John Henryism and self-reported physical health among high-socioeconomic status African American men.

We performed a cross-sectional survey of high-socioeconomic status (SES) African American men and their health to examine the relationship between John Henryism (the strong behavioral predisposition to directly confront barriers to upward social mobility) and self-reported physical health status. We found a positive association between John Henryism and better physical health among high-SES African American men. The study of social and behavioral implications of health of men of differing SES is required to develop strategies to improve the health of African American men.