Linking perceived stress and cognitive aging: The influence of blood pressure in Black Americans

BackgroundAlthough previous research suggests that perceptions of stress shape cognitive health outcomes, few studies have explored this association using cognitive domains versus a global measure of cognition, and fewer still have examined blood pressure (BP) as a moderator.ObjectiveWe explore whether perceived stress shapes cognitive health outcomes and the influence of BP.MethodsUsing the Baltimore Study of Black Aging-Patterns of Cognitive Aging, we applied linear regression models to assess whether perceived stress is associated with domain-specific cognitive changes over time and if BP acts as a moderator.ResultsFindings showed no direct effect of stress on cognitive changes over time. Systolic (F (3346) = 3.00, p = 0.031) and diastolic (F (3346) = 2.63, p = 0.050) BP modified the stress-inductive reasoning relationship but was not related to any other cognitive domains, i.e., working memory, processing speed, verbal memory, and vocabulary at follow-up.ConclusionsThe findings indicate that stress does not have a direct effect on cognitive change and a fragile interaction between stress and BP on inductive reasoning, such that those with high stress and high BP had high inductive reasoning scores, while those with low stress and high BP had low scores. These results are counterintuitive and require further examination, given that high stress may not be beneficial for people with high BP. Thus, additional research that documents whether stressors have an unforeseen protective effect on domain-specific cognitive decline in Black Americans is needed.