Racial differences in feelings of distress during the COVID‐19 pandemic and John Henryism Active Coping in the United States: Results from a national survey

Abstract

ObjectiveTo examine whether John Henryism Active Coping (JHAC) is a protective risk factor for distress during the COVID‐19 pandemic and whether this association differs by race/ethnicity.MethodsData were collected as part of the 2020 National Blair Center Poll. Higher scores on JHAC measured a greater behavioral predisposition to cope actively and persistently with difficult psychosocial stressors and barriers of everyday life.ResultsHigh JHAC was associated with lower odds for feeling worried and for feeling afraid when thinking about COVID‐19. These associations differed across race/ethnicity such that having a greater JHAC behavioral predisposition to coping was inversely associated with feelings of distress when thinking about the COVID‐19 pandemic only among whites and Hispanics, but not among African Americans.ConclusionOur findings have important implications as the COVID‐19 pandemic continues into 2022 and psychological distress may linger and increase due to unprecedented economic and social impacts.