The Role of Coping in the Relationship Between Endorsement of the Strong Black Woman Schema and Depressive Symptoms Among Black Women

2021 ◽  
pp. 009579842110212
Author(s):  
Martinque K. Jones ◽  
Tanisha G. Hill-Jarrett ◽  
Kyjeila Latimer ◽  
Akilah Reynolds ◽  
Nekya Garrett ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Black Women ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Black Woman ◽  
Coping Styles ◽  
Mental Health Outcomes ◽  
Multiple Mediation ◽  
Strong Black Woman

The Strong Black Woman (SBW) schema has been consistently linked to negative mental health outcomes among Black women. However, few have begun to explicate the mechanisms by which the endorsement of the SBW schema may influence mental health outcomes. Accordingly, the current study examined coping styles (social support, disengagement, spirituality, and problem-oriented/engagement) as mediators in the association between endorsement of the SBW schema and depressive symptoms in a sample of Black women. Data from 240 Black women ( Mage = 22.0, SD = 4.0 years) were collected assessing SBW schema endorsement, coping styles, and depressive symptoms. Parallel multiple mediation analysis was conducted using PROCESS Macro. Of the four coping styles examined, disengagement coping partially mediated the association between greater endorsement of the SBW schema and greater depressive symptoms. Study findings add depth to our understanding of the association between the SBW schema and mental health outcomes and lend themselves to research and clinical implications.

scholarly journals 3278 Gendered racism, psychological distress, and the strong Black woman

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (s1) ◽  
pp. 107-107
Author(s):  
Maha Baalbaki
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Black Women ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Black Woman ◽  
Pearson Correlation ◽  
Mental Health Outcomes ◽  
Strong Black Woman ◽  
Gendered Racism ◽  
Cultural Construct

OBJECTIVES/SPECIFIC AIMS: Black women experience discrimination that targets their intersecting gender and ethnic identities, termed gendered racism (Essed, 1991). The gendered racism Black women experience has been linked to negative mental health outcomes (Thomas etal., 2008). The ‘strong Black woman’ is a cultural symbol of strength depicting the Black woman as unwavered by hardships, such as gendered racism (Shorter-Gooden & Washington, 1996). However, recent research suggests that belief in the strong Black woman cultural construct is associated with negative mental health outcomes (Watson & Hunter, 2015). The goals of the current study were to (1) replicate previous findings suggesting that experiences with gendered racism is positively correlated with psychological distress, (2) replicate previous findings suggesting that belief in the strong Black woman construct is positively correlated with psychological distress, and (3) explore how experiences with gendered racism and belief in the strong Black woman construct might interact to predict distress. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: A national sample of 112 Black women completed an online survey via MTurk. Survey measures included the Gendered Racial Microaggressions Scale, Strong Black Woman Cultural Construct Scale, and Psychological Distress Scale. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: Pearson correlation revealed that experiences with gendered racism was positively correlated with psychological distress, r = 0.23, p = .02. Pearson correlation also revealed that belief in the strong Black woman cultural construct was positively correlated with psychological distress, r = 0.39, p < .001. Multiple linear regression revealed an interaction between experiences with gendered racism and belief in the strong Black woman construct (β = -0.18, p = .04) that predicted psychological distress, R2 = .20, F(3,108) = 8.63, p < .01. Namely, for those with high belief in the strong Black woman construct, experiences with gendered racism did not predict distress, β = -0.31, t = -0.29, p = .78. However, for those with low belief in the construct, experiences with gendered racism positively predicted distress, β = -2.57, t = 2.31, p = .02. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE OF IMPACT: The results underscore the harmful effects of gendered racism and gendered racial stereotypes on Black women’s mental health outcomes. Striving to appear as the strong Black woman is not likely to help Black women overcome daily hardships. In fact, belief in the strong Black woman construct is likely to add extra difficulties.

scholarly journals The Moderating Effect of Comfort from Companion Animals and Social Support on the Relationship between Microaggressions and Mental Health in LGBTQ+ Emerging Adults

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Angela Matijczak ◽  
Shelby E. McDonald ◽  
Camie A. Tomlinson ◽  
Jennifer L. Murphy ◽  
Kelly O’Connor
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Support ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Emerging Adults ◽  
Protective Factor ◽  
Companion Animals ◽  
Mental Health Outcomes ◽  
The Relationship

LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and other sexual/gender minority identities) individuals frequently report exposure to microaggressions, which are associated with deleterious mental health outcomes. Social support from humans has been found to be an important protective factor for LGBTQ+ emerging adults. However, an underexplored area of research is the protective role of interactions with companion animals for this population. We conducted simple and multiple moderation analyses to explore whether and to what extent emotional comfort from companion animals and human social support moderated the relationship between LGBTQ-related microaggressions and depressive and anxiety symptoms. Our sample included 134 LGBTQ+ emerging adults (mean age of 19.31). We found that social support moderated the relationship between microaggressions and depressive symptoms. The relationship between microaggressions and depressive symptoms was not significant at high levels of social support, indicating the protective nature of human social support. Comfort from companion animals also moderated the relationship between interpersonal microaggressions and depressive symptoms. For participants with high or medium levels of emotional comfort from companion animals, interpersonal microaggressions were positively associated with depressive symptoms. Our results highlight the need to further investigate the complex role of relationships with companion animals on mental health outcomes for LGBTQ+ emerging adults.

scholarly journals LONGITUDINAL MENTAL HEALTH CONSEQUENCES OF PHYSICAL DISABILITIES: THE MEDIATING ROLE OF PERCEIVED DISCRIMINATION

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S245-S246
Author(s):  
Eun Ha Namkung ◽  
Deborah Carr
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Negative Affect ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Functional Impairment ◽  
Perceived Discrimination ◽  
Physical Disabilities ◽  
Mental Health Outcomes ◽  
Interpersonal Discrimination

Abstract Individuals with disabilities have been historically mistreated by discrimination. The detrimental mental health effects of self-reported interpersonal discrimination are well established. However, little empirical attention has been given to the role of perceived discrimination in the adverse mental health outcomes of adults with physical disabilities. This study aims to examine whether daily interpersonal discrimination (i.e., microaggression) mediates the prospective association between having a functional impairment and subsequent changes in the individuals’ mental health outcomes over their midlife and old age. To address this question, this study used data from two waves of a population-based national study, the National Survey of Midlife Development in the United States, covering a 7- to 9-year period (n= 2,503; Mage at baseline = 57, SDage = 11). Physical disability or functional impairment was assessed with items adapted from the SF-36, capturing difficulty with nine activities of daily living. Having functional impairment at the baseline assessment was associated with increases in depressive symptoms and negative affect over the study period. Daily interpersonal discrimination partially mediated this longitudinal association, explaining 7.4% (for depressive symptoms) to 8.1% (for negative affect) of the total effects. Exposure to discrimination and its mental health consequences were also more pronounced at younger ages. Disability-related perceived discrimination is an under-recognized mechanism that is likely to contribute to mental health inequities in later life. Professionals in health and disability policy, research, and practice need to concentrate efforts on developing policy and programs that reduce discrimination experienced by US adults with disabilities.

Racial Discrimination Predicts Mental Health Outcomes Beyond the Role of Personality Traits in a Community Sample of African Americans

2021 ◽  
pp. 216770262095731
Author(s):  
Yara Mekawi ◽  
Courtland S. Hyatt ◽  
Jessica Maples-Keller ◽  
Sierra Carter ◽  
Vasiliki Michopoulos ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
African Americans ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Personality Traits ◽  
Posttraumatic Stress ◽  
Racial Discrimination ◽  
Community Sample ◽  
Mental Health Outcomes ◽  
Hierarchical Regression

Despite a consistent body of work documenting associations between racial discrimination and negative mental health outcomes, the utility and validity of these findings have recently been questioned because some authors have posited that personality traits may account for these associations. To test this hypothesis in a community sample of African Americans ( n = 419, age: M = 43.96 years), we used bivariate relations and hierarchical regression analyses to determine whether racial discrimination accounted for additional variance in depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress symptoms beyond the role of personality. Bivariate relations between personality traits and racial discrimination were small and positive (i.e., rs ≈ .10). Regression results demonstrated that racial discrimination accounted for variance in depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress independent of personality traits ( ps < .01). These results suggest that personality traits do not fully explain associations between racial discrimination and negative mental health outcomes, further supporting the detrimental impact of racial discrimination on the mental health of African Americans.

Combat Deployment Experiences and Soldier Mental Health: Examining the Factor Structure of a Combat Experiences Scale

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haley Sherman ◽  
Nicky Frye-Cox ◽  
Mallory Lucier-Greer
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Principal Component Analysis ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Factor Structure ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Mental Health Outcomes ◽  
Mental Health Symptoms ◽  
Coping With Stress ◽  
Health Symptoms

ABSTRACT Introduction Researchers and practitioners are invested in understanding how deployment experiences impact the nearly 193,000 U.S. service members who deploy in a given year. Yet, there remains a need to adequately identify salient deployment experiences through survey measurement tools and understand how differential experiences are uniquely related to mental health outcomes. Therefore, this study examined the factor structure of an established combat experiences measure from the Army Study to Assess Risk and Resilience in Service members (Army STARRS) dataset to identify underlying survey constructs that reflect nuanced deployment experiences. Then, we examined the association between diverse combat experiences and current mental health symptoms (i.e., anxiety and depressive symptoms) and the mediating role of coping. Materials and Methods Data were drawn from the Army STARRS data (N = 14,860 soldiers), specifically the All Army Study component. A principal component analysis (PCA) was conducted to examine the dimensionality of the combat experiences scale, and then a path model was conducted to examine the relationships between combat experiences, coping with stress following a deployment, and mental health symptoms while controlling for relevant individual and interpersonal factors. Results Results from the principal component analysis suggested that the Army STARRS combat experiences scale encompasses two components, specifically: “Expected combat experiences” and “Responsible for non-enemy deaths.” Both “Expected combat experiences” and “Responsible for non-enemy deaths” were associated with higher levels of anxiety and depressive symptoms, respectively, and “Responsible for non-enemy deaths” was also indirectly linked to these mental health outcomes through coping with stress after deployment. Conclusions These findings provide insight into the dimensionality of combat experiences and offer practitioners a more nuanced understanding of how to process unique combat experiences that differentially relate to mental health symptoms.

scholarly journals A faith-based mind–body intervention to improve psychosocial well-being among rural adults

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 546-554
Author(s):  
Scherezade K Mama ◽  
Nishat Bhuiyan ◽  
Melissa J Bopp ◽  
Lorna H McNeill ◽  
Eugene J Lengerich ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Negative Affect ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Perceived Stress ◽  
Underserved Populations ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Mental Health Outcomes ◽  
Faith Based ◽  
Rural Adults

Abstract Churches are well positioned to promote better mental health outcomes in underserved populations, including rural adults. Mind–body (MB) practices improve psychological well-being yet are not widely adopted among faith-based groups due to conflicting religious or practice beliefs. Thus, “Harmony & Health” (HH) was developed as a culturally adapted MB intervention to improve psychosocial health in urban churchgoers and was adapted and implemented in a rural church. The purpose of this study was to explore the feasibility, acceptability, and efficacy of HH to reduce psychosocial distress in rural churchgoers. HH capitalized on an existing church partnership to recruit overweight or obese (body mass index [BMI] ≥25.0 kg/m2) and insufficiently active adults (≥18 years old). Eligible adults participated in an 8 week MB intervention and completed self-reported measures of perceived stress, depressive symptoms, anxiety, and positive and negative affect at baseline and postintervention. Participants (mean [M] age = 49.1 ± 14.0 years) were mostly women (84.8%), non-Hispanic white (47.8%) or African American (45.7%), high socioeconomic status (65.2% completed ≥bachelor degree and 37.2% reported an annual household income ≥$80,000), and obese (M BMI = 32.6 ± 5.8 kg/m2). Participants reported lower perceived stress (t = −2.399, p = .022), fewer depressive symptoms (t = −3.547, p = .001), and lower negative affect (t = −2.440, p = .020) at postintervention. Findings suggest that HH was feasible, acceptable, and effective at reducing psychosocial distress in rural churchgoers in the short-term. HH reflects an innovative approach to intertwining spirituality and MB practices to improve physical and psychological health in rural adults, and findings lend to our understanding of community-based approaches to improve mental health outcomes in underserved populations.

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