Latinx young adults who experience heart-focused anxiety could be at greater risk for mental health disorders. New research indicates that heart-focused anxiety among that group is a statistically significant predictor for general depression and overall anxiety.

It turns out young Latinx adults who experience heart-focused anxiety could be at greater risk for mental health disorders.

«We have empirical evidence that individual differences in heart-focused anxiety are related to more severe co-occurring anxiety and depressive symptomatology among a particularly at-risk segment of the Latinx population,» reports Michael Zvolensky, Hugh Roy and Lillie Cranz Cullen Distinguished University Professor of psychology at the University of Houston, in the Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities. The population segment to which Zvolensky refers is Latinx young adults with previous trauma who were born in the United States. Their trauma might include racism related and transgenerational stress.

This is only the second study on heart-related anxiety in the Latinx community, both conducted by Zvolensky.

«In our first study, we assessed middle aged adults, presumably more concerned about their health. This study is unique, however, because even among a group generally too young to experience mounting health concerns, we are seeing a similar pattern, which tells us it’s probably relevant to the whole Latinx population,» said Zvolensky.

According to previous research, the Latinx population can somaticize mental health problems, meaning they don’t view them as mental health issues, but rather turn them into physical symptoms and report them as such. As examples, anxiety might be reported as a headache or a problem with breathing.

Story Source:
Materials provided by University of Houston. Original written by Laurie Fickman. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.