Anger and Optimism Moderate the Relationship Between Neighborhood Disadvantage and Biological Aging in MESA

TL;DR

The study found that psychosocial factors like optimism and anger can influence how neighborhood disadvantage affects biological aging, with different effects across ethnoracial groups.

Contribution

The study reveals that optimism and anger moderate the impact of neighborhood disadvantage on aging differently among ethnoracial groups.

Findings

Greater neighborhood disadvantage was linked to faster biological aging.

Optimism increased age acceleration among Hispanics, while anger predicted slower aging among Blacks.

Abstract

We investigated whether individual-level psychosocial risk and resilience differentially moderate the relationship between neighborhood disadvantage and biological aging across ethnoracial groups. Using the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA), our study included 1,229 participants with DNA methylation (DNAm) data collected in 2010-2012. Neighborhood disadvantage proximal to DNAm assesment was captured using the 2015 Area Deprivation Index (ADI) at the census tract-level. Psychosocial factors included optimism, measured at Exam 2 (2002-2004) using the Life Orientation Test-Revised, and anger reactivity/temperament, measured at Exam 1 (2000-2002) using the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory. Pace of aging was assessed as the difference between chronological age and GrimAge, a DNAm-based epigenetic clock. Mixed effects models with interaction terms evaluated whether the gender-adjusted relationship between ADI and pace of aging was moderated by optimism and anger. Among participants (mean age: 69.6 years, 51% female, 47% white, 21% Black, 31% Hispanic), greater neighborhood disadvantage was associated with increased age acceleration (β = 0.27, 95% CI: 0.05, 0.49). Unexpectedly, optimism amplified this association (β = 0.33, 95% CI: 0.05, 0.60). Stratified models revealed that moderation by optimism was present only for Hispanic participants (β = 1.73, 95% CI: 0.71, 2.74), whereas anger reactivity was predictive of slower biological aging (β = -1.63, 95% CI: -3.03, -0.24) among Black participants only. This study highlights the importance of modifiable psychosocial factors in shaping the impact of neighborhood disadvantage on aging. Our findings point to a need for interventions tailored to the unique sociocultural contexts of ethnoracial groups to mitigate disparities in aging.