ClinicalTrials.gg
CompletedNCT03387319Updated May 12, 2020Results posted

Stress and CKD Among African Americans

An interventional study of Racialized Stressful Event Recall and Non-Racialized Stressful Event Recall in Chronic Kidney Disease, sponsored by Emory University. Completed at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 25 Years to 65 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2020-05-12.

Sponsored by Emory University · Not applicable, Interventional, and Supportive care

Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
50
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
25 Years to 65 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

The goal of this study is to determine whether experiencing stress from discrimination may increase chronic kidney disease (CKD) progression in African Americans. Study participation occurs over the course of 2 days, and participant time burden is expected to be about 4.5 hours, plus a 24-hour period of wearing a blood pressure monitor.

Read the detailed description

On Day 1, the project coordinator will explain the study to participants and answer any questions he/she may have. Those who agree to participate in the study will provide consent at the clinic and will also be asked to complete a questionnaire on an iPad in a small, private room at the clinic. The participant will complete the questionnaire alone, however, the project coordinator will read questions aloud if the participant chooses. Before leaving on Day 1, participants will fitted with a blood pressure monitor to be worn for the next 24 hours.

The clinical intervention portion of the study occurs during the morning of Day 2 (between 9:00 AM and 11:00 AM). Participants will be instructed to bring the blood pressure monitor and a list of current medications (or the actual medications) with them. First, participants will provide a urine sample and undergo blood pressure testing. A research nurse will insert a catheter (a small thin tube) into the participant's vein, and allow a 30-minute resting period so that the participant gets used to the catheter, and then take a baseline blood draw. Participants will judge how distressed they feel in that moment using a standard scale and tell the project coordinator his/her rating. Next, participants will be randomized to one of two study arms such that half will recall the racial experience and half will recall the non-racialized stressful event. An audience of two observers of same race will wear white coats and watch as the participants recall the stressful events. The research nurse will draw blood and take blood pressure measurements at multiple time points during both recall experiences. Immediately before and after each recall task, the participant will again judge how distressed he/she is feeling in that moment using the same scale as before. The project coordinator will explain the purpose of the story recall and common ways that individuals may respond to the task (such as feeling anxious after the task). A total of 100 people will take part in this study.

02

Conditions studied

  • Chronic Kidney Disease

Keywords

  • Social stress
  • Inflammation
03

In context

Renal Insufficiency, Chronic

3,090 studies on the registry are indexed under Renal Insufficiency, Chronic; 698 are open to participants now.

This study's enrollment of 50 is below the median of 73 across 2,157 interventional studies indexed under Renal Insufficiency, Chronic.

Browse Renal Insufficiency, Chronic studies →

Lead sponsor

Emory University is the lead sponsor of 1,405 studies on the registry; 225 are open to participants now.

Of its 237 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 178 (75%) have results posted.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
25 Years to 65 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.

Inclusion criteria

  • Patient at Emory University Hospital Midtown
  • Self-identify as African American or Black
  • Estimated (eGFR) ≥ 15, or \<90

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Mental disorder that prevents the completion of the Computer Assisted Personal Interview (CAPI) and the stressful recall manipulation
  • Currently on maintenance dialysis
  • Unable or unwilling to undergo intravenous catheterization
Terms in these criteria, in plain language(1)

Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.

GFR and eGFR (kidney filtering)

GFR (glomerular filtration rate) is how much blood the kidneys filter each minute. It is usually estimated from a blood test — eGFR, by formulas such as CKD-EPI or MDRD — and some studies ask for it to be measured directly instead. Usually given in mL/min/1.73 m².

Check the method, the units and the minimum the study states. A value of 90 or above is in the normal-or-high range, but kidney damage can show in other tests too.

05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Supportive care
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
50 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Racialized Stressful Event Recall

    Participants in this study are recall a stressful event related to race.

    Behavioral: Racialized Stressful Event Recall

  • Experimental
    Non-racialized Stressful Event Recall

    Participants in this study arm recall a stressful event unrelated to race.

    Behavioral: Non-Racialized Stressful Event Recall

Interventions

  • BehavioralRacialized Stressful Event Recall

    Participants will undergo a moderate psychological stress adapted from the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) where they will be asked to recall a stressful, real-life, race-related event. After instructions are provided, participants will be given two minutes to prepare their statement, and three minutes to deliver their statement. There will be an 'audience' present at each participant's speaking task which will include two observers who are of same race as the participant (African American), to heighten stress responses.

  • BehavioralNon-Racialized Stressful Event Recall

    Participants will undergo a moderate psychological stress adapted from the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) where they will be asked to recall a stressful, real-life, event unrelated to race. After instructions are provided, participants will be given two minutes to prepare their statement, and three minutes to deliver their statement. There will be an 'audience' present at each participant's speaking task which will include two observers who are of same race as the participant (African American), to heighten stress responses.

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Change in Subjective Units of Distress Scale (SUDS) Score

    Level of distress will be measured with the Subjective Units of Distress Scale (SUDS). Participants rate their distress on a linear scale from 0 to 100, where 0 = No distress; totally relaxed, 50 = Moderate anxiety/distress; uncomfortable, but can continue to function, 100 = Highest anxiety/distress ever felt. The SUDS will be administered at baseline and after the first stress task. The change in SUDS scores is presented here. Scores above zero mean that the participants experienced an increase in distress following the stress task.

    Time frame: Baseline (Minute 0), Minute 5

  2. Change in Cooper's Racism Recall Scale Score

    Participants will report their level of stress directly related to reliving the stressful experience using an adapted version of Cooper's Racism Recall Scale. Participants reported their level of distress at the time of the event and currently while thinking about the event, on a linear scale from 0 to 10 where higher values indicate higher distress. Values presented here are the change from baseline and values greater than 0 mean that stress increased from before (baseline) and after the stressful event recall.

    Time frame: Baseline (Minute 0), Minute 5

  3. Change in Monocyte Chemoattractant Protein-1 (MCP-1) Level

    Monocyte Chemoattractant Protein-1 (MCP-1) is an inflammatory marker that is sensitive to acute stress induction and is associated with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Blood will be drawn three times, at 30 minutes after the IV catheter is inserted (prior to the stressful event recall) and after each 45 minute recovery period following the stress tests, in order to compare MCP-1 levels at before and after the study intervention. Increased MCP-1 indicates an increased inflammatory response. MCP-1 levels will be quantitated by the MesoScale system (MSD Rockville, Maryland) according to the protocols supplied by the manufacturer, which uses electrochemiluminescence for high sensitivity with a dynamic range of 0.09-375 pg/mL. Values presented here are the difference between the baseline and post-intervention blood draws and values greater than 0 indicate that there is an increase in inflammatory response post-intervention.

    Time frame: Baseline (Minute 0), Minute 90 (after both stress tests and rest periods)

  4. Change in Interleukin-6 (IL-6) Level

    Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is an inflammatory marker that is sensitive to acute stress induction and is associated with CKD. Blood will be drawn three times, at 30 minutes after the IV catheter is inserted (prior to the intervention) and after each 45 minute recovery period following the stress tests, in order to compare IL-6 levels at before and after the study intervention. IL-6 is influenced by a variety of factors and increases in IL-6 indicate an increased inflammatory response. IL-6 levels will be quantitated by the MesoScale system (MSD Rockville, Maryland) according to the protocols supplied by the manufacturer, which uses electrochemiluminescence for high sensitivity with a dynamic range of 0.06-488 pg/mL. Values presented here are the difference between the baseline and post-intervention blood draws and values greater than 0 indicate that there is an increase in inflammatory response post-intervention.

    Time frame: Baseline (Minute 0), Minute 90 (after both stress tests and rest periods)

  5. Change in Soluble Urokinase-type Plasminogen Activator Receptor (suPAR) Level

    Soluble urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor (suPAR) is an inflammatory marker that is sensitive to acute stress induction and is associated with CKD. Blood will be drawn three times at 30 minutes after the IV catheter is inserted (prior to the intervention) and after each 45 minute recovery period following the stress tests, in order to compare suPAR levels at before and after the study intervention. Increases in suPAR indicate an increased inflammatory response. suPAR will be measured with the Virogates (CEDARLANE Laboratories, Burlington, NC) suPARnostic® ELISA, according to the protocols supplied by the manufacturer. This assay has a high sensitivity (0.1 ng/mL) giving consistently quantitative results in plasma samples. Values presented here are the difference between the baseline and post-intervention blood draws and values greater than 0 indicate that there is an increase in inflammatory response post-intervention.

    Time frame: Baseline (Minute 0), Minute 90 (after both stress tests and rest periods)

  6. Change in Systolic Blood Pressure

    Blood pressure readings will be taken at baseline and every 5 minutes during the experimental manipulation, except during the recall task when blood pressure will be measured every 1 minute. Mean systolic blood pressure scores for rest, recall task, and recovery will be calculated by averaging the readings taken during each period. Blood pressure reactivity will be a change score, calculated as the mean of the scores during the recall task minus the mean of the scores during rest, designed to represent the change in systolic blood pressure induced by the recall task. Values greater than 0 are the mean increase in systolic blood pressure following the intervention, compared to the baseline time period.

    Time frame: Prior to IV insertion at Minute -30 through Minute 130

  7. Change in Diastolic Blood Pressure

    Blood pressure readings will be taken at baseline and every 5 minutes during the experimental manipulation, except during the recall task when blood pressure will be measured every 1 minute. Mean diastolic blood pressure scores for rest, recall task, and recovery will be calculated by averaging the readings taken during each period. Blood pressure reactivity will be a change score, calculated as the mean of the scores during the recall task minus the mean of the scores during rest, designed to represent the change in diastolic blood pressure induced by the recall task. Values greater than 0 are the mean increase in diastolic blood pressure following the intervention, compared to the baseline time period.

    Time frame: Prior to IV insertion at Minute -30 through Minute 130

07

Results

Posted May 12, 2020

Participant flow

Participant flow — Overall Study
MilestoneRacialized Stressful Event RecallNon-racialized Stressful Event Recall
Started2525
Completed2525
Not completed00

Outcome measures

PrimaryChange in Subjective Units of Distress Scale (SUDS) Score

Level of distress will be measured with the Subjective Units of Distress Scale (SUDS). Participants rate their distress on a linear scale from 0 to 100, where 0 = No distress; totally relaxed, 50 = Moderate anxiety/distress; uncomfortable, but can continue to function, 100 = Highest anxiety/distress ever felt. The SUDS will be administered at baseline and after the first stress task. The change in SUDS scores is presented here. Scores above zero mean that the participants experienced an increase in distress following the stress task.

Time frame:
Baseline (Minute 0), Minute 5
Reported as:
Mean · score on a scale
Change in Subjective Units of Distress Scale (SUDS) Score
score on a scaleRacialized Stressful Event RecallNon-racialized Stressful Event Recall
Change in Subjective Units of Distress Scale (SUDS) Score2.92 ± 2.743.12 ± 3.07
PrimaryChange in Cooper's Racism Recall Scale Score

Participants will report their level of stress directly related to reliving the stressful experience using an adapted version of Cooper's Racism Recall Scale. Participants reported their level of distress at the time of the event and currently while thinking about the event, on a linear scale from 0 to 10 where higher values indicate higher distress. Values presented here are the change from baseline and values greater than 0 mean that stress increased from before (baseline) and after the stressful event recall.

Time frame:
Baseline (Minute 0), Minute 5
Reported as:
Mean · score on a scale
Change in Cooper's Racism Recall Scale Score
score on a scaleRacialized Stressful Event RecallNon-racialized Stressful Event Recall
Change in Cooper's Racism Recall Scale Score6.24 ± 2.575.48 ± 3.57
PrimaryChange in Monocyte Chemoattractant Protein-1 (MCP-1) Level

Monocyte Chemoattractant Protein-1 (MCP-1) is an inflammatory marker that is sensitive to acute stress induction and is associated with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Blood will be drawn three times, at 30 minutes after the IV catheter is inserted (prior to the stressful event recall) and after each 45 minute recovery period following the stress tests, in order to compare MCP-1 levels at before and after the study intervention. Increased MCP-1 indicates an increased inflammatory response. MCP-1 levels will be quantitated by the MesoScale system (MSD Rockville, Maryland) according to the protocols supplied by the manufacturer, which uses electrochemiluminescence for high sensitivity with a dynamic range of 0.09-375 pg/mL. Values presented here are the difference between the baseline and post-intervention blood draws and values greater than 0 indicate that there is an increase in inflammatory response post-intervention.

Time frame:
Baseline (Minute 0), Minute 90 (after both stress tests and rest periods)
Reported as:
Mean · pg/mL
Change in Monocyte Chemoattractant Protein-1 (MCP-1) Level
pg/mLRacialized Stressful Event RecallNon-racialized Stressful Event Recall
Change in Monocyte Chemoattractant Protein-1 (MCP-1) Level193.12 ± 92.80217.31 ± 110.47
PrimaryChange in Interleukin-6 (IL-6) Level

Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is an inflammatory marker that is sensitive to acute stress induction and is associated with CKD. Blood will be drawn three times, at 30 minutes after the IV catheter is inserted (prior to the intervention) and after each 45 minute recovery period following the stress tests, in order to compare IL-6 levels at before and after the study intervention. IL-6 is influenced by a variety of factors and increases in IL-6 indicate an increased inflammatory response. IL-6 levels will be quantitated by the MesoScale system (MSD Rockville, Maryland) according to the protocols supplied by the manufacturer, which uses electrochemiluminescence for high sensitivity with a dynamic range of 0.06-488 pg/mL. Values presented here are the difference between the baseline and post-intervention blood draws and values greater than 0 indicate that there is an increase in inflammatory response post-intervention.

Time frame:
Baseline (Minute 0), Minute 90 (after both stress tests and rest periods)
Reported as:
Mean · pg/mL
Change in Interleukin-6 (IL-6) Level
pg/mLRacialized Stressful Event RecallNon-racialized Stressful Event Recall
Change in Interleukin-6 (IL-6) Level2.23 ± 1.022.11 ± 1.29
PrimaryChange in Soluble Urokinase-type Plasminogen Activator Receptor (suPAR) Level

Soluble urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor (suPAR) is an inflammatory marker that is sensitive to acute stress induction and is associated with CKD. Blood will be drawn three times at 30 minutes after the IV catheter is inserted (prior to the intervention) and after each 45 minute recovery period following the stress tests, in order to compare suPAR levels at before and after the study intervention. Increases in suPAR indicate an increased inflammatory response. suPAR will be measured with the Virogates (CEDARLANE Laboratories, Burlington, NC) suPARnostic® ELISA, according to the protocols supplied by the manufacturer. This assay has a high sensitivity (0.1 ng/mL) giving consistently quantitative results in plasma samples. Values presented here are the difference between the baseline and post-intervention blood draws and values greater than 0 indicate that there is an increase in inflammatory response post-intervention.

Time frame:
Baseline (Minute 0), Minute 90 (after both stress tests and rest periods)
Reported as:
Mean · ng/mL
Change in Soluble Urokinase-type Plasminogen Activator Receptor (suPAR) Level
ng/mLRacialized Stressful Event RecallNon-racialized Stressful Event Recall
Change in Soluble Urokinase-type Plasminogen Activator Receptor (suPAR) Level4.18 ± 1.664.50 ± 1.50
PrimaryChange in Systolic Blood Pressure

Blood pressure readings will be taken at baseline and every 5 minutes during the experimental manipulation, except during the recall task when blood pressure will be measured every 1 minute. Mean systolic blood pressure scores for rest, recall task, and recovery will be calculated by averaging the readings taken during each period. Blood pressure reactivity will be a change score, calculated as the mean of the scores during the recall task minus the mean of the scores during rest, designed to represent the change in systolic blood pressure induced by the recall task. Values greater than 0 are the mean increase in systolic blood pressure following the intervention, compared to the baseline time period.

Time frame:
Prior to IV insertion at Minute -30 through Minute 130
Reported as:
Mean · millimeters of mercury (mmHg)
Change in Systolic Blood Pressure
millimeters of mercury (mmHg)Racialized Stressful Event RecallNon-racialized Stressful Event Recall
Change in Systolic Blood Pressure11.79 ± 12.7615.72 ± 19.20
PrimaryChange in Diastolic Blood Pressure

Blood pressure readings will be taken at baseline and every 5 minutes during the experimental manipulation, except during the recall task when blood pressure will be measured every 1 minute. Mean diastolic blood pressure scores for rest, recall task, and recovery will be calculated by averaging the readings taken during each period. Blood pressure reactivity will be a change score, calculated as the mean of the scores during the recall task minus the mean of the scores during rest, designed to represent the change in diastolic blood pressure induced by the recall task. Values greater than 0 are the mean increase in diastolic blood pressure following the intervention, compared to the baseline time period.

Time frame:
Prior to IV insertion at Minute -30 through Minute 130
Reported as:
Mean · millimeters of mercury (mmHg)
Change in Diastolic Blood Pressure
millimeters of mercury (mmHg)Racialized Stressful Event RecallNon-racialized Stressful Event Recall
Change in Diastolic Blood Pressure5.52 ± 6.157.59 ± 8.37

Adverse events

Collected over Adverse events will be collected from the time the participant consents to take part in the study (Day 1) through the experimental manipulation on Day 2.. Non-serious events are listed at a 0% frequency threshold.

Adverse event summary by group
GroupDeathsSeriousOther
Racialized Stressful Event Recall0/25 (0%)0/25 (0%)0/25 (0%)
Non-racialized Stressful Event Recall0/25 (0%)0/25 (0%)0/25 (0%)

Baseline characteristics

Age, Continuous
Age, Continuous(years)Racialized Stressful Event RecallNon-racialized Stressful Event RecallTotal
Mean54.92 ± 8.6650.12 ± 9.5752.52 ± 9.35
Sex: Female, Male
Sex: Female, Male(Participants)Racialized Stressful Event RecallNon-racialized Stressful Event RecallTotal
Female161430
Male91120
Race (NIH/OMB)
Race (NIH/OMB)(Participants)Racialized Stressful Event RecallNon-racialized Stressful Event RecallTotal
American Indian or Alaska Native000
Asian000
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander000
Black or African American252550
White000
More than one race000
Unknown or Not Reported000
Region of Enrollment
Region of Enrollment(Participants)Racialized Stressful Event RecallNon-racialized Stressful Event RecallTotal
United States252550
08

Study locations

1 site
  • Emory University Hospital Midtown
    Atlanta, Georgia 30308, United States
09

References and documents

Publications

  • Arriola KJ, Lewis TT, Pearce B, Cobb J, Weldon B, Valentin MIZ, Lea J, Vaccarino V. A randomized trial of race-related stress among African Americans with chronic kidney disease. Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2021 Sep;131:105339. doi: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2021.105339. Epub 2021 Jun 18. PubMed 34175554 ↗

Study documents

PDFs hosted by the registry, ClinicalTrials.gov.

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No

10

Timeline

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
ElapsedEstimatedEstimated, not yet reachedSimilar studies: half by the dot; the band is the middle halfHalf of similar studies reached it by the dot; the band is the middle half, from a quarter to three quarters

Ran from Apr 2018 to primary completion in Apr 2019, 12 months.

Results were first posted in May 2020, 1 year after primary completion.

Of 576 non-industry interventional studies with no phase under Renal Insufficiency, Chronic, half reached primary completion within 23 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 10 and three quarters within 45. This study's 12 months is below that.

Counting every sponsor, half of 616 studies reached it within 23 months; a quarter within 10 and three quarters within 45.

How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.

Registered
Dec 20, 2017
First posted
Jan 2, 2018
StartActual
Apr 27, 2018
Primary completionActual
Apr 30, 2019
CompletionActual
Apr 30, 2019
Results first posted
May 12, 2020
Last update
May 12, 2020
What these dates mean
Start.
When the first participant enrolled; while estimated, when the study expects to open to recruitment.
Primary completion.
When the last participant was examined or treated to collect data for the study's main question, its primary outcome. A study that stopped early gives the date its data collection stopped.
Completion.
When the last participant's last visit took place, for every outcome, secondary ones and side effects included: the end of the study. Often later than primary completion, sometimes the same day.
Actual and Est.
Actual means the registry says the date has happened. Est. (estimated) is a date the sponsor plans or expects. It can still move, and the sponsor is expected to change it to actual once it has passed.
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on May 12, 2020, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
11

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT03387319
Lead sponsor
Emory University
Responsible party
Kimberly R Jacob Arriola, PhD, MPH (Professor, Emory University) — Principal investigator
First posted
Jan 2, 2018
Start date
Apr 27, 2018
Primary completion
Apr 30, 2019
Completion
Apr 30, 2019
Results posted
May 12, 2020
Last update
May 12, 2020

Study contacts

Kimberly Arriola, PhD, MPH
principal investigator · Emory University

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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