Moderation of financial stress and cardiovascular disease risk in black catholics: A social-ecological pathway utilizing latent class and structural equation analyses

Marcia Elizabeth Ifeoma Uddoh

PLOS Mental Health, 2025, vol. 2, issue 6, 1-40

Abstract: Background: Chronic financial stress drives cardiovascular disease (CVD), yet its impact within Black Catholic communities remains understudied. Using a profile-based, socio-ecological framework, we centered chronic financial stress and low Mental Component Summary (MCS) scores, as correlates of downstream health risk, and we modeled racial discrimination as an upstream moderator that intensifies this trajectory. Methods: Cross-sectional data from 285 racially and religiously diverse adults were analyzed. Latent class analysis (LCA) identified distinct stress profiles, and structural equation modeling (SEM) tested pathways from financial stress, perceived stress, discrimination, and low MCS to a Black Catholic profile and subsequent chronic stress risk (CHRONRSK). Model fit was evaluated with χ², RMSEA, CFI, TLI, and SRMR indices; indirect effects were estimated with bias-corrected bootstraps. Results: LCA revealed three profiles—Chronic, Life Trauma, and Daily Hassles. The SEM containing financial stress and discrimination showed excellent fit (χ²(3)= 3.98, p = .26; RMSEA = .034; CFI = .979), whereas substituting the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) produced poor fit (RMSEA = .131; CFI = .747). Financial stress (β = .124, p = .045) and discrimination (β = .227, p

Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:plo:pmen00:0000047

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pmen.0000047

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