Stressful life events are associated with insulin resistance among Chinese immigrant women in the United States

• We examined life event stress and insulin resistance in Chinese immigrant women.
• Positive life event stress was not associated with insulin resistance.
• Greater exposure to negative life events was associated with insulin resistance.
• More research is needed on the role of psychosocial factors in immigrant health.

BackgroundChinese immigrants experience increased chronic disease risk following migration to the US. Although the impact of lifestyle changes (e.g., diet) on disease risk has been extensively studied, associations of psychosocial stress and disease risk have attracted less attention. Thus, the objective of the present study was to examine associations between stress and insulin resistance in foreign-born Chinese American women.MethodsFrom October, 2005 to April, 2008, 423 women recruited from southeastern Pennsylvania completed questionnaires reporting stressful life events. Blood samples were analyzed for fasting insulin and fasting glucose levels, which were used to estimate insulin resistance according to the homeostasis model assessment (HOMAIR).ResultsIn logistic regression analyses, a greater number of negative life events were associated with insulin resistance (OR = 1.17, 95% CI = 1.02–1.34), controlling for age, level of acculturation, marital status, body mass index, and waist circumference. Similarly, greater negative life event impact ratings were also associated with insulin resistance (OR = 1.08, 95% CI = 1.01–1.16) controlling for relevant covariates.ConclusionsThis is one of the first studies to examine the associations between psychosocial stress and insulin resistance in Chinese immigrant women. These findings contribute to a growing body of literature on stress and diabetes risk in an immigrant population.