First Advisor
Dr. Barry Oken
Date of Award
Spring 6-16-2025
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Psychology and University Honors
Department
Psychology
Language
English
Subjects
racialized exposome, flourishing, African American health disparities, allostatic load, telomere length, microbiota-Gut-Brain Axis
Abstract
Abstract
Racial health disparities remain an enduring challenge in the United States, disproportionately impacting African American communities through higher rates of chronic disease and premature mortality. This non-exhaustive literature explores how the racialized exposome - a term denoting the totality of social, environmental, and structural stressors rooted in systemic racism - biologically embeds itself via stress-responsive pathways. Specifically, it examines the interaction between racial stress, flourishing, and key biological markers, including allostatic load and telomere length, considering the gut-brain axis. The review highlights robust evidence that chronic exposure to racial discrimination and structural adversity contributes to multisystem dysregulation and accelerated cellular aging. Telomere shortening and elevated allostatic load emerge as physiological signatures of these exposures, yet research also underscores the modifiable role of psychological resilience factors. Flourishing - defined here through eudaimonic well-being, racial identity, cultural pride, social support, and community grounding- is framed as a biopsychosocial buffer that may moderate the health impacts of chronic racial stress. However, flourishing is not a universal shield; under persistent adversity, even adaptive coping may carry physiological costs. This paper calls for a deeper, more intersectional understanding of how flourishing interacts with adversity across the life course and advocates for future longitudinal, culturally grounded, multi-omic research. By integrating psychosocial assets and biological pathways, we can better understand how systemic inequities “ get under the skin” and inform strengths-based, community-relevant interventions to advance health equity.
Recommended Citation
Washington, Enye A., "Beyond the Genome: The Racialized Exposome, Flourishing, and Stress Biology in African Americans A Non-Exhaustive Review" (2025). University Honors Theses. Paper 1755.
Included in
Behavior and Behavior Mechanisms Commons, Biological Psychology Commons, Epidemiology Commons, Health Psychology Commons, Inequality and Stratification Commons, Neurosciences Commons, Other Psychiatry and Psychology Commons, Public Health Education and Promotion Commons, Race and Ethnicity Commons, Social Justice Commons