Is Hard Work and High Effort Always Healthy for Black College Students?: John Henryism in the Face of Racial Discrimination

Abstract

Differences in exposure to racial discrimination and in coping mechanisms can shape physiological health among emerging adults. This study, grounded in the Biopsychosocial Model, examines whether John Henryism active coping moderates the relation between exposure to racial discrimination and blood pressure in Black college students ( N = 128, M age = 19.33) attending a predominantly White institution. Analyses showed that John Henryism moderated the relation between racial discrimination and diastolic blood pressure but not systolic blood pressure. When participants reported using mean and high levels of John Henryism, more frequent exposure to racial discrimination was significantly associated with higher diastolic blood pressure, B mean = 1.70, t(92) = 2.11, p = .038; B high = 1.91, t(92) = 2.33, p = .022. Results suggest that more frequent exposure to racial discrimination, in the context of increased use of John Henryism, may be associated with greater cardiovascular risk for Black individuals during the transition to adulthood.