michaelv.stanton

Title of QTUG presentation:

Socioeconomic status moderates the association between John Henryism and NEO PI-R personality domains

List of Author and co-authors for QTUG presentation:

Michael V. Stanton, Charles R. Jonassaint, Redford B. Williams, Sherman A. James

Abstract John Henryism (JH)—a strong behavioral predisposition to engage in high-effort coping with difficult psychosocial and economic stressors—has been associated with poor health, particularly among persons in lower SES groups. Unfavorable personality profiles have also been frequently linked to poor health; however, no studies have yet examined what global personality traits characterize JH. The aim of this study was to investigate associations between JH and personality domains measured using the NEO PI-R, a well-known measure of global personality, in a socioeconomically diverse sample of 233 community volunteers (mean age: 33 years; 61% black and 39% white). RESULTS: JH was positively associated with Conscientiousness (C; p<0.0001) and Extroversion (E; p=0.0003). The JH x SES interaction predicting Neuroticism (N; p=0.018) indicated that high JH was associated with lower N in the high SES group (p=0.003). When examining post-hoc associations between JH and combinations of NEO PI-R domains called “styles,” high JH was most strongly associated with a high E/high C “Go-Getters” style of activity while low JH was associated with the low E/high O “Introspectors” style. In facet level data, the most robust associations with JH were found for five C and five E facets. CONCLUSION: Low JH is associated with a potentially unhealthy personality profile, especially in persons of higher SES.