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Kahsay E, Mezuk B. The Association Between John Henryism and Depression and Suicidal Ideation Among African-American and Caribbean Black Adolescents in the United States. J Adolesc Health 2022; 71:721-728. [PMID: 36207200 PMCID: PMC10405791 DOI: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2022.07.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2021] [Revised: 05/31/2022] [Accepted: 07/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between John Henryism (JH), a psychological construct indexing repeated high effort coping, and depression and SI among Black adolescents, and to explore whether these relationships vary by sex. METHODS Data came from the National Survey of American Life-Adolescent Supplement, a cross-sectional, multistage probability sample of African-American and Caribbean Black adolescents aged 13-17 (N = 1,170). JH was measured using a 12-item scale (alpha = 0.71) and dichotomized at the median. Lifetime history of major depression (MD) and SI were assessed using the Composite International Diagnostic Inventory and self-report, respectively. Logistic regression was used to assess the relationship between JH and likelihood of MD and SI, adjusting for demographic and psychosocial characteristics and accounting for the complex survey design. Moderation by sex was assessed using interaction terms. RESULTS Lifetime prevalence of MD was 6.3% (N = 87) and lifetime history of SI was 7.6% (N = 91). In unadjusted models, high JH was inversely associated with MD (odds ratio [OR]: 0.55, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.34-0.90) and SI (OR: 0.45, 95% CI: 0.23-0.91). In adjusted models, the relationship between JH and MD was attenuated (OR: 0.68, 95% CI = 0.39-1.18, p = .16) and remained marginally significant for SI (OR: 0.55, 95% CI: 0.28-1.06, p = .07). These relationships were similar by sex. DISCUSSION Consistent with prior work in adults, JH was inversely associated with MD and SI among Black adolescents. Findings illustrate the importance of considering culturally salient protective factors for mental health among Black adolescents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eskira Kahsay
- Center for Social Epidemiology and Population Health, Department of Epidemiology, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, Michigan.
| | - Briana Mezuk
- Center for Social Epidemiology and Population Health, Department of Epidemiology, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, Michigan
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Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW Greater racial discrimination is associated with poorer mental health among Black Americans; yet, there remains an incomplete understanding of sex differences in exposure to racial discrimination, and further, of how sex differences in coping with racial discrimination may heighten or diminish risk for poorer mental health. RECENT FINDINGS Black men may experience greater exposure to both structural and communal forms of racial discrimination, whereas Black women may face both a wider range of potential sources, as well as encounter greater variability in the subjective experience of racial discrimination. For both Black women and men, racial discrimination may be similarly associated with maladaptive coping strategies (i.e., emotional eating, rumination) that also are linked to poorer mental health; however, emerging findings suggest that mindfulness may partially buffer these deleterious effects. Overall, the recent literature reveals mixed findings with respect to sex differences in the experience and negative mental health impact of racial discrimination. Despite this heterogeneity, evidence documents sex differences in the settings, type, and qualitative experience of racial discrimination among Black Americans. Additionally, growing evidence indicating that racial discrimination is associated with physiological markers of stress reactivity and psychopathology risk further bolsters its characterization as a unique form of chronic stress among Black Americans and other minority groups in the USA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Briana N Brownlow
- Department of Psychology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Effua E Sosoo
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Risa N Long
- Department of Family Medicine, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Lori S Hoggard
- Department of Psychology, Rutgers-The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ, USA
| | - Tanisha I Burford
- Department of Psychology, North Carolina Central University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - LaBarron K Hill
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Box 3119, Durham, NC, 27710, USA.
- Center for Biobehavioral Health Disparities Research, Duke University-Social Science Research Institute, Durham, NC, USA.
- Center for the Study of Aging and Human Development, Duke University Medical Center, Box 3119, Durham, NC, 27710, USA.
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Duggan KA, Jennings JR, Matthews KA. Prospective Associations of Adolescent Conscientiousness With Psychological Resources and Metabolic Syndrome in Black and White Men. Psychosom Med 2019; 81:341-51. [PMID: 30855556 DOI: 10.1097/PSY.0000000000000688] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Conscientiousness predicts better psychological resources as well as lower cardiovascular mortality and lower metabolic syndrome (MetS) risk. However, the benefits of conscientiousness might be amplified, disabled, or reversed in disadvantaged groups. This study is the first to test these competing hypotheses for prospective associations between adolescent conscientiousness and adult psychological resources and MetS. METHOD Participants were 220 men (54.6% black) from the Pittsburgh Youth Study. Adolescent conscientiousness (M [SD] age = 16 [1]) was rated by participants and their parents. Adult (M [SD] age = 32 [1]) socioeconomic status (SES; occupation and education), psychological resources (composite of positive affect, purpose in life, optimism, self-mastery, and self-esteem), and MetS scores (glucose, lipids, waist circumference, and blood pressure) were measured. Hierarchical regressions were used to evaluate the association of conscientiousness with adult psychological resources and MetS scores, with testing of moderation by race and SES. RESULTS Self- and parent-reported conscientiousness were associated with better psychological resources (βs = 0.23-0.29, ps ≤ .015), with no moderation by race or socioeconomic status. In the full sample, a three-way interaction of self-reported conscientiousness, race, and SES was obtained for MetS (β = 0.12, p = .093). Subgroup analysis indicated that self-reported conscientiousness was related to higher MetS scores in low SES black men (βint = -0.22, p = .022), but there was no comparable linear (βs ≤ 0.08, ps ≥ .50) or interaction (βs ≤ -0.13 ps ≥ .25) pattern in white men. CONCLUSIONS Adolescent conscientiousness was beneficial for adult psychological resources, regardless of race or SES. However, there may be physiological costs of conscientiousness for black men from disadvantaged backgrounds.
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Abstract
We describe how self-reported health (SRH) varies with gender and John Henryism (a strong behavioral predisposition to engage in high-effort coping to overcome adversity) in a low income sample of Serbian Roma. Data were collected in 2016 in several Roma settlements around Belgrade, Serbia. The sample consisted of 90 men and 112 women. In addition to John Henryism (JH), measured by a Serbian version of the John Henryism Scale, demographic data and data on SRH and family relationships dynamics were collected. SRH was positively correlated with age and JH, and negatively correlated with a history of chronic disease. Roma males and females differed significantly on JH and a number of other variables. For Roma women, multiple regression analyses revealed that a history of chronic disease, unemployment, age and daily stress level were negatively associated with SRH, while JH, SES and harmonious relationships with one's family/children were positively associated with SRH. For Roma men, there was no association between JH and SRH, but older age, being on welfare, a diagnosis of hypertension and extended family disputes were associated with poorer SRH. Hence, despite economic disadvantage and social exclusion from mainstream society, some Roma report good health and the ability to cope actively with economic disadvantage and social exclusion. This study adds to the literature on the cross-cultural relevance of JH theory for understanding health variations within socially and economically marginalized populations.
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Ayazi M, Johnson KT, Merritt MM, Di Paolo MR, Edwards CL, Koenig HG, Bennett GG, Whitfield KA, Barker CS. Religiosity, Education, John Henryism Active Coping, and Cardiovascular Responses to Anger Recall for African American Men. Journal of Black Psychology 2018; 44:295-321. [DOI: 10.1177/0095798418765859] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
The present study examined if high levels of religious attendance (ORG), private religious activity (NOR), or intrinsic religiosity (SUB) buffer cardiovascular responses to active speech and anger recall lab stressors alone and by John Henryism Active Coping (JHAC) and educational attainment. A sample of 74 healthy African American males, aged 23 to 47 years, completed psychosocial surveys and a lab reactivity protocol involving active speech and anger recall with a 5-minute baseline and ensuing recovery periods. Measures of religiosity, JHAC, and education were related to continuous measures of systolic and diastolic blood pressure (BP), for each task and rest period with repeated measures ANOVA tests. The period by education by JHAC interaction effect was significant for diastolic BP responses at low but not higher NOR. At low education and low NOR, diastolic BP levels increased significantly during anger recall and ensuing recovery for high but not low JHAC persons. Thus, being deprived of education and private religious activity may put these African American men in a vulnerable situation where higher effort coping may exacerbate their cardiovascular reactivity and recovery to anger induction.
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Mujahid MS, James SA, Kaplan GA, Salonen JT. Socioeconomic position, John Henryism, and incidence of acute myocardial infarction in Finnish men. Soc Sci Med 2016; 173:54-62. [PMID: 27923154 DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2016.11.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2016] [Revised: 11/22/2016] [Accepted: 11/24/2016] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Previous cross-sectional studies examining whether John Henryism (JH), or high-effort coping with socioeconomic adversity, potentiates the inverse association between socioeconomic position (SEP) and cardiovascular health have focused mainly on hypertension in African Americans. We conducted the first longitudinal test of this hypothesis on incident acute myocardial infarction (AMI) using data from the Kuopio Ischemic Heart Disease Risk Factor Study in Finland (N = 1405 men, 42-60 years). We hypothesized that the expected inverse gradient between SEP and AMI risk would be stronger for men scoring high on JH than for those scoring low. John Henryism was measured by a Finnish version of the JH Scale for Active Coping. Four different measures of SEP were used: childhood SEP, education, income, and occupation. AMI hazard ratios (HR) by SEP and JH were estimated using COX proportional hazard models, before and after adjustment for study covariates. 205 cases of AMI occurred over a median of 14.9 years. Men employed in lower rank (farmer, blue-collar) occupations who scored high on JH had significantly higher age-adjusted risks of AMI than men in higher rank (white-collar) occupations (HR = 3.14, 95% CI: 1.65-5.98 for blue collar; HR = 2.33, 95% CI: 1.04-5.22 for farmers) who also scored high on JH. No socioeconomic differences in AMI were observed for men who scored low on JH (HR = 1.36, 95% CI: 0.74-2.47 for blue collar; HR = 0.93, 95% CI: 0.59-1.48 for farmers; p = 0.002 for the SEP × JH interaction). These findings persisted after adjustment for sociodemographic, behavioral, and biological factors. Results for other SEP measures were in the same direction, but did not reach statistical significance. Repetitive high-effort coping with adversity (John Henryism) was independently associated with increased risk for AMI in Finnish men, underscoring the potential relevance of the John Henryism hypothesis to CVD outcomes other than hypertension and to populations other than African Americans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mahasin S Mujahid
- Division of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of California, 105 Haviland Hall, Berkeley, CA 94720-7358, United States.
| | - Sherman A James
- Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, 1518 Clifton Rd., Atlanta, GA 30322, United States.
| | - George A Kaplan
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States.
| | - Jukka T Salonen
- Metabolic Analytical Services Inc., Helsinki, Finland; Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
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Abstract
OBJECTIVE The John Henryism hypothesis proposes that high-effort, active coping in impoverished, low-resource environments is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, but a lower risk of disease in a high-resource environment. To test this hypothesis, we examined the association of John Henryism Active Coping (JHAC) with objectively measured neighborhood disadvantages and the relationship to hypertension (including systolic [SBP] and diastolic [DBP] blood pressure) and elevated body mass index (BMI). METHODS The study included 3105 participants- 39.93% non-Hispanic blacks, 31.66% non-Hispanic whites, and 25.83% Hispanic and 2.58% non-Hispanic other. All participants aged 18 to 92 years were surveyed and underwent a baseline clinical examination as part of the Chicago Community Adult Health Study, from 2001 to 2003. Coping was measured using four items from the JHAC scale, and neighborhood disadvantage was assessed using rater assessments and the US Census data. RESULTS In multilevel regression models clustered by neighborhood, neither JHAC nor neighborhood disadvantage was significantly associated with hypertension (SBP and DBP) or BMI. However, significant interaction effects of neighborhood disadvantage and JHAC on hypertension (odds ratio [standard error {SE}] = 0.66 [0.11], p = .018), SBP (B [SE] = -2.63 [1.33], p = .048), DBP (B [SE] = -2.08 [0.87], p = .017), and BMI (B [SE] = -1.86 [0.46], p < .001) were found, such that JHAC was related to increases in disadvantaged neighborhoods and decreases in advantaged neighborhoods. CONCLUSIONS In a large study that modeled objective measures of neighborhood disadvantage, JHAC was associated with increased risk for cardiovascular disease among individuals living in highly disadvantaged neighborhoods which lack resources and opportunities for upward social mobility. This is consistent with the John Henryism hypothesis.
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Hill LK, Sims Wright R, Aiken-Morgan AT, Gamaldo A, Edwards CL, Whitfield KE. Perceived Control Predicts Pulse Pressure in African American Men: The Baltimore Study of Black Aging. Ethn Dis 2015; 25:263-70. [PMID: 26676156 DOI: 10.18865/ed.25.3.263] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Poorer health profiles among African American men throughout the life course evince greater rates of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and significantly earlier mortality compared with other groups. Despite growing emphasis on identifying how psychosocial factors influence disparate disease risk, little of this research has focused intently on African American men. METHODOLOGY Using hierarchical linear regression, we explored the additive influence of stress, depression, and perceived control on pulse pressure, an established marker of CVD risk, in a sample (N = 153) of African American men (mean age = 66.73 ± 9.29) from the Baltimore Study of Black Aging (BSBA). RESULTS After accounting for age and health status indicators, perceived control emerged as a significant predictor of pulse pressure. DISCUSSION These findings suggest that greater belief in one's own efficacy is a protective factor for cardiovascular health among African American men. Future research should examine whether enhancing perceived control can have an appreciable impact on the immense CVD burden in this and other at-risk populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- LaBarron K Hill
- 1. Duke University Medical Center - Center for the Study of Aging and Human Development ; 2. Duke University - Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences ; 3. Duke University - Center on Biobehavioral Health Disparities Research
| | | | | | | | - Christopher L Edwards
- 2. Duke University - Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences ; 3. Duke University - Center on Biobehavioral Health Disparities Research
| | - Keith E Whitfield
- 3. Duke University - Center on Biobehavioral Health Disparities Research ; 4. Duke University - Department of Psychology and Neuroscience
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Gilbert KL, Elder K, Lyons S, Kaphingst K, Blanchard M, Goodman M. Racial Composition Over the Life Course: Examining Separate and Unequal Environments and the Risk for Heart Disease for African American Men. Ethn Dis 2015; 25:295-304. [PMID: 26673460 DOI: 10.18865/ed.25.3.295] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE Studies have demonstrated the effects of segregated social and physical environments on the development of chronic diseases for African Americans. Studies have not delineated the effects of segregated environments specifically on the health of African American men over their lifetime. This study examines the relationship between life course measures of racial composition of social environments and diagnosis of hypertension among African American men. DESIGN We analyzed cross-sectional data from a convenience sample of African American men seeking health care services in an outpatient primary care clinic serving a medically underserved patient population (N=118). Multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to examine associations between racial composition of multiple environments across the life course (eg, junior high school, high school, neighborhood growing up, current neighborhood, place of employment, place of worship) and hypertension diagnosis. RESULTS The majority (86%) of participants were not currently in the workforce (retired, unemployed, or disabled) and more than half (54%) reported an annual household income of <$9,999; median age was 53. Results suggest that African American men who grew up in mostly Black neighborhoods (OR=4.3; P=.008), and worked in mostly Black environments (OR=3.1; P=.041) were more likely to be diagnosed with hypertension than those who did not. CONCLUSION We found associations between mostly Black residential and workplace settings and hypertension diagnoses among African American men. Findings suggest exposure to segregated environments during childhood and later adulthood may impact hypertension risk among African American men over the life course.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keon L Gilbert
- 1. Department of Behavioral Science and Health Education at Saint Louis University, College for Public Health and Social Justice
| | - Keith Elder
- 2. Department of Health Management and Policy at Saint Louis University, College for Public Health and Social Justice
| | - Sarah Lyons
- 3. Washington University School of Medicine Division of Public Health Sciences
| | - Kimberly Kaphingst
- 5. University of Utah, Department of Communication, Huntsman Cancer Institute
| | - Melvin Blanchard
- 4. Department of Internal Medicine/Primary Care at Washington University School of Medicine
| | - Melody Goodman
- 3. Washington University School of Medicine Division of Public Health Sciences
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Im EO, Ko Y, Hwang H, Yoo KH, Chee W, Stuifbergen A, Walker L, Brown A, McPeek C, Chee E. "Physical activity as a luxury": African American women's attitudes toward physical activity. West J Nurs Res 2011; 34:317-39. [PMID: 21403059 DOI: 10.1177/0193945911400637] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to explore African American midlife women's attitudes toward physical activity. Using a feminist perspective, a 6-month online forum was conducted with 21 African American midlife women recruited on the Internet. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Four themes emerged: (a) culturally acceptable body, (b) missed opportunity to learn, (c) physical activity as a luxury, and (d) want to do by myself. The women had positive body images regardless of their actual weight. The women considered physical activity "a luxury" in their busy lives and thought that they had already missed opportunities to learn. The women wanted to participate in physical activities alone because of their bad childhood experiences and hesitance to go out in public with sweaty, messy hair. The findings suggested that unique programs that promote physical activity should be developed that consider the women's ethnic-specific attitudes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eun-Ok Im
- The University of Texas, Austin, TX 78701, USA.
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