IJERPH, Vol. 21, Pages 554: The Influence of Social Dynamics on Biological Aging and the Health of Historically Marginalized Populations: A Biopsychosocial Model for Health Disparities

IJERPH, Vol. 21, Pages 554: The Influence of Social Dynamics on Biological Aging and the Health of Historically Marginalized Populations: A Biopsychosocial Model for Health Disparities International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health doi: 10.3390/ijerph21050554 Authors: Lok Ming Tam Kristin Hocker Tamala David Edith Marie Williams Historically marginalized populations are susceptible to social isolation resulting from their unique social dynamics; thus, they incur a higher risk of developing chronic diseases across the course of life. Research has suggested that the cumulative effect of aging trajectories per se, across the lifespan, determines later-in-life disease risks. Emerging evidence has shown the biopsychosocial effects of social stress and social support on one’s wellbeing in terms of inflammation. Built upon previous multidisciplinary findings, here, we provide an overarching model that explains how the social dynamics of marginalized populations shape their rate of biological aging through the inflammatory process. Under the framework of social stress and social support theories, this model aims to facilitate our understanding of the biopsychosocial impacts of social dynamics on the wellbeing of historically marginalized individuals, with a special emphasis on biological aging. We leverage this model to advance our mechanistic understanding of the health disparity observed in historically marginalized populations and inf...
Source: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health - Category: Environmental Health Authors: Tags: Review Source Type: research