scholarly journals The impact of neighborhood quality, perceived stress, and social support on depressive symptoms during pregnancy in African American women

2015 ◽  
Vol 130 ◽  
pp. 172-180 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carmen Giurgescu ◽  
Dawn P. Misra ◽  
Shawnita Sealy-Jefferson ◽  
Cleopatra H. Caldwell ◽  
Thomas N. Templin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
African American ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
African American Women ◽  
Perceived Stress ◽  
Neighborhood Quality ◽  
American Women ◽  
The Impact

scholarly journals The Impact of Neighborhood Environment, Social Support, and Avoidance Coping on Depressive Symptoms of Pregnant African-American Women

2015 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 294-302 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carmen Giurgescu ◽  
Shannon N. Zenk ◽  
Thomas N. Templin ◽  
Christopher G. Engeland ◽  
Barbara L. Dancy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
African American ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
African American Women ◽  
Neighborhood Environment ◽  
Avoidance Coping ◽  
American Women ◽  
The Impact

scholarly journals HIV Prevention Programming for Older African American Women: The Impact of a Faith-Based and Behavioral Science Partnership on Depressive Symptoms

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 287-294
Author(s):  
Megan T. Ebor ◽  
Aurora P. Jackson
Keyword(s):  
African American ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Hiv Prevention ◽  
African American Women ◽  
Psychological Wellbeing ◽  
American Women ◽  
Faith Based ◽  
Older African American Women ◽  
The One ◽  
The Impact

Objective: The current study sought to test the effect of an HIV prevention interven­tion on depressive symptoms in a sample of older African American women.Design, Setting and Participants: A pretest-posttest randomized control group design was conducted in a mega-church in Los Angeles with a sample of 62 older African American women, aged ≥50 years, 29 of whom were randomly assigned to the experimental condition and 33 to the comparison/control condition.Measures: A measure of psychological wellbeing (CES-D) was utilized to test the effect of the four-session group interven­tion vs the one-session informational group intervention on change in depressive symp­toms from pretest to posttest. Demographic characteristics included: measures of age in years; relationship and employment statuses (coded 1 for yes, 0 for no); and educational attainment.Results: Participation in the study was as­sociated with a significant improvement in the women’s psychological wellbeing from baseline to time 2; ie, decreased depres­sive symptoms. This change was greater for women in the four-session experimental group than for those in the one-session comparison group, due in part to a margin­ally significant interaction between time and experimental conditions.Conclusions: This study demonstrates the utility of faith-based/behavioral-scientist partnerships in HIV programming. Findings contribute to the evidence on interventions that might reduce depressive symptoms and HIV risk among older African American women. Ethn Dis. 2020;30(2):287-294; doi:10.18865/ed.30.2.287

Effect of Psychosocial Factors on Eating Behaviors and BMI Among African American Women

2017 ◽  
Vol 27 (8) ◽  
pp. 917-935 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie Pickett ◽  
Thomas P. McCoy
Keyword(s):  
African American ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
African American Women ◽  
Perceived Stress ◽  
Eating Behaviors ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
American Women ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
The Relationship

Psychosocial stress and negative emotions have been associated with the consumption of highly palatable foods and excess weight. Few studies have examined these variable relationships among young African American women. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to examine the relationship of perceived stress, depressive symptoms, eating behaviors, and body mass index (BMI) among 191 African American women who were 18 to 40 years old. Multivariate analysis indicated that depressive symptoms had a greater impact on highly palatable eating behaviors compared with perceived stress. This study extends understanding of depressive symptoms on eating behaviors among young African American women.

Stress and African American Women’s Smoking/Drinking to Cope

2011 ◽  
Vol 37 (4) ◽  
pp. 452-484 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mia Budescu ◽  
Ronald D. Taylor ◽  
Rebecca Kang McGill
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
African American ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
African American Women ◽  
Neighborhood Crime ◽  
Drinking To Cope ◽  
American Women ◽  
Kin Support ◽  
Relationship Stress ◽  
Related Stress

Associations of urban poverty-related stress with smoking and drinking to cope and the moderating role of kin social support were assessed in African American women. Findings revealed that among a sample of 101 poor African American women residing in economically and socially disadvantaged neighborhoods, depressive symptoms and relationship stress were significantly associated with smoking. Similarly, perceptions of neighborhood crime were marginally associated with alcohol use. Kinship support was hypothesized to buffer women from the deleterious impacts of stress. The results revealed that kin social support moderated the association of poverty-related stress with smoking and drinking. For women with higher levels of kin support, the positive association of neighborhood crime and drinking was less apparent compared with women with low support. Also, the links between relationship stress, depressive symptoms, and smoking were less apparent for women with higher kin support compared with those with lower support. Findings are discussed in terms of the need for additional research on the social networks available to economically disadvantaged African American families and the manner in which networks operate.

scholarly journals The Moderating Effects of Social Support and Stress on Physical Activity in African American Women

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Asia Brown ◽  
Dawn K Wilson ◽  
Allison M Sweeney ◽  
M Lee Van Horn
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Social Support ◽  
African American ◽  
African American Women ◽  
Support Groups ◽  
Perceived Stress ◽  
Physical Activity Intervention ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Stress Buffering ◽  
American Women

Abstract Background African American women participate in less physical activity (PA), have higher rates of chronic disease, and report higher perceived stress relative to other race and sex demographic groups. Purpose Based on the stress-buffering hypothesis, this study tested the hypothesis that social support would buffer the negative effects of perceived stress on moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) under high, but not low, perceived stress. Methods Participants were 143 African American women (mean [M] age = 43.94, standard deviation [SD] = 8.62; M body mass index = 37.94, SD = 8.11) enrolled in the Families Improving Together (FIT) for Weight Loss Trial. Average daily minutes of MVPA were obtained via 7 day accelerometer estimates at baseline and 8 and 16 weeks. Results A multilevel growth model demonstrated a significant three-way interaction between stress, social support, and time (B = −0.31, standard error [SE] = 0.14, p = .03). Simple slopes analyses revealed that, at baseline, among participants with high social support (+1 SD), stress was positively associated with greater MVPA (B = 0.49, SE = 0.18, p = .008), whereas among participants with low social support (−1 SD), stress was not significantly associated with MVPA (B = −0.04, SE = 0.14, p = .81). However, at 8 and 16 weeks, stress was not significantly associated with MVPA for either high or low support groups. Conclusions Findings highlight the importance of integrating constructs of stress and social support into future physical activity intervention programs for African American women and the need to evaluate changes in stress and social support longitudinally.

African American Women and Depression: Promoting the Need for Culturally Competent Treatment

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bernice Kennedy ◽  
Chalice Jenkins ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
African American ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
African American Women ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
American Woman ◽  
Stressful Events ◽  
Mental Illnesses ◽  
Diagnostic Process ◽  
American Women

Abstract Depression is gradually increasing in African American women. These women are experiencing role changes and additional life stressors. Depressed African American women may perceive themselves as being devalued by society with fewer support systems to buffer stressful events. Depressive symptoms may develop into clinical depression and a further decrease in the quality of life for the African American woman. The assumption that all women share similar experiences does not allow for differences to emerge regarding the diagnostic process, measuring tools, and successful treatment strategies for various cultures. The authors developed a Multifaceted Model of Depression in African American Women for improving treatment of African American women with depression and future research needs. Cultural background plays a vital role in how the symptoms of mental illnesses are developed, reported, interpreted, and how women are treated. African Americans who subscribed to the Strong Black Women Archetype (SBWA) are naturally strong, resilient, self-contained, and self-sacrificing. This self-reliance prevents them from reaching out for social support. This, in turn, can contribute to depressive symptoms with negative health outcomes. The African American women are more apt to have less access to routine medical care where early diagnosis and interventions can be done, so their mental health problems (e.g., depression, stress, etc.) are often more developed, complicated, and their social supports more depleted when they do access treatment. When African American women do have access to mental health care, they receive poor quality care compared to Whites.

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