Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

The Epidemiology of Coping in African American Adults in the Jackson Heart Study (JHS)

  • Published:
Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Differences in coping within the African American population are not well understood, yet these differences may be critical to reducing stress, improving health, and reducing racial health disparities. Using a descriptive, exploratory analysis of the Jackson Heart Study (N = 5301), we examine correlations between coping responses and associations between coping and demographic, socioeconomic, psychosocial, and neighborhood factors. Overall, coping responses were not strongly correlated and patterns of associations between covariates and coping responses were largely inconsistent. The results suggest that coping varies substantially within this African American population and is driven mainly by psychosocial factors such as spirituality and interpersonal support. Understanding these complex relationships may inform strategies by which to intervene in the stress process to mitigate the effects of stress on health and to identify vulnerable subgroups of African Americans that might need targeted interventions to reduce exposure to stressors and improve coping capacities.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Brown TL, Phillips CM, Abdullah T, Vinson E, Robertson J. Dispositional versus situational coping: are the coping strategies African Americans use different for general versus racism-related stressors? Journal of black psychology. 2011;37(3):311–35. https://doi.org/10.1177/0095798410390688.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Kuo BCH. Culture’s consequences on coping: theories, evidences, and dimensionalities. J Cross-Cult Psychol. 2011;42(6):1084–100. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022022110381126.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Pearlin LI, Schooler C. The structure of coping. J Health Soc Behav. 1978;19(1):2–21.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Thoits P. Stress, coping and social support processes: where are we? What next? The J Health Soc Behav. 1995;35:53–79.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Plummer DL, Slane S. Patterns of coping in racially stressful situations. Journal of black psychology. 1996;22(3):302–15.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Lazarus R, Folkman S. Stress, appraisal and coping. New York: Springer; 1984.

    Google Scholar 

  7. Wheaton B. Models for the stress-buffering functions of coping resources. J Health Soc Behav. 1985:352–64.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Wenzel L, Glanz K, Lerman C. Stress, coping and health behavior. In: Glanz K, Rimer B, Lewis F, editors. Health behavior and health education. 3rd ed. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass; 2002. p. 210–39.

    Google Scholar 

  9. Gayman MD, Cislo AM, Goidel AR, Ueno K. SES and race-ethnic differences in the stress-buffering effects of coping resources among young adults. Ethnicity & Health. 2013:1–20. https://doi.org/10.1080/13557858.2013.828827.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Brondolo E. Race, racism and health: disparities, mechanisms, and interventions. J Behav Med. 2009;32(1):1–8. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10865-008-9190-3.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Oates GL, Goode J. Racial differences in effects of religiosity and mastery on psychological distress: evidence from national longitudinal data. Society and mental health. 2013;3(1):40–58.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  12. Utsey SO, Giesbrecht N, Hook J, Stanard PM. Cultural, sociofamilial, and psychological resources that inhibit psychological distress in African Americans exposed to stressful life events and race-related stress. J Couns Psychol. 2008;55(1):49–62. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0167.55.1.49.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Scott Jr LD. Cultural orientation and coping with perceived discrimination among African American youth. Journal of black psychology. 2003;29(3):235–56.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Utsey SO, Ponterotto JG, Reynolds AL, Cancelli AA. Racial discrimination, coping, life satisfaction, and self-esteem among African Americans. Journal of Counseling & Development. 2000;78(1):72–80.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Everett JE, Hall JC, Hamilton-Mason J. Everyday conflict and daily stressors: coping responses of Black women. Affilia. 2010;25(1):30–42.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Williams DR, Mohammed SA, Leavell J, Collins C. Race, socioeconomic status, and health: complexities, ongoing challenges, and research opportunities. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2010;1186(1):69–101.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  17. Turner RJ, Avison WR. Status variations in stress exposure: implications for the interpretation of research on race, socioeconomic status, and gender. J Health Soc Behav. 2003;44(4):488–505.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Gruenewald TL, Seeman TE. Stress and aging: a biological double jeopardy? Annu Rev Gerontol Geriatr. 2010;30(1):155–77.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Schulz A, Israel B, Williams D, Parker E, Becker A, James S. Social inequalities, stressors and self reported health status among African American and white women in the Detroit metropolitan area. Soc Sci Med. 2000;51(11):1639–53.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Kessler RC, Neighbors HWA. New perspective on the relationship among race, social class, and psychological distress. J Health Soc Behav. 1986;27(2):107–15.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Krieger N, Sidney S. Racial discrimination and blood pressure: the CARDIA Study of young black and white adults. Am J Public Health. 1996;86(10):1370–8.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  22. Williams DR, Yu Y, Jackson JS, Anderson NB. Racial differences in physical and mental health. J Health Psychol. 1997;2(3):335–51.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. Mullings L, Schulz AJ. Intersectionality and health: an introduction. Jossey-Bass; 2006.

  24. Jackson JS, Knight KM, Rafferty JA. Race and unhealthy behaviors: chronic stress, the HPA axis, and physical and mental health disparities over the life course. Am J Public Health. 2009;99(12):1–7.

    Google Scholar 

  25. Geronimus AT, Hicken M, Keene D, Bound J. "Weathering" and age patterns of allostatic load scores among Blacks and Whites in the United States. Am J Public Health. 2006;96(5):826–33.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  26. Taylor HA. The Jackson Heart Study: an overview. Ethnicity & disease. 2005;15(4 suppl 6):S6. -1-3

    Google Scholar 

  27. Addison CC, Campbell-Jenkins BW, Sarpong DF, Kibler J, Singh M, Dubbert P, et al. Psychometric evaluation of a coping strategies inventory short-form (CSI-SF) in the Jackson Heart Study Cohort. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2007;4(4):289–95.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  28. James SA, Strogatz DS, Wing SB, Ramsey DL. Socioeconomic status, John Henryism, and hypertension in Blacks and Whites. Am J Epidemiol. 1987;126(4):664–73.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  29. Vines AI. Development and reliability of a Telephone-Administered Perceived Racism Scale (TPRS): a tool for epidemiological use. Ethnicity & disease. 2001;11(2):251.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  30. Radloff LS. The CES-D scale: a self-report depression scale for research in the general population. Appl Psychol Meas. 1977;1(3):385–401.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  31. Kohn P, Macdonald J. The Survey of Recent Life Experiences: a decontaminated hassles scale for adults. J Behav Med. 1992;15(2):221–36. https://doi.org/10.1007/bf00848327.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  32. Payne TJ, Wyatt SB, Mosley TH, Dubbert PM, Guiterrez-Mohammed ML, Calvin RL, et al. Sociocultural methods in the Jackson Heart Study: conceptual and descriptive overview. Ethn Dis. 2005;15(suppl 6):S6–38.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  33. Williams DR, Yu Y, Jackson JS, Anderson N. Racial differences in physical and mental health: socio-economic status, stress and discrimination. J Health Psych. 1997;2:335–51.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  34. Scheier MF, Carver CS, Bridges MW. Distinguishing optimism from neuroticism (and trait anxiety, self-mastery, and self-esteem): a reevaluation of the Life Orientation Test. J Pers Soc Psychol. 1994;67(6):1063.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  35. Underwood LG, Teresi JA. The daily spiritual experience scale: development, theoretical description, reliability, exploratory factor analysis, and preliminary construct validity using health-related data. Ann Behav Med. 2002;24(1):22–33.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  36. Loustalot FV, Wyatt SB, Boss B, May W, McDyess T. Psychometric examination of the daily spiritual experiences scale. J Cult Divers. 2006;13(3):162.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  37. Cohen S, Mermelstein R, Kamarck T, Hoberman HM. Measuring the functional components of social support. Social support: theory, research and applications. Springer; 1985. p. 73–94.

  38. Barber S, Hickson DA, Kawachi I, Subramanian SV, Earls F. Double-jeopardy: the joint impact of neighborhood disadvantage and low social cohesion on cumulative risk of disease among African American men and women in the Jackson Heart Study. Soc Sci Med. 2016;153:107–15. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2016.02.001.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  39. Stata Statistical Software: release 14 [database on the Internet]. College Station, TX. 2015.

  40. Hamilton-Mason J, Hall JC, Everett JE. And some of us are braver: stress and coping among African American women. J Hum Behav Soc Environ. 2009;19(5):463–82. https://doi.org/10.1080/10911350902832142.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  41. Perry BL, Harp KL, Oser CB. Racial and gender discrimination in the stress process: implications for African American women's health and well-being. Sociological perspectives: SP: official publication of the Pacific Sociological Association. 2013;56(1):25.

    Google Scholar 

  42. Seng JS, Lopez WD, Sperlich M, Hamama L, Reed Meldrum CD. Marginalized identities, discrimination burden, and mental health: empirical exploration of an interpersonal-level approach to modeling intersectionality. Soc Sci Med. 2012.

  43. Geronimus AT. Understanding and eliminating racial inequalities in women's health in the United States: the role of the weathering conceptual framework. J Am Med Wom Assoc. 2001;56(4):133–6.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  44. Utsey SO, Hook JN. Heart rate variability as a physiological moderator of the relationship between race-related stress and psychological distress in African Americans. Cult Divers Ethn Minor Psychol. 2007;13(3):250–3. https://doi.org/10.1037/1099-9809.13.3.250.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  45. Cohen S, Wills TA. Stress, social support, and the buffering hypothesis. Psychol Bull. 1985;98(2):310–57.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  46. Bacchus DN, Holley LC. Spirituality as a coping resource: the experiences of professional Black women. Journal of Ethnic and Cultural Diversity in Social Work. 2005;13(4):65–84.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  47. Kawachi I, Berkman LF. Social ties and mental health. Journal of Urban Health. 2001;78(3):458–67.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  48. Seeman TE, Dubin LF, Seeman M. Religiosity/spirituality and health: a critical review of the evidence for biological pathways. Am Psychol. 2003;58(1):53.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  49. James S, Keenan N, Strogatz D, Browning S, Garrett J. Socioeconomic status, John Henryism, and blood pressure in black adults. Am J Epidemiol. 1992;135(1):59–67.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  50. James S. John Henryism and the health of African Americans. Culture of Medicine and Psychiatry. 1994;18:163–82.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  51. Boardman JD. Stress and physical health: the role of neighborhoods as mediating and moderating mechanisms. Soc Sci Med. 2004;58(12):2473–83. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2003.09.029.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  52. Browning C, Cagney K. Moving beyond poverty: neighborhood structure, social processes, and health. J Health Soc Behav. 2003;44(4):552–71.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  53. Aneshensel CS. Neighborhood as a social context of the stress process. In: Avison WR, Aneshensel CS, Schieman S, Wheaton B, editors. Advances in the conceptualization of the stress process: essays in honor of Leonard I. Pearlin. New York City: Springer; 2010. p. 35–52.

    Google Scholar 

  54. Folkman S. Personal control and stress and coping processes: a theoretical analysis. J Pers Soc Psychol. 1984;46(4):839–52.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The Jackson Heart Study is supported and conducted in collaboration with Jackson State University (HHSN268201300049C and HHSN268201300050C), Tougaloo College (HHSN268201300048C), and the University of Mississippi Medical Center (HHSN268201300046C and HHSN268201300047C) contracts from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) and the National Institute for Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD). The authors thank the participants and data collection staff of the Jackson Heart Study.

The views expressed in this manuscript are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute; the National Institutes of Health; or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Funding

This research is supported by the Michigan Center for Integrative Approaches to Health Disparities (2P60MD002249) funded by the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities. The Jackson Heart Study is supported by contracts HHSN268201300046C, HHSN268201300047C, HHSN268201300048C, HHSN268201300049C, and HHSN268201300050C from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, Bethesda, MD.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Social Research, Survey Research Center, University of Michigan, 426 Thompson Street, Ann Arbor, MI, 48106, USA

    Allison B. Brenner

  2. Dornsife School of Public Health, Drexel University, 3215 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA

    Ana V. Diez-Roux

  3. National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA

    Samson Y. Gebreab

  4. School of Public Health, University of Michigan, 2822 SPH I, 1415 Washington Heights, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109-2029, USA

    Amy J. Schulz

  5. Department of Medicine, University of Mississippi Medical Center, 350 W. Woodrow Wilson Drive, Jackson, MS, 39213, USA

    Mario Sims

Authors
  1. Allison B. Brenner
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Ana V. Diez-Roux
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Samson Y. Gebreab
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Amy J. Schulz
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Mario Sims
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Allison B. Brenner.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of Interest

The authors of this paper have no conflicts of interest to declare.

Ethical Approval

The JHS was approved by the institutional review boards of Jackson State University, Tougaloo College, and the University of Mississippi Medical Center. All participants provided informed consent.

Additional information

Sharon Wyatt (deceased)

Appendices

Appendix 1

Table 7 Bivariate correlations between coping responses and covariates, Jackson Heart Study (2000–2004)
Full size table

Appendix 2

Table 8 Mean differences in scores (standard errors) for the association of demographic, psychosocial, and neighborhood factors with engagement coping subscales, Jackson Heart Study (exam 1, 2000–2004)
Full size table

Appendix 3

Table 9 Mean differences in scores (standard errors) for the association of demographic, psychosocial, and neighborhood factors with disengagement coping subscales, Jackson Heart Study (exam 1, 2000–2004)
Full size table

Appendix 4

Table 10 Associations (odds ratio, 95% confidence interval) between demographic, psychosocial, and neighborhood factors and coping with discrimination subscales, Jackson Heart Study (exam 1, 2000–2004)
Full size table

Appendix 5

Table 11 Associations (odds ratio, 95% confidence interval) between demographic, psychosocial, and neighborhood factors with religious coping and John Henryism and mean differences (standard errors) in scores for associations with coping with discrimination subscales, Jackson Heart Study (exam 1, 2000–2004)
Full size table

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Brenner, A.B., Diez-Roux, A.V., Gebreab, S.Y. et al. The Epidemiology of Coping in African American Adults in the Jackson Heart Study (JHS). J. Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities 5, 978–994 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40615-017-0445-y

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40615-017-0445-y

Keywords

Search

Navigation