Lewis et al. (2006) recently reported that although Everyday Discrimination attributed to race was unrelated to coronary calcification for black women, a combined measure capturing racial and non-racial discrimination was positively associated with coronary calcification. On the other hand, one study found that black women who attributed chronic discrimination to race demonstrated greater blood pressure reactivity than those who attributed them to other social status categories (Guyll et al. 2001). Future research needs to more systematically assess the extent to which racial discrimination differs in its causes and consequences from other types of discrimination and the extent to which the approach to capturing attribution affects our understanding of the levels and health consequences of racial discrimination. Some limited evidence suggests that racial discrimination as a stressor may differ from other stressors, possibly because its threat may be more systematic, insidious and constant than other stressors (Stetler et al. 2006).
