM professors who endorsed either fixed or growth mindset beliefs. In Studies 3 (N=291) and 4 (N=902), we examined students’ perceptions of their actual STEM professors’ mindset beliefs and used experience sampling methodology (ESM) to capture their in-the-moment psychological experiences in those professors’ classes. Across all studies, we find that students who perceive that their professor endorses more fixed mindset beliefs anticipate (Studies 1 and 2) and actually experience (Studies 3 and 4) more psychological vulnerability in those professors’ classes—specifically, they report less belonging in class, greater evaluative concerns, greater imposter feelings, and greater negative affect. We also find that in-the-moment experiences of psychological vulnerability have downstream consequences. Students who perceive that their STEM professors endorse more fixed mindset beliefs experience greater psychological vulnerability in those professors’ classes, which in turn predict greater dropout intentions, lower class attendance, less class engagement, less end-of-semester interest in STEM, and lower grades. These findings contribute to our understanding of how students’ perceptions of professors’ mindsets can serve as a situational cue that affects students’ motivation, engagement, and performance in STEM.

Abstract not available.

Canning, E. A., Muenks, K., Green, D. J., & Murphy, M. C. (2019). STEM faculty who believe ability is fixed have larger racial achievement gaps and inspire less student motivation in their classes. Science advances, 5(2), 4734.

An important goal of the scientific community is broadening the achievement and participation of racial minorities in STEM fields. Yet, professors’ beliefs about the fixedness of ability may be an unwitting and overlooked barrier for stigmatized students. Results from a longitudinal university-wide sample (150 STEM professors and more than 15,000 students) revealed that the racial achievement gaps in courses taught by more fixed mindset faculty were twice as large as the achievement gaps in courses taught by more growth mindset faculty. Course evaluations revealed that students were demotivated and had more negative experiences in classes taught by fixed (versus growth) mindset faculty. Faculty mindset beliefs predicted student achievement and motivation above and beyond any other faculty characteristic, including their gender, race/ethnicity, age, teaching experience, or tenure status. These findings suggest that faculty mindset beliefs have important implications for the classroom experiences and achievement of underrepresented minority students in STEM.

Abstract not available.

Levy, D. J., & Richeson, J. A. (2017). The effects of managing discrimination experiences on self-control, health, and well-being. In Routledge International Handbook of Self-Control in Health and Well-Being, 1, 353-363.

In this chapter, we focus on the potential adverse effects of discrimination on self-control— the ability to inhibit automatic responses, override impulses to pursue long-term goals, and control our emotions, thoughts, and behavior. Specifically, we examine the potential role of the disruption of self-control as a consequence of contending with discrimination in shaping psychological and physical health. In addition to the known direct effects of group-based discrimination on psychological and physiological outcomes, such as increased anxiety and maladaptive cardiovascular responding, research also suggests that contending with discrimination can disrupt cognitive component processes that give rise to self-control. These cognitive costs of contending with discrimination can, in turn, lead to suboptimal behavioral choices and decisions that can ultimately contribute to health disparities between socially advantaged and disadvantaged group members. Discrimination, in other words, may lead to ill health through its impacts on self-control. In the following sections, we summarize research that provides evidence consistent with this cognitive pathway through which discrimination (or the possibility of experiencing discrimination) undermines health and well-being.

Abstract not available.

Heissel, J. A., Levy, D. J., & Adam, E. K. (2017). Stress, sleep, and performance on standardized tests: Understudied pathways to the achievement gap. AERA Open, 3(3), 2332858417713488.

Stress exposure, and subsequent biological responses to stress exposure, can negatively affect cognitive functioning and test performance. Stress exposure affects multiple biological systems, including sleep and the activity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and its primary hormonal product, cortisol. Sleep and cortisol interact with each other, and both affect cognitive performance. Stress, sleep, and cortisol also vary by race-ethnicity and socioeconomic status, and as a result, they may serve as potential pathways contributing to racial-ethnic and socioeconomic achievement gaps. Effects of stress on academic performance could occur either during the learning process or in response to the acute stress of testing. Interventions to limit stress exposure, reduce perceived stress, and promote optimal stress hormone levels and sleep may help students arrive in the classroom prepared to learn and to perform well on tests. These measures may particularly benefit low-income and minority students and may play a role in reducing achievement gaps.

Abstract not available.

Levy, D. J., Heissel, J. A., Richeson, J. A., & Adam, E. K. (2016). Psychological and biological responses to race-based social stress as pathways to disparities in educational outcomes. American Psychologist, 71(6), 455.

We present the race-based disparities in stress and sleep in context model (RDSSC), which argues that racial/ethnic disparities in educational achievement and attainment are partially explained by the effects of race-based stressors, such as stereotype threat and perceived discrimination, on psychological and biological responses to stress, which, in turn, impact cognitive functioning and academic performance. Whereas the roles of psychological coping responses, such as devaluation and disidentification, have been theorized in previous work, the present model integrates the roles of biological stress responses, such as changes in stress hormones and sleep hours and quality, to this rich literature. We situate our model of the impact of race-based stress in the broader contexts of other stressors [e.g., stressors associated with socioeconomic status (SES)], developmental histories of stress, and individual and group differences in access to resources, opportunity and employment structures. Considering both psychological and biological responses to race-based stressors, in social contexts, will yield a more comprehensive understanding of the emergence of academic disparities between Whites and racial/ethnic minorities.

Abstract not available.

Adam, E.K., Heissel, J.A., Zeiders, K.H., Richeson J.A., Brodish, A., Ross, E.C., Ehrlich, K.B., Levy, D.J., Kemeny, M.E., Malanchuk, O., Peck, S., Fuller-Rowell, T., & Eccles, J. (2015). Developmental histories of perceived racial discrimination and diurnal cortisol profiles in adulthood: A 20-year prospective study. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 62, 279-291.

Perceived racial discrimination (PRD) has been associated with altered diurnal cortisol rhythms in past cross-sectional research. We investigate whether developmental histories of PRD, assessed prospectively, are associated with adult diurnal cortisol profiles. One-hundred and twelve (N = 50 Black, N = 62 White) adults from the Maryland Adolescent Development in Context Study provided saliva samples in adulthood (at approximately age 32 years) at waking, 30 min after waking, and at bedtime for 7 days. Diurnal cortisol measures were calculated, including waking cortisol levels, diurnal cortisol slopes, the cortisol awakening response (CAR), and average daily cortisol (AUC). These cortisol outcomes were predicted from measures of PRD obtained over a 20-year period beginning when individuals were in 7th grade (approximately age 12).

Greater average PRD measured across the 20-year period predicted flatter adult diurnal cortisol slopes for both Black and White adults, and a lower CAR. Greater average PRD also predicted lower waking cortisol for Black, but not White adults. PRD experiences in adolescence accounted for many of these effects. When adolescent and young adult PRD are entered together predicting cortisol outcomes, PRD experiences in adolescence (but not young adulthood) significantly predicted flatter diurnal cortisol slopes for both Black and White adults. Adolescent, but not young adult PRD, also significantly predicted lower waking and lower average cortisol for Black adults. Young adult PRD was, however, a stronger predictor of the CAR, predicting a marginally lower CAR for Whites, and a significantly larger CAR for Blacks. Effects were robust to controlling for covariates including health behaviors, depression, income and parent education levels. PRD experiences interacted with parent education and income to predict aspects of the diurnal cortisol rhythm. Although these results suggest PRD influences on cortisol for both Blacks and Whites, the key findings suggest that the effects are more pervasive for Blacks, affecting multiple aspects of the cortisol diurnal rhythm. In addition, adolescence is a more sensitive developmental period than adulthood for the impacts of PRD on adult stress biology.

Abstract not available.