An Examination of John Henryism in Adults Living with Sickle Cell Disease

John Henryism (JH) is a behavioral predisposition for high-effort coping with adversity. JH has been associated with hypertension in Black Americans with low socioeconomic status (SES) and is also found to be associated with psychological well-being. Sickle cell disease (SCD), a rare genetic disease largely affecting Black Americans in the United States, presents as a chronic condition that may benefit from a deeper understanding of the impact of JH on overall health.

This study examined the association between high and low JH and diastolic blood pressure, systolic blood pressure, hypertension prevalence, and sleep function. We relied on the biopsychosocial transaction model to adjust for relevant clinical and sociodemographic variables.

This was a cross-sectional secondary analysis of 274 adults with SCD living in the United States and recruited between 2014 and 2020. Study visits consisted of physical examinations, medical history, demographic, and psychosocial questionnaires. Adjusted linear regressions estimated associations between high and low JH and diastolic and systolic blood pressure as well as self-reported sleep function. Multivariable logistic regression was used to examine associations with hypertension prevalence.

High JH was significantly associated with lower diastolic blood pressure (β =  - 2.98; 95% confidence interval =  - 5.92, - 0.04) but higher sleep dysfunction (β = 2.76; 95% confidence interval = 1.45, 4.07).

Overall, we found positive psychological coping resources associated with high JH, with the exception of sleep.

gov Identifier: NCT02156102.