Feeling optimistic, that you have a sense of purpose in life and that you are in control of your environment—characteristics of psychosocial resilience—are associated with having better cardiovascular health among Black adults, independent of neighborhood context, according to a study published today in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, an American Heart Association journal.

Highlighting a relatively understudied area of research, this study shows that psychosocial well-being, or resilience, may positively affect cardiovascular health among Black people. One known factor that negatively impacts health in the Black community is the neighborhood itself, as people living in neighborhoods with more socioeconomic disadvantages have higher rates of heart attacks, strokes and deaths from these factors. Living in a neighborhood with fewer or limited socio-economic resources is recognized as one of a number of social determinants of health, which are factors that may affect one’s risk of cardiovascular disease.