1 - (SYM 96) Discrimination and Mental Health: The Role of Strong Black Woman Schema for Young Black Women

Black women in the United States experience unique stressors due to having both a marginalized racial and gender identity. Strong Black Woman (SBW) schema, or the cultural expectation for Black women to display relentless strength, self-reliance, and resilience, while suppressing their emotions, has been shown to influence psychological health outcomes. Importantly, research supports that in some instances SBW schema confers protection, but in others it may lead to added vulnerability, thus highlighting a need for research to elucidate the role of SBW schema on mental health outcomes for Black women. This study sought to examine the role of SBW schema endorsement on the association between discrimination and mental health outcomes for young Black women. Study participants included 244 Black women aged 18 to 29 years old who completed measures evaluating experiences of discrimination, psychological distress (i.e., anxiety, depression, stress), suicidal ideation, well-being, and SBW schema endorsement. Regression analyses revealed that SBW schema moderated the associations between discrimination, anxiety, and suicidal ideation, such that at lower levels of discrimination, SBW endorsement was associated with a greater risk for anxiety and suicidal ideation, but at higher levels of discrimination, SBW endorsement demonstrated a buffering effect on anxiety and suicidal ideation. Similarly, SBW schema moderated the association between discrimination and well-being, such that at lower levels of discrimination, SBW endorsement was associated with decreased well-being, but at higher levels of discrimination, SBW schema was associated with greater levels of well-being. These findings extend previous work to demonstrate the differential effects of SBW schema endorsement, with notable implications for clinical intervention aimed at reducing psychological distress and addressing experiences of racial discrimination for Black women.