Examining the Relationship Between Multilevel Resilience Resources and Cardiovascular Disease Incidence, Overall and by Psychosocial Risks, Among Participants in the Jackson Heart Study, the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis, and the Mediators of Atherosclerosis in South Asians Living in America (MASALA) Study.

We examined relationships between resilience resources (optimism, social support, and neighborhood social cohesion) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) incidence and assessed potential effect-measure modification by psychosocial risk factors (e.g., stress, depression) among adults without CVD in 3 cohort studies (2000-2018): the Jackson Heart Study, the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis, and the Mediators of Atherosclerosis in South Asians Living in America (MASALA) Study. We fitted adjusted Cox models accounting for within-neighborhood clustering while censoring at dropout or non-CVD death. We assessed for effect-measure modification by psychosocial risks. In secondary analyses, we estimated standardized risk ratios using inverse-probability-weighted Aalen-Johansen estimators to account for confounding, dropout, and competing risks (non-CVD deaths) and obtained 95% confidence intervals (CIs) using cluster bootstrapping. For high and medium (versus low) optimism (n = 6,243), adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) for incident CVD were 0.94 (95% CI: 0.78, 1.13) and 0.90 (95% CI: 0.75, 1.07), respectively. Corresponding HRs were 0.88 (95% CI: 0.74, 1.04) and 0.92 (95% CI: 0.79, 1.06) for social support (n = 7,729) and 1.10 (95% CI: 0.94, 1.29) and 0.99 (95% CI: 0.85, 1.16) for social cohesion (n = 7,557), respectively. Some psychosocial risks modified CVD HRs. Secondary analyses yielded similar findings. For optimism and social support, an inverse relationship was frequently most compatible with the data, but a positive relationship was also compatible. For neighborhood social cohesion, positive and null relationships were most compatible. Thus, specific resilience resources may be potential intervention targets, especially among certain subgroups.

Social support, psychosocial risks, and cardiovascular health: Using harmonized data from the Jackson Heart Study, Mediators of Atherosclerosis in South Asians Living in America Study, and Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis.

Purpose: Social support may have benefits on cardiovascular health (CVH). CVH is evaluated using seven important metrics (Life's Simple 7; LS7) established by the American Heart Association (e.g., smoking, diet). However, evidence from longitudinal studies is limited and inconsistent. The objective of this study is to examine the longitudinal relationship between social support and CVH, and assess whether psychosocial risks (e.g., anger and stress) modify the relationship in a racially/ethnically diverse population. Methods: Participants from three harmonized cohort studies - Jackson Heart Study, Mediators of Atherosclerosis in South Asians Living in America, and Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis - were included. Repeated-measures modified Poisson regression models were used to examine the overall relationship between social support (in tertiles) and CVH (LS7 metric), and to assess for effect modification by psychosocial risk. Results: Among 7724 participants, those with high (versus low) social support had an adjusted prevalence ratio (aPR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for ideal or intermediate (versus poor) CVH of 0.99 (0.96-1.03). For medium (versus low) social support, the aPR (95% CI) was 1.01 (0.98-1.05). There was evidence for modification by employment and anger. Those with medium (versus low) social support had an aPR (95% CI) of 1.04 (0.99-1.10) among unemployed or low anger participants. Corresponding results for employed or high anger participants were 0.99 (0.94-1.03) and 0.97 (0.91-1.03), respectively. Conclusion: Overall, we observed no strong evidence for an association between social support and CVH. However, some psychosocial risks may be modifiers. Prospective studies are needed to assess the social support-CVH relationship by psychosocial risks in racially/ethnically diverse populations.

Examining relationships between perceived neighborhood social cohesion and ideal cardiovascular health and whether psychosocial stressors modify observed relationships among JHS, MESA, and MASALA participants.

BACKGROUND: Psychosocial stressors increase the risks for cardiovascular disease across diverse populations. However, neighborhood level resilience resources may protect against poor cardiovascular health (CVH). This study used data from three CVH cohorts to examine longitudinally the associations of a resilience resource, perceived neighborhood social cohesion (hereafter referred to as neighborhood social cohesion), with the American Heart Association's Life's Simple 7 (LS7), and whether psychosocial stressors modify observed relationships. METHODS: We examined neighborhood social cohesion (measured in tertiles) and LS7 in the Jackson Heart Study, Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis, and Mediators of Atherosclerosis in South Asians Living in America study. We used repeated-measures, modified Poisson regression models to estimate the relationship between neighborhood social cohesion and LS7 (primary analysis, n = 6,086) and four biological metrics (body mass index, blood pressure, cholesterol, blood glucose; secondary analysis, n = 7,291). We assessed effect measure modification by each psychosocial stressor (e.g., low educational attainment, discrimination). RESULTS: In primary analyses, adjusted prevalence ratios (aPR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for ideal/intermediate versus poor CVH among high or medium (versus low) neighborhood social cohesion were 1.01 (0.97-1.05) and 1.02 (0.98-1.06), respectively. The psychosocial stressors, low education and discrimination, functioned as effect modifiers. Secondary analyses showed similar findings. Also, in the secondary analyses, there was evidence for effect modification by income. CONCLUSION: We did not find much support for an association between neighborhood social cohesion and LS7, but did find evidence of effect modification. Some of the effect modification results operated in unexpected directions. Future studies should examine neighborhood social cohesion more comprehensively and assess for effect modification by psychosocial stressors.

Examining Optimism, Psychosocial Risks, and Cardiovascular Health Using Life's Simple 7 Metrics in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis and the Jackson Heart Study.

Background: Optimism has been shown to be positively associated with better cardiovascular health (CVH). However, there is a dearth of prospective studies showing the benefits of optimism on CVH, especially in the presence of adversities, i.e., psychosocial risks. This study examines the prospective relationship between optimism and CVH outcomes based on the Life's Simple 7 (LS7) metrics and whether multilevel psychosocial risks modify the aforementioned relationship. Methods: We examined self-reported optimism and CVH using harmonized data from two U.S. cohorts: Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) and Jackson Heart Study (JHS). Modified Poisson regression models were used to estimate the relationship between optimism and CVH using LS7 among MESA participants (N = 3,520) and to examine the relationship of interest based on four biological LS7 metrics (body mass index, blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood glucose) among JHS and MESA participants (N = 5,541). For all CVH outcomes, we assessed for effect measure modification by psychosocial risk. Results: Among MESA participants, the adjusted risk ratio (aRR) for ideal or intermediate CVH using LS7 comparing participants who reported high or medium optimism to those with the lowest level of optimism was 1.10 [95% Confidence Interval (CI): 1.04-1.16] and 1.05 (95% CI: 0.99-1.11), respectively. Among MESA and JHS participants, the corresponding aRRs for having all ideal or intermediate (vs. no poor) metrics based on the four biological LS7 metrics were 1.05 (0.98-1.12) and 1.04 (0.97-1.11), respectively. The corresponding aRRs for having lower cardiovascular risk (0-1 poor metrics) based on the four biological LS7 metrics were 1.01 (0.98-1.03) and 1.01 (0.98-1.03), respectively. There was some evidence of effect modification by neighborhood deprivation for the LS7 outcome and by chronic stress for the ideal or intermediate (no poor) metrics outcome based on the four biological LS7 metrics. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that greater optimism is positively associated with better CVH based on certain LS7 outcomes among a racially/ethnically diverse study population. This relationship may be effect measure modified by specific psychosocial risks. Optimism shows further promise as a potential area for intervention on CVH. However, additional prospective and intervention studies are needed.