Center on Population Health and Aging

Pilot Projects

Pilot Project 11: Daily Stress and Well Being among African Americans

Principal Investigator: David Almeida (Penn State).

Specific Aims

This pilot project is investigating the dynamics of daily stressors and well being among African-Americans ranging in age from 35 to 84 years. The goal is to examine preliminary data on the interplay between daily stressors and physical and psychological health in a population of African American community residents. The research uses a daily experiences paradigm and combines self-report and biological markers of daily health, involving the diurnal pattern of salivary cortisol. Data are collected from a sample of 200 cases in the Milwaukee, Wisconsin area, using daily telephone interviews and concurrent samples of salivary cortisol. The research will adapt a widely used measure of perceived discrimination to a daily protocol. Analyses of the data will, among other things, permit the investigators to address racial/ethnic differences in aspects of daily stressors and well being.

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