Covid-19 and Well-being: Strong Black Woman Schema and Religious Coping as Mediators

Abstract

This study first examined the associations between perceived covid-threat and psychological distress and health-promoting behaviors among African American women. As the culturally imposed Strong Black Woman (SBW) schema may place additional burden on African American women, this study also examined whether perceived covid-threat would activate the SBW schema, which in turn would be associated with adverse outcomes. Following the stress-coping theory, the study further investigated whether perceived covid-threat would be associated with positive and negative religious coping, which in turn would predict psychological distress and health-promoting behaviors. Lastly, this study tested serial mediation effects. Participants were 223 African American women who took part in an online survey. Results supported the mediating role of the SBW schema between covid-threat and depressive symptoms. Serial mediation was also evidenced by significant indirect effects from perceived covid-threat to both depressive symptoms and health-promoting behaviors through the SBW schema first and then negative religious coping.