Postdoc Fellow
National Human Genome Research Institute Home
Resilience and Health Communication among Black Adults Affected by Kidney DiseaseChronic kidney disease (CKD) and end stage kidney disease (ESKD) disproportionately affect Black adults, who are almost 4 times more likely to develop ESKD compared to White adults, resulting in significant racial disparities in morbidity and mortality associated with CKD and ESKD. Resilience is known to be a protective factor of stress in adults with cardiovascular disease but has yet to be studied in this subpopulation. Additionally, health communication with family about the affected individual’s goals for future medical care and conversations about the familial risk of kidney disease are important but have yet to be studied from a social network perspective.
The goal of this study is to identify factors that promote resilience and the interpersonal mechanisms that influence familial health communication among Black adults affected by CKD and ESKD.
This study will recruit 100 families who have a Black adult family member that is diagnosed with CKD or ESKD and will include representation by self-identified gender and socioeconomic status. Resilience, health communication, family network, and psychosocial data will be collected from the affected individual and their referred family members. Analyses will include descriptive statistics, multilevel modeling, and social network analyses.
By identifying factors that promote resilience and the interpersonal mechanisms that influence familial health communication, this study can significantly impact public health by contributing to the development of culturally tailored interventions. These interventions are essential until the significant disparities in CKD and ESKD can be ameliorated.
