Serious financial difficulties, psychological stress, and subclinical cardiovascular disease in Mexican women.

PURPOSE: To investigate the association between serious financial difficulties (SFD), stress, and cardiovascular health in women. METHODS: We categorized 1759 employed and insured disease-free women from the Mexican Teachers' Cohort according to their response to a question on SFD included in the Life Stressor Checklist-Revised administered in 2012 and 2016. We also measured perceived stress (n = 1598) and hair cortisol levels (n = 539) in study participants. Carotid intima-media thickness was measured, and carotid atherosclerosis determined in all participants. RESULTS: Multivariable regression models indicated that women exposed to SFD had 1.6% (95% CI: 0.05, 3.2) higher mean intima-media thickness and 1.37 (95% CI: 1.02, 1.85) higher odds of carotid atherosclerosis relative to women without SFD. The magnitude of the observed associations was higher in women reporting longer duration of the event and higher emotional burden. Mediation analyses suggested a potential role of perceived stress and body mass index in these associations. Cortisol levels did not differ between groups. CONCLUSIONS: SFD was associated with subclinical cardiovascular disease among employed and insured women. Limiting stress and adiposity may be potential targets for interventions.

Family Member Incarceration, Psychological Stress, and Subclinical Cardiovascular Disease in Mexican Women (2012-2016).

Objectives. To examine the association between family member incarceration, psychological stress, and subclinical cardiovascular disease (CVD).Methods. Between 2012 and 2016, 1849 CVD-free women from the Mexican Teachers' Cohort responded to questions on family incarceration from the Life Stressor Checklist. Perceived stress and hair cortisol levels were measured in a subset of participants. Carotid intima-media thickness was measured, and carotid atherosclerosis was determined in all participants. We used multivariable quantile, linear, and logistic regression models to evaluate the association between family member incarceration, stress, and subclinical CVD.Results. Among women with a mean age of 49.7 years (SD ±5.2), 15.3% reported family member incarceration. We found that both perceived stress and hair cortisol levels were significantly higher in women with an incarcerated family member relative to women without one. After multivariable adjustment, women who reported family member incarceration had 41% (95% confidence interval = 1.04, 2.00) higher odds of carotid atherosclerosis compared with those who did not.Conclusions. Family member incarceration was associated with robust markers of stress and cardiovascular risk. Mass incarceration may have a long-lasting impact on physical health of affected families.