scholarly journals Guided Imagery for Stress and Symptom Management in Pregnant African American Women

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nancy Jallo ◽  
R. Jeanne Ruiz ◽  
R. K. Elswick ◽  
Elise French
Keyword(s):  
African American ◽  
African American Women ◽  
Perceived Stress ◽  
Stress Reduction ◽  
Guided Imagery ◽  
Daily Stress ◽  
Prospective Longitudinal Study ◽  
American Women ◽  
Biologic Marker ◽  
Prospective Longitudinal

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of a guided imagery (GI) intervention for stress reduction in pregnant African American women beginning early in the second trimester. This prospective longitudinal study of 72 women used a randomized controlled experimental design with two groups conducted over 12 weeks. The intervention was a CD with 4 professionally recorded tracts designed and sequenced to influence study variables. Participants in both GI and usual care (UC) completed measures and donated 5 cc of blood at baseline, 8 weeks and 12 weeks. Participants also completed a daily stress scale. A mixed-effects linear model tested for differences between groups for self-reported measures of stress, anxiety, and fatigue as well as corticotrophin releasing hormone (CRH), a biologic marker of stress. Significant differences in perceived stress daily scores and at week 8 but not week 12 were found in the GI group compared to UC group. The GI group reported significantly less fatigue and anxiety than the UC group at week 8 but not week 12. There were no significant differences in CRH levels between groups. Results suggest that GI intervention may be effective in reducing perceived stress, anxiety, and fatigue measures among pregnant African American women.

Stress and Stress Reduction among African American Women: A Brief Report

2007 ◽  
Vol 28 (6) ◽  
pp. 569-582 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tiffany G. Townsend ◽  
Stephanie R. Hawkins ◽  
Ayonda Lanier Batts
Keyword(s):  
African American ◽  
African American Women ◽  
Stress Reduction ◽  
American Women

Health Status Among Urban African American Women: Associations Among Well-Being, Perceived Stress, and Demographic Factors

2004 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 63-76 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deborah Rohm Young ◽  
Xiaoxing He ◽  
Jeanine Genkinger ◽  
Marcella Sapun ◽  
Iris Mabry ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
African American ◽  
Health Status ◽  
African American Women ◽  
Perceived Stress ◽  
Demographic Factors ◽  
Well Being ◽  
American Women

Traditional Femininity Versus Strong Black Women Ideologies and Stress Among Black Women

2018 ◽  
Vol 49 (8) ◽  
pp. 820-841
Author(s):  
Ashlee W. Davis ◽  
Ronald F. Levant ◽  
Shana Pryor
Keyword(s):  
African American ◽  
Black Women ◽  
Gender Role ◽  
African American Women ◽  
Perceived Stress ◽  
Role Stress ◽  
Gender Role Stress ◽  
American Women ◽  
Racial Stress ◽  
Traditional Femininity

The construct of femininity has typically been conceptualized from a Eurocentric perspective as traditional femininity ideology (TFI). This hegemonic femininity construction might not be fully applicable to African American women given their unique history and experiences. Moreover, the strong Black woman ideology (SBWI) which, although formulated during slavery, has become an adaptive and idealized cultural idealization. Both constructs have been associated with stress. The current study sought to investigate the relative strength of the links between TFI versus SBWI and perceived stress among a sample of African American women, and whether these relationships were moderated by feminine gender role stress and racial stress. Participants were 292 African American women recruited via social media and students from a Midwestern university for a web-based survey. As hypothesized, SBWI accounted for unique variance in perceived stress; however, TFI did not explain any of the variance. Results also indicated that gender role stress approached significance in its moderation of the link between TFI and perceived stress, although racial stress did significantly moderate the relationship between SBWI and perceived stress.

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.

scholarly journals Attitudes toward a mindfulness-based intervention from African American women living with HIV: A qualitative study

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. 205031212110251
Author(s):  
Slone Taylor ◽  
Shan Qiao ◽  
Sharon Weissman ◽  
Xiaoming Li
Keyword(s):  
South Carolina ◽  
African American ◽  
African American Women ◽  
Stress Reduction ◽  
Willingness To Participate ◽  
American Women ◽  
Women Living With Hiv ◽  
Reduction Program ◽  
Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction ◽  
Living With Hiv

Introduction: Mindfulness-based interventions train participants to pay attention to their own emotions in the current moment without judging themselves. This study aims to assess the attitudes toward a mindfulness-based stress reduction intervention among African American women living with HIV. Methods: We collected qualitative data from three focus group discussions with 18 African American women living with HIV who were purposely recruited from the Palmetto Health-USC Immunology Center in South Carolina, United States. The participants discussed how they coped with stress, and then were given a presentation on mindfulness-based stress reduction and a sample mindfulness-based stress reduction mini workshop with follow-up discussion about their thoughts and opinions on the information presented to them. Results: Participants said that mindfulness could be a useful technique and they were interested in participating in a mindfulness-based stress reduction program. Their main concerns included physical ability to perform some of the mindfulness techniques (e.g. yoga) and logistic barriers, such as schedule constraints. They also provided some suggestions to further tailor the mindfulness-based stress reduction, such as modifying yoga, using familiar terms, and combining both in-person and online components. These results suggest that African American women living with HIV showed strong interest in mindfulness-based stress reduction and a high level of willingness to participate in mindfulness-based stress reduction, but the existing mindfulness-based stress reduction program needs to be tailored to address challenges and barriers these women may face for attendance and completion. Conclusion: The next step is to further test the feasibility, acceptability, and efficacy through a pilot study for African American women living with HIV to practice a tailored mindfulness-based stress reduction for this group.

scholarly journals Mind-Body Interventions to Reduce Risk for Health Disparities Related to Stress and Strength Among African American Women: The Potential of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, Loving-Kindness, and the NTU Therapeutic Framework

2010 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 115-131 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cheryl L. Woods-Giscombé ◽  
Angela R. Black
Keyword(s):  
African American ◽  
Health Disparities ◽  
African American Women ◽  
Stress Reduction ◽  
Self Care ◽  
Mindfulness Practice ◽  
Emotional Suppression ◽  
American Women ◽  
Loving Kindness ◽  
Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction

In the current article, the authors examine the potential role of mind-body interventions for preventing or reducing health disparities in a specific group—African American women. The authors first discuss how health disparities affect this group, including empirical evidence regarding the influence of biopsychosocial processes (e.g., psychological stress and social context) on disparate health outcomes. They also detail how African American women’s unique stress experiences as a result of distinct sociohistorical and cultural experiences related to race and gender potentially widen exposure to stressors and influence stress responses and coping behaviors. Using two independent, but related, frameworks (Superwoman Schema [SWS] and the Strong Black Woman Script [SBW-S]), they discuss how, for African American women, stress is affected by ‘‘strength’’ (vis-à-vis resilience, fortitude, and self-sufficiency) and the emergent health-compromising behaviors related to strength (e.g., emotional suppression, extraordinary caregiving, and self-care postponement). The authors then describe the potential utility of three mind-body interventions—mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), loving-kindness meditation (LKM), and NTU psychotherapy—for specifically targeting the stress-, strength-, and contextually related factors that are thought to influence disparate outcomes for African American women. Self-awareness, self-care, inter- and intrapersonal restorative healing and a redefinition of inner strength may manifest through developing a mindfulness practice to decrease stress-related responses; using LKM to cultivate compassion and forgiveness for self and others; and the balance of independence and interdependence as a grounding NTU principle for redefining strength. The authors conclude with a discussion of potential benefits for integrating key aspects of the interventions with recommendations for future research.

Perceptions of Guided Imagery for Stress Management in Pregnant African American Women

2015 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 249-254 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nancy Jallo ◽  
Jeanne Salyer ◽  
R. Jeanne Ruiz ◽  
Elise French
Keyword(s):  
African American ◽  
African American Women ◽  
Stress Management ◽  
Guided Imagery ◽  
American Women

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 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.

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