[01] Clifton Addison, School of Public Health, Jackson Heart Study, Center of Excellence in Minority Health and Health Disparities, Jackson State University, Jackson, USA. [02] Brenda Campbell Jenkins, School of Public Health, Jackson Heart Study, Center of Excellence in Minority Health and Health Disparities, Jackson State University, Jackson, USA. [03] Letetia Addison, Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Faculty of Science and Technology, The University of the West Indies, Trinidad and Tobago, West Indies. [04] Gregory Wilson, School of Public Health, Jackson Heart Study, Center of Excellence in Minority Health and Health Disparities, Jackson State University, Jackson, USA. [05] Monique White, School of Public Health, Faculty Healthcare Administration, Jackson State University, Jackson, USA. [06] Vanessa Bland, School of Public Health, Jackson Heart Study, Center of Excellence in Minority Health and Health Disparities, Jackson State University, Jackson, USA. [07] Marinelle Payton, School of Public Health, Jackson Heart Study, Center of Excellence in Minority Health and Health Disparities, Jackson State University, Jackson, USA. [08] Donna Antoine-La Vigne, School of Public Health, Jackson Heart Study, Center of Excellence in Minority Health and Health Disparities, Jackson State University, Jackson, USA.

Objective: To examine the association of four coping strategies [Problem-Focused Engagement (PFE), Problem-Focused Disengagement (PFD), Emotion-Focused Engagement (EFE), and Emotion-Focused Disengagement (EFD)] with CVD related outcomes (heart attack, diabetes, high blood pressure, cholesterol problems, kidney problems and stroke). Methods: We used data collected during the Jackson Heart Study (JHS) Exam 1 (2000-2004), using questionnaires administered to 5301 African-Americans to examine participants’ self-reported their CVD status, and collected coping strategies from the Coping Skills Inventory (CSI-SF). We conducted six regression analyses, one for every self-reported outcome. Results: PFD, EFD, and PFE were significant predictors; participants who displayed these characteristics and behaviors were more likely to have one of the self-reported diseases. The coping variables PFD, EFD, and PFE were associated with heart attack, high blood pressure, and kidney problems in the JHS participants. Conclusions: Coping strategies representing coping responses to daily stressors, especially those that are immersed in disengagement practices, are associated with the development of high blood pressure and heart attack.

Coping, Cardiovascular Disease, Jackson Heart Study, African American

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