“If you do nothing about stress, the next thing you know, you're shattered”: Perspectives on African American men's stress, coping and health from African American men and key women in their lives
Section snippets
Purpose
Despite this research, few studies have asked African American men and other men of color about how stress influences their behaviors and health outcomes (Ravenell, 2006, Utsey et al., 2000). Even fewer studies have simultaneously considered how female members of men's social networks (i.e., close relatives and friends) interpret behaviors men exhibit as a result of stress (Griffith et al., 2013a, Griffith et al., 2013b, Griffith et al., 2011, Marks et al., 2006). Recognizing how African
Materials and methods
This analysis is part of a larger study which examined African American men's and women's perceptions of the social, cultural, and environmental factors that affected African American men's eating behavior, physical activity, and stress (Griffith et al., 2012a, Griffith et al., 2012b). A specific aim of the study was to understand stress and stressors in African American men's lives (in general) and how stress influenced their diet and physical activity. Study findings on sources of African
Results
Table 1 provides a summary of demographic characteristics of male focus group participants and men discussed by female participants. The average age for men in the focus groups was 55 years old (range: 32–82) and most of the men discussed by women in the focus groups were between the ages of 50 and 64. A majority of the men were married or in a relationship, and the average household size was approximately three people. Most of the men owned their home. A majority of male focus group
Discussion
These findings highlight the importance of understanding African American men's stress and coping patterns through an intersectional lens (Griffith et al., 2013a, Griffith et al., 2013b, Davis, 2008, Mullings and Schulz, 2006, Warner and Brown, 2011). African American men's lives, health, and behaviors are shaped by the intersection of at least two processes: male gender socialization (Courtenay, 2000b), the process by which men learn the gender and culturally ascribed behaviors that
Conclusions
Identifying how African American men respond to stress is important for understanding and addressing their disproportionately high rates of stress-related chronic disease and premature mortality. As many coping strategies have health implications, it is critical to explore how stress and coping frameworks apply to men's health in general and African American men's health in particular. It is noteworthy to acknowledge that for some of the chronic stressors African American men face, such as
Acknowledgments
This manuscript was supported in part by grants from the American Cancer Society (MRSGT-07-167-01-CPPB), the Vanderbilt University Institute for Research on Men's Health, the Robert Wood Johnson Center for Health Policy at Meharry Medical College, NIDDK (7 R21 DK095257-02) and NCATS (2UL1TR000445-08). Funding to support the first author was provided by the Horace H. Rackham Graduate School at the University of Michigan.
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