ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Despite established links between reduced nocturnal blood pressure (BP) dipping and cardiovascular disease, BP dipping research in Hispanics is limited. PURPOSE: This study investigated socioeconomic status (SES) as a predictor of BP dipping and the contributions of psychosocial factors to this relationship. Analyses were conducted for the overall sample and separately for higher and lower acculturated women. METHODS: Mexican-American women (N = 291; 40-65 years) reported demographics and completed psychosocial assessments and 36-h ambulatory BP monitoring. RESULTS: Lower SES related to reduced BP dipping in the overall sample and in more US-acculturated women (r's = .17-.30, p's < .05), but not in less-acculturated women (r's = .07, p's > .10). An indirect effect model from SES to BP dipping via psychosocial resources/risk fits well across samples. CONCLUSIONS: In Mexican-American women, the nature of SES gradients in BP dipping and the roles of psychosocial resources/risk differ by acculturation level.