Police-Related Stress Is Linked to Cardiovascular Health Risks for Black Women
A growing body of research has shown that stress connected to policing and law enforcement can take a serious toll on health. A new study now adds important insight by focusing specifically on Black women, a group that has often been overlooked in earlier research. The findings suggest that worrying about police brutality and harassment—especially when it involves concern for one’s children—is associated with physical markers linked to cardiovascular disease risk.
The study, led by researchers from North Carolina State University and several other U.S. institutions, explores how police-related stress shows up not just emotionally or psychologically, but inside the body itself. Rather than relying only on self-reported health symptoms, the researchers examined measurable biological indicators tied to long-term heart health.
Why This Study Focused on Black Women
Much of the existing research on police-related stress has concentrated on Black men, largely because of their disproportionate exposure to police violence and fatal encounters. However, Black women also experience police-related stress in distinct and deeply personal ways, even when they are not the direct targets of police interactions.
The lead researcher emphasized that Black women often carry a dual burden: concern for their own safety and persistent anxiety about how law enforcement may treat their children. This study set out to understand whether those concerns are associated with measurable health risks.
Who Participated in the Research
The study included 422 Black women between the ages of 30 and 46, all living in the United States. Participants were asked detailed questions about:
- Their personal experiences with law enforcement, including harassment
- Their concerns about future interactions with police
- Their worries about how police might interact with their children in the future
These responses allowed researchers to identify patterns of exposure and concern, rather than treating all police-related stress as a single, uniform experience.
How the Researchers Grouped Participants
Based on the survey data, participants were placed into three distinct groups, each reflecting different combinations of experience and concern.
The first group, called High Child Vigilance–High Personal Exposure, included 235 women. These participants reported high levels of worry about their children’s potential interactions with police and were also more likely to have personally experienced police harassment.
The second group, No Child Vigilance–High Personal Exposure, consisted of 115 women. These women had experienced police harassment themselves but reported little or no concern about children’s interactions with police, either because they did not have children or because this issue was not a major source of stress for them.
The third group, Moderate Child Vigilance–Low Self Vigilance–Low Personal Exposure, included 72 women. Participants in this group reported moderate concern for their children, lower concern for themselves, and fewer experiences with police harassment overall.
Measuring Cardiovascular Risk Inside the Body
To assess physical health risk, researchers used ultrasound imaging to measure carotid intima-media thickness, commonly referred to as IMT. This measurement looks at the thickness of the inner layers of the carotid artery, a major blood vessel in the neck.
IMT is widely recognized in medical research as a reliable marker of cardiovascular risk. Thicker artery walls are associated with a higher likelihood of conditions such as heart disease and stroke, even before symptoms appear.
By using IMT, the researchers were able to move beyond perception or self-reported stress and examine how chronic stress might be biologically embedded in the body.
What the Study Found
One of the most striking findings was the role of concern for children. Women who worried about how police might treat their children showed greater carotid artery thickness, regardless of whether they themselves had experienced police harassment.
Interestingly, women in the No Child Vigilance–High Personal Exposure group—those who had faced police harassment but did not report concern for children—had lower IMT measurements than women in the other two groups. This suggests that anticipatory stress related to children may be more strongly associated with cardiovascular risk than direct personal experience alone.
Another important finding was that women with moderate concern for their children showed IMT levels similar to those with very high concern. This raises the possibility that there may be a threshold effect, where once a certain level of chronic worry is reached, additional stress does not significantly increase the biological marker.
Ruling Out Other Explanations
To strengthen their conclusions, the researchers controlled for a wide range of factors, including:
- Age
- Income
- Education
- Other demographic variables
- Relevant medical factors
Even after accounting for these influences, the associations between police-related stress and IMT remained. This suggests that the observed differences were not simply due to socioeconomic status or preexisting health conditions.
What These Findings Mean
It is important to note that this study shows correlation, not causation. The researchers are careful to emphasize that they cannot say police-related stress directly causes cardiovascular disease. However, the findings strongly suggest that chronic stress tied to policing concerns may contribute to early biological changes linked to heart health risk.
The study also highlights how vigilance for children’s safety can become a constant, invisible stressor, especially for Black women navigating a society where racial disparities in policing are well documented.
Why This Matters for Black Women’s Health
Black women in the United States already experience higher rates of cardiovascular disease and earlier diagnoses compared to many other groups. Traditional explanations often focus on diet, exercise, or access to healthcare, but this study adds to a growing recognition that social and structural stressors play a major role in health disparities.
The findings raise important questions about how everyday stress—particularly stress rooted in systemic issues like policing—may quietly contribute to long-term health risks.
Broader Implications for Policy and Research
The researchers argue that these results underscore the need for policy solutions that address the underlying causes of police-related stress. Improving community–police relationships, reducing discriminatory practices, and acknowledging the health consequences of chronic vigilance may all be part of the conversation moving forward.
The study also opens the door for future research to explore how other forms of chronic stress, such as racial discrimination or economic insecurity, may interact with biological health markers over time.
Understanding Carotid IMT and Stress
Carotid IMT has been used in many studies to understand how stress “gets under the skin.” Chronic stress can trigger prolonged activation of stress hormones, inflammation, and changes in blood vessel function. Over time, these processes may contribute to artery thickening and increased cardiovascular risk.
This research adds police-related stress to the list of social factors that may influence these biological pathways, particularly for populations facing systemic inequities.
A Step Toward More Inclusive Health Research
By centering Black women’s experiences, this study fills an important gap in public health research. It shows that health risks are not only shaped by direct experiences, but also by ongoing concern for loved ones, especially children.
As researchers continue to explore how social environments affect physical health, studies like this help broaden the conversation beyond individual behaviors and toward the larger systems that shape daily life.
Research paper: https://doi.org/10.1097/psy.0000000000001428
