The relationship among John Henryism, hostility, perceived stress, social support, and blood pressure in African-American college students.

African Americans' rates of hypertension-related morbidity and mortality are several times that of white Americans. A number of behavioral and psychological variables may influence these differences. John Henryism, characterized by active coping to overcome obstacles, is one such variable. Prior research indicates that among highly educated individuals, high levels of John Henryism may be associated with decreased hypertension risk. The purpose of this study was to identify a cohort of well-educated African Americans to establish a baseline examination of the relationships between John Henryism, hostility, perceived stress, social support and resting systolic and diastolic blood pressures (SBP and DBP, respectively). Participants completed measures of study variables and resting blood pressures were taken. Results indicated that high family and friendship support were related to reports of lowered levels of stress (P<.001). Family support was associated with decreased risk for elevated DBP (P<.05). A positive association between hostility and DBP was found (P<.01). Perceived stress was negatively associated with SBP (P<.05), but did not have an independent effect on DBP. Similarly, no interactive effects of John Henryism and perceived stress were found on blood pressure. Examination of this cohort over time will reveal the impact of John Henryism and other variables on blood pressure elevations and hypertension.