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Objective The aim of the study was to test the novel hypothesis that, among black Americans who used John Henryism coping, those from low socioeconomic status backgrounds would be more likely to develop metabolic syndrome than those from higher socioeconomic backgrounds. Methods This is an ancillary analysis of Strong African American Families Healthy Adult Program, a longitudinal cohort of 391 black youths and their caregivers. From ages 11 to 18 years, family socioeconomic status was assessed. At age 25 years, John Henryism was assessed, blood samples were drawn, and measurements were taken of blood pressure and waist circumference. Metabolic syndrome status was based on International Diabetes Federation guidelines. Results A significant interaction emerged between family socioeconomic disadvantage and John Henryism coping in predicting metabolic syndrome diagnosis (odds ratio = 1.047, 95% confidence interval = 1.004-1.091). Participants who were high in John Henryism coping were more likely to display metabolic syndrome if they were from disadvantaged backgrounds (predicted prevalence of 26.7%) than if they were from more privileged backgrounds (predicted prevalence of 9.6%). Conclusions These patterns illustrate for the first time that John Henryism coping can undermine cardiometabolic health among black youths from disadvantaged backgrounds.

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.

Objective To examine the genetic and/or environmental origin of variation and covariation of perceived stressful life events and two stress-related coping styles, anger expression and John Henryism. Methods Data were available from 306 European American (EA) and 213 African American (AA) twin pairs, including monozygotic and dizygotic of same as well as opposite sex (mean age, 14.8 +/- 3.1 years; range, 10.0-25.9 years). Anger expression, John Henryism, and life events were measured with the Anger Expression Scale (subscales: Anger-in, Anger-out, and Anger-control), the John Henryism Active Coping Scale, and the Adolescent Resources Challenges Scale, respectively. Results Model fitting showed no ethnic or sex differences for any of the scales. All traits showed at least some degree of familial resemblance, best explained by shared environment for Anger-in (18%), heritability for Anger-control (34%), John Henryism (34%), and life events (47%), and a combination of heritability (14% and 15%) and shared environment (10% and 20%) for Anger-out and overall anger expression, respectively. The remaining part of the variation for all traits was explained by environmental influences that are unique to the individual. Anger expression and life events were correlated (r = 0.28), and bivariate genetic modeling showed that 61% of this correlation was mediated by common genetic factors. Conclusions Individual differences in coping styles and life events in youth can be explained by moderate genetic and substantial environmental influences, of which most are idiosyncratic to the individual. The association between anger expression and life events is largely the result of common genes.

Objective: The John Henryism hypothesis proposes that a high level of John Henryism (JH: high-effort coping with psychosocial demands) is predictive of hypertension at low but not high socioeconomic status (SES). The objectives of the present study were to determine whether high JH and low SES (education, income, job status, and job strain) were associated with increased cardiovascular responses to laboratory social stressors. Methods: Subjects were 58 normotensive, healthy black men age 23 to 47 years. The procedure included the completion of psychosocial questionnaires and participation in a psychophysiological reactivity protocol. The reactivity protocol involved the following experimental tasks and associated recovery periods: an active speech task and an anger recall task. Measures of systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), heart rate (HR), and rate pressure product (RPP) were obtained continuously using a Finapres beat-to-beat blood pressure monitor throughout the reactivity protocol. Results: At high JH, low (compared with high) education level was linked with higher DBP during anger recall and final recovery, higher SBP during final recovery, and higher HR and RPP during speech preparation and final recovery (p .05). Among subjects with low education, high (vs. low) JH was associated with higher SBP, HR, and RPP during final recovery (p .05). Conclusions: John Henryism may increase the risk of cardiovascular disease among people with low education by increased cardiovascular reactivity and prolonged recovery to stress. Key words: coping, socioeconomic status, cardiovascular reactivity, hypertension, blacks. ANOVA analysis of variance; BP blood pressure; CVR cardiovascular response; DBP diastolic blood pressure; HR heart rate; HRV heart rate variability; JH John Henryism; JHAC John Henryism Scale of Active Coping; JS job strain; RPP rate pressure product; SBP systolic blood pressure; SES socioeconomic status.

OBJECTIVE To examine the interaction between gender and John Henryism in relationship to arterial blood pressure in an African American community in the Southern United States. It was hypothesized that, within this specific social and cultural context, John Henryism would be associated with blood pressure differently for men and women. METHODS A cross-sectional survey of 600 persons, aged 25 to 65, was conducted in the African American community of a small Southern city. John Henryism was assessed using the 12-item John Henryism Scale for Active Coping. Blood pressure was assessed by conventional methods. RESULTS The interaction effect between gender and John Henryism was assessed as a cross-product term in ordinary least squares regression analysis using arterial blood pressure as the dependent variable, and with logistic regression using hypertension as the dependent variable. This interaction effect was significant (p < .05) in relation to systolic blood pressure and hypertension, with the effect evident (p < .07) in relation to diastolic blood pressure. For men, as John Henryism increases, blood pressure and the risk of hypertension increases. For women, as John Henryism increases, blood pressure and the risk of hypertension decreases. CONCLUSIONS The association of the behavioral disposition of John Henryism with blood pressure is dependent on the gender of the individual. Men and women face differing cultural expectations and social structural constraints in this community. The sociocultural context modifies the meaning of the behavioral disposition, and hence its effects.

In a stratified, random sample of 100 men and 100 women, aged 20-59 years, residing in Zutphen, the Netherlands, the hypothesis was tested that high scores on "John Henryism," a strong behavioral predisposition to cope actively with psychosocial environmental stressors, would be associated with higher blood pressure, especially among persons of lower education. In univariate analyses higher scores on John Henryism were strongly associated with higher blood pressures in men. Among women there was only an association of John Henryism and systolic blood pressure, but this association was no longer statistically significant after adjustment for potential confounders such as age, alcohol consumption, physical activity, Quetelet Index, and education. Among men, however, the association between John Henryism and systolic blood pressure remained statistically significant after adjustment for potential confounders. The association between John Henryism and blood pressure was more pronounced for men of low educational background.