Educational Status, Anger, and Inflammation in the MIDUS National Sample: Does Race Matter?

BACKGROUND Racial differences in anger frequency and expression styles have been found. Further, African Americans receive fewer health benefits from higher education than Whites. PURPOSE This study seeks to investigate racial differences in how anger moderates the association between education and inflammation. METHODS Midlife in the US participants (n = 1,200; 43.0 % male; 18.5 % African American) provided education and anger data via survey assessments. Interleukin-6 (IL-6) and fibrinogen were determined from a fasting blood sample following an overnight clinic visit. RESULTS African Americans reported higher anger-out, IL-6, and fibrinogen and lower anger-control than Whites. Anger-out predicted higher IL-6 and fibrinogen among African Americans with higher education; whereas, trait anger and anger-out predicted lower fibrinogen among Whites with higher education. Anger-out marginally predicted higher IL-6 in less educated Whites. CONCLUSIONS Findings underscore racial differences in the benefits and consequences of educational attainment, and how social inequities and anger are manifested in inflammatory physiology.