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Symposia

Culture / Ethnicity / Race

Strength in Black Womanhood: Implications of Strong Black Woman Schema for Mental Health and Clinical Practice

5 - (SYM 96) Gendered Racism, Cultural Coping, and Health Among College-aged Black Women

Saturday, November 16, 2024
2:30 PM – 4:00 PM EST
Location: Franklin Hall 10, Level 4, Downtown Marriott
Abstract Body
Research has established that intersecting forms of oppression, such as gendered racism, are related to greater psychological distress, greater anxiety and depression among Black women (Lewis & Neville, 2015; Thomas et al., 2008; Williams & Lewis, 2019; Woods et al., 2009; Woods-Giscombé & Lobel, 2008; Wright & Lewis, 2020). As Black women experience significant experiences of gendered racism, the importance of culturally-relevant coping strategies are necessary to study (Harrell, 2000). Two significant coping mechanisms are the Strong Black Woman (SBW) schema and John Henryism (JH). Both coping mechanisms emphasize the significance of strength and resilience in an effort to manage adversity. However, there are significant differences in the constructs. The SBW schema is a specific sociohistorical phenomenon developed in response to experiences of gendered racism utilized by Black women (Woods-Giscombé, 2010). The SBW schema captures the intersectional expectations of being Black and a woman. In contrast, JH is not race- or gender-specific (although it is commonly studied among Black Americans). Given these differences, further research is needed to examine how they may both serve to link experiences of gendered racism with negative health outcomes among Black women. The current study examines the linkages between Black women’s experiences of gendered racism, John Henryism and the SBW schema, and several health outcomes (psychological distress and sleep quality) among a sample of 178 college-aged Black women attending a Historically Black College. The sample were women between the ages of 18 and 28 (Mage=20.48, SD= 1.38) mostly identifying as cisgender women (92.3%) and heterosexual (63%). Parallel multiple mediation analyses were conducted using structural equation modeling in R. Results and clinical implications will be highlighted in the presentation.