John Henry, the figure from American folklore who worked himself to death to beat a steam engine, is a key to understanding the medical reality of African Americans in the 21st century, according to researchers from Duke University Medical Center and their colleagues.
African Americans continue to have poorer health than other groups, even though their economic situation has improved significantly, said the researchers.
'John Henryism,' is a coping style that has a clear genetic basis in African Americans and reflects clear personality traits, they reported.
The effects of John Henryism (JH) are apparent in clinical and non-clinical settings, can influence emotional reactions and may impact how African Americans function in their everyday lives, the researchers said.
Most commonly, people with JH are extremely goal-oriented but often lack the resources they need for success, such as financial or emotional support, the researchers said.
For example, when coping with a medical crisis like sickle cell anemia, African Americans may display a strong drive toward a successful health outcome but lack the support they need in their job in order to take time off from work, leading them to work during a severe pain episode even though they know their work will suffer or their pain will last longer, said the researchers.
Without adequate resources such as income, social support or psychological and medical care, a person with sickle cell disease would risk increased levels of dysfunction and pain.
The researchers quantify John Henryism using a questionnaire that reveals a 'single-minded' drive to succeed, even beyond a person's overall self-interest, which is the hallmark of JH, Edwards said.
One study, conducted at Pennsylvania State University and Johns Hopkins University, found that as much as 30 percent of active coping behavior in African Americans may be genetically-based, said the researchers.
The 70 percent of coping that is not accountable to genetics gives hope that modifying the environment and learning how to better apply coping skills may yield solutions to the challenge of reducing the health burden of disease as a function of race, said the researchers.
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