Stress and Health Disparities Lab – Info

Publications:

ORCID Link; National Library of Medicine; Google Scholar Link

Men’s Voices on Aging

This project seeks to insert men’s voices into efforts to promote healthy aging by gathering and sharing Black and White men’s insight on how society’s ideas about older adults affect their lives, health, and use of healthcare.

Partners: University of Wisconsin

Experiences of Aging in Society
Group of older people

This project examines racial/ ethnic variations in reported ageism and linkages to health among US adults ages 50+ and investigates how ageism may affect psychological, behavioral, and biological stress responses implicated in poor health.

Partners: University of Oklahoma, University of Wisconsin, Michigan Integrative Well-Being and Inequality (MIWI), Michigan Center for Urban African American Aging Research

Article: Black-White differences related to ageism and health

Article: Psychometric properties of the Everyday Ageism Scale

July 2023 Report
July 2024 Report

Scoping Reviews: Ageism, Health, and Associated Disparities among Older US Adults
illustration of stacks of paper

These projects synthesize contemporary research related to ageism and health, exploring topics such as sociodemographic differences, mechanisms linking ageism and health, and recommendations for research and intervention.

Article: Difference and disparities in ageism affecting older adults: A review

Article: Aging stigma and the health of US adults over 65: What do we know?

Article: Ageism as a risk factor for chronic disease

Everyday Ageism and Health
infograph from Everyday Ageism and Health

This project sought to document the prevalence of everyday ageism (using the new Everyday Ageism Scale developed by Dr. Allen and colleagues) and investigate its relationships with health and other topics in a nationally representative sample of US adults ages 50-80.

Partner: National Poll for Healthy Aging

Article: How old do I look? Aging appearance and experiences of aging among US adults ages 50-80

Article: Experiences of everyday ageism and the health of older US adults

Article: The Everyday Ageism Scale: Development and evaluation

July 2020 Report
Information for using the Everyday Ageism Scale

Discrimination, Stress-Sensitive Biomarkers, and Long-Term Health
Diagram of human body

These projects investigate how exposure to chronic stressors (e.g., discrimination and others) influences psychosocial processes, self-regulatory and coping behaviors, stress-sensitive biomarkers, and subsequent physical and mental health outcomes and disparities.

Article: Multiple forms of discrimination and inflammation in Black Americans: Are there differences by sex?

Article: Mechanisms of cardiometabolic health outcomes and disparities: What characteristics of chronic stressors are linked to HPA-axis dysregulation?

Article: Mechanisms of racial health disparities: Evidence on coping and cortisol from MIDUS II

Article: Mechanisms of racial health disparities: Relationships between coping and psychological and physiological stress responses

Article: Cortisol and racial health disparities affecting Black men in later life

Biobehavioral Stress Processes & Cardiometabolic Risk
illustration of a person smoking

This project marshals two complementary cohort studies to investigate stress-related psychological, biological, and behavioral pathways of cardiometabolic health and health disparities.

Partners: Michigan Center for Urban African American Aging Research, Research Center for Group Dynamics, and Population Studies Center

Article: Mechanisms of cardiometabolic health outcomes and disparities: What characteristics of chronic stressors are linked to HPA-axis dysregulation?

Stress & Coping Mechanisms of Black-White Health Disparities Among Older U.S. Men
man clasping hands

(recently completed)
Partners: University of Michigan Rackham Graduate School and Population Studies Center

This study investigated whether cortisol patterns (stress-sensitive biomarker) and related stress and coping processes accounted for Black-White health disparities among midlife and older men.

Article: Mechanisms of racial health disparities: Evidence on coping and cortisol from MIDUS II

Article: Mechanisms of racial health disparities: Relationships between coping and psychological and physiological stress responses

Article: Cortisol and racial health disparities affecting Black men in later life

Julie Ober Allen Julie Ober Allen, PhD, MPH
Director

Alumni:

  • Kaelen Cunnyngham, BS
  • Lauren Elias, BS
  • Josie Greenwood, BS
  • Sammie Hopper, BPH
  • Mikala Kiefer, BS
  • Sweta Mahato, MScPH
  • Valerie Moïse, MS
  • Rathika Murali
  • Saryu Onishi, MS
  • Isaac Rosales, BS
  • Pratit Sharma, MS
  • Nadine Sikora, MSc
  • Krissy Taylor, MS
  • CJ White, MS
  • Alayna Wilderman, BS

Students posing with Julie Ober Allen
Spring 2025