Book Review: T. Beauboeuf-LaFontant Behind the Mask of the Strong Black Woman: Voice and the Embodiment of a Costly Performance Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Press, 2009. 194 pp. $64.50 (hardbound), $23.95 (paper). ISBN: 978-1-59213-668-1

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.

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Staying strong: Exploring experiences of managing emotional distress for African Caribbean women living in the UK

Feminism & Psychology ◽

10.1177/0959353520964672 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 31 (1) ◽

pp. 140-159 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Rachel Graham ◽

Victoria Clarke

Keyword(s):

Focus Groups ◽

Black Woman ◽

Emotional Distress ◽

Emotional Wellbeing ◽

Strong Black Woman ◽

Caribbean Women ◽

African Heritage ◽

Women's Experience ◽

African Caribbean ◽

The Uk

The “strong Black woman” (SBW) is a Western cultural stereotype that depicts African-heritage women as strong, self-reliant, independent, yet nurturing and self-sacrificing. US research indicates that this stereotype negatively impacts the emotional wellbeing of African-heritage women, while also allowing them to survive in a racist society. UK research has documented the significance of this stereotype in relation to African Caribbean women’s experience of depression around the time of childbirth and “attachment separation and loss”. However, research is yet to explore how UK African Caribbean women make sense of and negotiate the SBW stereotype in relation to their emotional wellbeing more broadly. Using five focus groups, with a total of 18 women, this research explored how these women experienced and managed emotional distress in relation to the SBW stereotype. The importance of “being strong” consistently underpinned the participants’ narratives. However, this requirement for strength often negatively impacted their ability to cope effectively with their distress, leading them to manage it in ways that did little to alleviate it and sometimes increased it. This study offers important implications for understanding the experiences of emotional distress for UK African Caribbean women.

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