John Henryism Active Coping, Acculturation, and Psychological Health in Korean Immigrants.
Jeongok G Logan, Debra J Barksdale, Sherman A James and 1 others
PMID 26596776WHAT IT FOUND
Korean immigrants who reported more active, effortful coping had lower stress, anxiety, depression and more American cultural adaptation.
This was not proof that coping skills cause better health.
Key findings
01Higher John Henryism active coping scores were linked to higher American acculturation and lower acculturative stress, perceived stress, anxiety and depression.
02After controlling for demographic factors, John Henryism active coping was the only significant predictor of lower perceived stress, lower anxiety and lower depressive symptoms.
03John Henryism active coping was an independent predictor of acculturation level, along with age and time in the US.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The sample was a convenience sample of 102 Korean immigrants from three adjacent North Carolina counties, so it may not represent Korean immigrants elsewhere. Many participants were church goers, so habitual non-church goers may not be represented. The age range was wide, from 21 to 60 years, which may limit generalisation. The cross-sectional design cannot show whether active coping influenced acculturation or psychological health, or the reverse. All psychological measures were self-reported, and social desirability may have affected relationships. The JH Active Coping Scale had internal consistency .79 but test-retest reliability over 2 weeks of .61. The study compared JH means with other racial groups without statistical testing, and socioeconomic status was not clearly classified.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflict of interest. The supplied publication types indicate NIH extramural research support.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that teaching Korean immigrants to cope actively will reduce stress, anxiety or depression. The study was a convenience sample and cross-sectional, so it only reports associations and cannot show cause.