Uchechi Mitchell, University of Illinois at Chicago

About the Presentation

Although a growing body of research has documented biopsychosocial pathways that influence health, few have examined the protective effects of hopefulness on physiological functioning. Even more scarce is research evaluating race differences in this relationship. This study examined race differences in the association between baseline hopefulness and future biological risk using data come from the Health and Retirement Study.  Being hopefulness was associated with lower levels of physiological dysregulation four years later, but the association differed by race/ethnicity and, for some groups, was influenced by self-reported experiences of discrimination.

About the Speaker

Dr. Mitchell is a health disparities and minority aging scholar at UIC Schoool of Public Health. Her research investigates racial health disparities and biopsychosocial pathways leading to poor health among older racial and ethnic minorities.