Abstract

At the intersection of race and gender, Black men encounter conflicting and often stress-inducing gender norms. Research suggests Black men may utilize John Henryism Active Coping (JHAC), a culturally-relevant strategy to manage stress. However, little is known about how incarcerated Black men cope with gender role conflict (GRC) and resulting psychological distress. To better understand stressors and coping strategies among Black male prisoners, the current study examined the relationships between GRC, anxiety, and JHAC among N = 193 incarcerated Black men nearing community reentry. Hierarchical linear regression results showed length of incarceration, GRC, and anxiety were all negatively associated with JHAC. Full-time employment prior to incarceration was positively associated with JHAC. Moderation analyses indicated anxiety increased the strength of the negative association between GRC and JHAC. Implications highlight incarcerated Black men may benefit from interventions that encourage active coping strategies to manage gender-related stress and anxiety.

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2024

Notes/Citation Information

© The Author(s) 2022

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

https://doi.org/10.1177/0306624X221124841

Funding Information

The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This research was supported by the University of Kentucky and the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) K08DA032296 (PI: Stevens-Watkins). These funding agencies have no role in study design, data collection or analysis, or preparation and submission of the manuscript. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

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