Reserve Capacity Model and Metabolic Syndrome in Black and White Seventh-day Adventists
Past research has identified a robust, monotonic relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and cardiac health. Psychosocial factors may contribute to SES-related gradients in cardiac health. The Reserve Capacity Model (RCM; Gallo & Matthews, 2003) is a framework for examining psychosocial pathways in cardiac health disparities on the SES gradient. The model posits that a lower SES experience leads to more environmental stressors and fewer psychosocial resources (e.g., reserve capacity) to cope with these stressors subsequently eroding health. A number of studies have used the RCM to explain SES-related disparities in cardiac health in Whites and Latinos; few examine the model in Blacks. The results indicate a relationship between SES, RC, and metabolic syndrome in older Black and White adults. The current study found that RC partially mediated the SES and metabolic syndrome relationship in all subjects, and both Black and White adults. This finding illustrates that reserve capacity operates similarly in older adults when facing the risks associated with current poverty.
Clinical Psychology, Heart; Cardiovascular System, Cardiac Health, Socioeconomic Status, Cardiac Health - Psychosocial Factors, Reserve Capacity, Metabolic Syndrome Relationship, Poverty
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