In Their Own Words: The Meaning of the Strong Black Woman Schema among Black U.S. College Women

'Keep your eyes open': HBCU women's peer sexual advice and the (re)production of vigilance

Discursive practices position Black women as racial, gendered, and sexual others. There remains a need to understand how Black women craft sexualities given this backdrop. This paper draws on sexual and dating advice from 30 semi-structured interviews to examine how cisgender heterosexual undergraduate women enrolled at a Historically Black College/University in the USA constructed and promoted heterosexualities. Neoliberalism, racialised risk narratives and notions of Black womanhood converge to frame how participants articulated their roles and the roles of women like them in maintaining sexual health and social status at the nexus of race and gender oppression, and in respect of aspirational Black feminine middle-class identities. Overarching messages in their peer advice revealed gender-specific expectations about sexual responsibility through self-reliance and sexual respectability through heterosexual monogamy. The present study expands sexualities research through an intersectional approach that examines the implications of racialised, gendered and classed meanings of Black sexuality and womanhood in an understudied population. Findings identify peer sexual advice as a rhetorical tool that simultaneously resists and reproduces power structures.

Use of the Strong Black Woman Construct in Research: An Integrative Review

This was an integrative review of the literature on research using the strong Black woman (SBW) construct. We searched for data-based articles that mentioned SBW and examined topical areas of investigation, health outcomes and other constructs associated with SBW, and methods used to assess SBW. We found 47 articles. SBW was used to study coping with trauma (n = 11) or perceived offense (n = 10), or engaging in health-seeking behaviors (n = 10). Eighteen studies suggested that SBW was linked to several major health conditions (eg, hypertension, obesity, heart disease) and depressive and anxiety symptoms. SBW was positively correlated with undesirable coping behaviors (eg, self-silencing, maladaptive perfectionism) and negatively associated with self-compassion and help-seeking. The most common method of assessing SBW was using a structured questionnaire (n = 21). Longitudinal studies to examine the impact of SBW belief on Black women's coping with hardship were lacking.

Unveiling the Strong Black Woman Schema-Evolution and Impact: A Systematic Review

The Strong Black Woman (SBW) schema is described as a statue of unrelenting strength, resilience, and self-sufficiency, serving as a shield of protection and cultural adaptation to suppress and control manifestations of racial and gender oppression. Stemming from superwoman syndrome, a conceptual model exploring the multifactorial roles women hold and their impact, the SBW extends beyond gender roles to the sociopolitical context of the Black woman's lived experience. Endorsement of the SBW posits risk for health disparities including stress, anxiety, depression, and obesity. This review was conducted to explore the SBW schema and experiences of Black women who endorse it, to delineate how Black women describe themselves in relation to the SBW persona, and to inform further inquiry, nursing practice, and clinical approaches to improving health outcomes of this population. A systematic review of qualitative studies was conducted with a literature search from CINAHL, APA PsycINFO, MEDLINE, PubMed, and SocINDEX databases yielding seven relevant papers for this analysis. Studies using the superwoman schema and the SBW schema with participants who identified as Black women were included in the review. Consistent with the SBW phenomenon, many participants described examples and consequences of being an SBW. While most women identified with SBW, not all endorsed the persona entirely, challenging its ideal and reinforcing positive self-care. Themes include (a) Strength by nature, not choice, (b) Suppressed emotion, (c) Success over everything, and (d) Prioritizing others over self. Additional emerging themes are also included. Black women increasingly recognize the negative impacts of the SBW schema, pinpointing how their internal feelings manifest in their external world. The conceptual framework itself is an anomaly, incongruently impacting both the mental and physical health of Black women, further contributing to the long-term health and sociopolitical disparities that Black women experience. Simply acknowledging and understanding these experiences by healthcare practitioners are not enough to prevent or eliminate the risks involved with the endorsement of the SBW schema but rather intentionally addressing these as a contributing social determinant of health that predisposes them to long-term chronic conditions.

Coping among Black college women: A transformative study of gendered racism

Black women in the United States are placed at higher risk for mental health challenges, including distress and depression, due to structural inequities. Black college women enrolled in predominantly White institutions may be particularly exposed to stressors related to gendered racism, but there is limited knowledge about this population's coping strategies. A cross-sectional survey and focus group were utilized to understand and disrupt participants' experiences of gendered racism. In phase one, a survey assessing coping strategies and mental health outcomes was conducted with 168 Black women enrolled at a predominantly White institution in the southeastern United States. Logistic regression results indicated that several coping strategies including behavioral disengagement, self-blame, self-distraction, denial, and positive reframing were significantly associated with depression and psychological distress, all p < 0.05. Phase two included a single focus group with a subset of the sample from phase one. The focus group findings supplemented the survey results, suggesting education (more accurately consciousness-raising) as a foundational theme that seemed to create space for humor and social support as coping subthemes and created a transformative space where participants spoke openly about gendered racism. Findings from this study highlight the societal underpinnings that shape Black college women's experiences of gendered racism. College settings should endeavor to provide formal and informal support for Black women to minimize the harms related to gendered racism.

Reasons for Suicide in Black Young Adults: A Latent Class Analysis

BACKGROUND

Suicides have increased among Black youth in the US, though it remains unclear if these trends persist into young adulthood. Further, even less is known about the reasons why individuals begin to consider suicide as a viable option. The current study aims to redress these gaps by identifying specific reasons for suicide among a sample of 264 Black young adults who reported experiencing suicidal thoughts within the past 2 weeks.

METHODS

Participants were recruited from an online panel. Reasons for suicide were measured using eight individual items/indicators. Latent class analysis was used to detect underlying patterns in Black young adults' reasons for considering suicide.

RESULTS

The most commonly reported reason for considering suicide among the entire sample was feeling hopeless about the future. Black women were more likely to report considering suicide because they could not live up to other's expectations and because they felt lonely and sad. Findings for the 3-class model were retained. The first class is described as the "Somewhat hopeless and other reasons" class (n = 85; 32%). The second class is "Accomplished but extremely lonely and sad" (n = 24; 9%). The third class is described as "Pronounced feelings of failure, hopelessness, being overwhelmed, and lack of accomplishment" and includes 59% of the sample (n = 155).

CONCLUSIONS

Culturally grounded clinical treatments and interventions are needed to meet the specific mental health needs of Black young adults. A particular focus on identifying factors that drive feelings of hopelessness and failure is warranted.

Linked fate among underrepresented groups: Investigating the relationships between Black college students' perceptions of institutional diversity climate and mental health

Objective: Negative perceptions of institutional racial climate relate to worse mental health outcomes for Black college students. Yet, few scholars have considered how Black students' perceptions of the institutional climate for other underrepresented groups may impact mental health. Participants and Methods: We drew on a national sample of Black college students across 15 institutions (n = 1188) to examine the effects of institutional diversity climate on students' anxiety, depression, and positive mental health. Results: Black students who perceived the campus as more welcoming to first-generation reported higher positive mental health. Black students who perceived the campus as more welcoming to racial minorities, lesbian, gay, bisexual (LGB), and low socioeconomic status (SES) students reported lower levels of depression and anxiety. Conclusions: Black students' perceptions of the institutional diversity climate for other groups influences their mental health outcomes, and underscores the need for more research on individual-level differences in students' mental health processes.

“They Need to Hear Our Voices”: A Multidimensional Framework of Black College Women’s Sociopolitical Development and Activism

Black women have played an integral role in Black liberation struggles. Yet there is little psychological scholarship on Black women’s contribution to social justice movements, particularly beyond conventional forms of activism, such as protesting and voting. To address this gap, the current study draws on Black feminist epistemology to present a multidimensional framework of Black college women’s sociopolitical development. Using consensual qualitative research methods, we analyzed semistructured interview data from 65 Black college women (18-24 years) to explore their understandings of agency, civic engagement, and resistance. Eight themes emerged— gaining knowledge, self-advocacy, sisterhood, self-love, educating others, collective organizing and leadership, community care, and career aspirations. Our results situate Black college women’s activism within a sociohistorical framework of Black feminist organizing and underscore the overlapping roles of self-awareness, interpersonal relationships, and institutional knowledge. The authors discuss how the contemporary racial and sociopolitical climate in the United States informed the participants’ social justice orientation and how their involvement and investment in the Black community helped the participants reframe racial violence and oppression into narratives of resistance and healing.

The Strong, Silent (Gender) Type: The Strong Black Woman Ideal, Self-Silencing, and Sexual Assertiveness in Black College Women

Women are socialized to endorse femininity scripts mandating that they prioritize others' needs and engage in self-silencing behaviors. Further, Black women may also endorse the strong Black woman (SBW) ideal, by which they are expected to selflessly meet the needs of their family and community and, as such, may embrace self-silencing in their interpersonal relationships. In a sample of 597 Black undergraduate and graduate college women, we tested whether: (1) self-silencing and SBW ideal endorsement would be independently, inversely associated with three dimensions of sexual assertiveness-communication assertiveness, refusal assertiveness, and pleasure-focused assertiveness; and (2) the association between self-silencing and sexual assertiveness would be stronger among Black women who endorse the SBW ideal. Correlational and regression analyses revealed that self-silencing was negatively linked to all dimensions of sexual assertiveness; SBW ideal endorsement was associated with lower levels of communication and pleasure-focused assertiveness. As expected, SBW ideal endorsement moderated the association between Black women's engagement in self-silencing and two dimensions of sexual assertiveness. Self-silencing was associated with less communication and pleasure-focused assertiveness regardless of their level of SBW endorsement. Findings highlight the complexities of Black women's desire to fulfill expectations to be strong, assertive, and/or compliant and silent. Interventions to promote Black women's sexual health should address sexual assertiveness and feminine silencing norms.

Becoming Strong: Sociocultural Experiences, Mental Health, & Black Girls' Strong Black Woman Schema Endorsement

This study examines the precedents and consequences of Black girls' Strong Black Woman schema (SBW) endorsement. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that, among Black girls (N= 308), racial discrimination experiences and racial barrier socialization messages were positively associated with SBW endorsement. However, there was no significant interaction between racial discrimination and racial barrier messages in predicting SBW endorsement. Our analyses also revealed that SBW was not directly associated with internalizing symptoms (e.g., anxiety and depression symptoms). Furthermore, there was no significant interaction between racial discrimination and SBW endorsement in predicting internalizing symptoms. Findings provide evidence of and clarity on how sociocultural experiences shape SBW development and highlight a need to better understand how SBW endorsement functions in the mental health of Black girls.

“I’m a Strong Independent Black Woman”: The Strong Black Woman Schema and Mental Health in College-Aged Black Women

The Strong Black Woman Schema (SBWS) is a cultural expectation for Black women to unfailingly display signs of strength and caretaker qualities, while suppressing their emotions. Although this schema is a purported source of strength for Black women, quantitative explorations of its psychological impact have been limited. In the present study, we examined associations between endorsement of the SBWS and several indicators of mental health and resilience in Black women. We analyzed responses from 212 college-aged, Black women assessing psychological distress, suicidal behaviors, resilience, and SBWS endorsement. Findings indicated that endorsement of the SBWS was positively related to both psychological distress and self-reported suicidal behaviors. In addition, the SBWS’ link to suicidal behaviors was mediated by psychological distress. Lastly, results from moderated mediation analysis supported a buffering effect of resilience. That is, when resilience was high, the association between psychological distress and suicidal behaviors, as well as the conditional indirect effects of the SBWS, was lessened. Implications of these findings suggest that prevalent endorsement of SBWS within Black communities may be harmful to Black women’s mental health. We call for additional research and provide recommendations on how the media, mental health professionals, and community leaders can mitigate its negative effects.

Gendered racism and subjective cognitive complaints among older black women: The role of depression and coping

Objective: Psychosocial stress is a risk factor for cognitive impairment and a potential pathway through which disparities in cognitive functioning emerge and disproportionately disadvantage older Black adults. Gendered racism is a psychosocial stressor that has negative implications for Black women's mental and physical health. This study tested the association between lifetime experiences of gendered racism and subjective cognitive complaints, taking into account the extent to which depressive symptoms and coping styles may explain this association. Method: Data from 75 older Black women (M_age = 62.43, SD = 6.23 years) were collected using an online survey assessing lifetime experiences of gendered racism, depressive symptoms, coping styles (i.e. spirituality, social support, problem-oriented/engagement, and disengagement), and subjective cognitive complaints (i.e. memory, attention, executive functioning, language, and overall cognition). The association between gendered racism and subjective cognitive complaints was examined with simple linear regression. Two mediation models examined depressive symptoms and coping styles as independent mediators of this association. Results: More gendered racism across the lifetime was associated with more subjective cognitive complaints separately through depressive symptoms and disengagement coping, but no other coping styles. Conclusion: Gendered racism is linked to increased subjective cognitive complaints via depressive symptoms and disengagement coping. The study highlights the importance of taking into account lived experiences (gendered racism) that are inextricably linked to social positioning (race and gender) within neuropsychology. Results evidence the negative impact of psychosocial stress, specifically gendered racism, on older Black women's subjective cognitive functioning, and illuminate avenues for clinical intervention and social justice advocacy.