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Cited by 185Racial and Ethnic Identity ResearchEpigenetics and DNA MethylationHealth disparities and outcomes

Supportive Family Environments Ameliorate the Link Between Racial Discrimination and Epigenetic Aging: A Replication Across Two Longitudinal Cohorts

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Brody, Gene H., Miller, Gregory E., Yu, Tianyi, Beach, Steven R. H., Chen, Edith·2016·Psychological Science
DOI 10.1177/0956797615626703PMC PMC4833531
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Abstract

This study tested the hypothesis that supportive family environments during adolescence buffer exposure to racial discrimination, reducing its impact on biological weathering and its manifestation in cellular aging. Perceived racial discrimination, support in the family environment, and confounder variables were assessed for 3 consecutive years across adolescence in two independent cohorts of African American youth from rural Georgia. DNA was extracted from peripheral blood mononuclear cells collected during young adulthood. Patterns of methylation were used to index the epigenetic ages of these cells and the extent to which they differed from participants’ chronological ages. Among youth in supportive family environments, exposure to higher levels of racial discrimination did not forecast greater epigenetic aging. Among youth in less supportive family environments, exposure to higher levels of racial discrimination did forecast greater epigenetic aging. The associations emerged independently of confounder variables, and the results were replicated across the two cohorts.

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  • Depressive symptoms of parents living in the rural southeastern United States, scored when their children were 11 years old, were found to be predictive of accelerated epigenetic aging in the offspring at age 20.

    “While depressive symptoms of parents living in the rural southeastern United States, scored when their children were 11 years old, were found to be predictive of accelerated epigenetic aging in the offspring at age 20”

    From The applied implications of epigenetics in anxiety, affective and stress-related disorders - A review and synthesis on psychosocial stress, psychotherapy and prevention (2020) · cites this paper as Brody, Yu, Chen, Beach, & Miller, 2016

    The Method > Measures passage (page unavailable) says depressive symptoms were measured in the youth at ages 16–18 in SHAPE and 17–19 in AIM, not in parents when their children were 11. Method > Plan of Analysis (page unavailable) treats depressive symptoms as a control variable; the analysis instead tests whether supportive family environments moderate the link between racial discrimination and epigenetic aging. The rural Georgia setting and age-20 blood draw match SHAPE, but the attributed finding does not. (LLM, conf=0.87)

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  • Participation in a family-centered prevention training (Strong African American Families [SAAF] program) seems to have prevented such alterations in youths.

    “participation in a family-centered prevention training (Strong African American Families [SAAF] program) seems to have prevented such alterations in youths.”

    From The applied implications of epigenetics in anxiety, affective and stress-related disorders - A review and synthesis on psychosocial stress, psychotherapy and prevention (2020) · cites this paper as Brody, Yu, Chen, Beach, & Miller, 2016

    The Discussion reports that supportive family environments buffered the association between racial discrimination and epigenetic aging in two cohorts of African American youth. The Method > Overview describes measurements of family environment and epigenetic aging, not participation in the SAAF program; the paper therefore does not support the claim that this training prevented the alterations. Page numbers are unavailable in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.84)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • This protective effect on epigenetic aging in the intervention group could be attributed to reductions in harsh parenting from age 11 to age 16.

    “This protective effect on epigenetic aging in the intervention group could be attributed to reductions in harsh parenting from age 11 to age 16 (Brody, Yu, Chen, Beach, & Miller, 2016).”

    From The applied implications of epigenetics in anxiety, affective and stress-related disorders - A review and synthesis on psychosocial stress, psychotherapy and prevention (2020) · cites this paper as Brody, Yu, Chen, Beach, & Miller, 2016

    The Results (Test of the Study Hypothesis; page unavailable) report that supportive family environments buffered the association between racial discrimination and epigenetic aging. The Method (Overview and Measures; page unavailable) describes two longitudinal cohorts and family measures taken at ages 16–18 or 17–19. It does not support an intervention-group effect or attribute that effect to reduced harsh parenting from age 11 to 16. (LLM, conf=0.84)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • Supportive family environments prevented accelerated epigenetic aging despite exposure to racial discrimination.

    “supportive family environments prevented accelerated epigenetic aging despite exposure to racial discrimination (Brody, Miller, Yu, Beach, & Chen, 2016).”

    From The applied implications of epigenetics in anxiety, affective and stress-related disorders - A review and synthesis on psychosocial stress, psychotherapy and prevention (2020) · cites this paper as Brody, Miller, Yu, Beach, & Chen, 2016

    The Abstract reports that high racial discrimination did not forecast epigenetic aging among African American youth in supportive family environments, while it did forecast faster aging among those in less supportive environments. This supports a buffering association, but the observational finding does not establish that family environments *prevented* accelerated aging. (LLM, conf=0.83)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • Exposure to higher levels of racial discrimination in African American youth from rural Georgia, USA, was associated with increased epigenetic aging.

    “Also, while exposure to higher levels of racial discrimination in African American youth from rural Georgia, USA, was associated with increased epigenetic aging”

    From The applied implications of epigenetics in anxiety, affective and stress-related disorders - A review and synthesis on psychosocial stress, psychotherapy and prevention (2020) · cites this paper as Brody, Miller, Yu, Beach, & Chen, 2016

    The Results (Test of the Study Hypothesis; page unavailable) report that higher discrimination forecast faster epigenetic aging in both rural Georgia cohorts, but only among youth with low family support. No association was detected among youth with highly supportive family environments, a qualification the claim omits. (LLM, conf=0.90)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

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Authors
Brody, G. H., Miller, G. E., Yu, T., Beach, S. R. H., & Chen, E.
Affiliations
  • University of Georgia (US)
  • Northwestern University (US)
Corresponding author
Brody, Gene H.
ORCID
Venue
Psychological Science
Publisher
SAGE Publications
Published
2016-02-25
Volume
27
Issue
4
Pages
530-541
ISSN
  • 0956-7976 (ISSN-L)
  • 1467-9280
DOI
10.1177/0956797615626703
PMC
PMC4833531
OpenAlex
W2277123435
Cited by
185
References
37
Citations by year
2026: 7 · 2025: 11 · 2024: 20 · 2023: 24 · 2022: 21 · 2021: 36 · 2020: 15 · 2019: 18 · 2018: 18 · 2017: 11 · 2016: 4
FWCI
48.61
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
journals.sagepub.com/page/policies/text-and-data-mining-license (tdm)
Locations
  • Psychological Science (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
  • National Institute on Drug Abuse (P30DA027827)
  • Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (R01HD030588)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Racial and Ethnic Identity Research
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Epigenetics and DNA Methylation
  • Social Sciences › Health › Health disparities and outcomes
Keywords
racial discrimination, epigenetic aging, DNA methylation, family support, adolescent development, African American youth, biological weathering, protective factors, rural Georgia
MeSH terms
Adolescent, Aging, Black or African American, Environment, Family, Female, Georgia, Humans, Leukocytes, Mononuclear, Longitudinal Studies, Male, Rural Population, DNA Methylation, Epigenesis, Genetic, Young Adult, Racism

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