The Strong Black Woman Schema and Mental Health: Examining the Role of Personal Mastery

Abstract

Research has established a direct link between endorsement of the Strong Black Woman (SBW) schema and negative mental health outcomes. However, few have examined the factors that may explain this association. To address this gap in the literature, we examined personal mastery as a mediator of the relationship between endorsement of the SBW schema and negative mental health outcomes in a sample of 135 Black women. We also investigated this mediational pathway among subcomponents of the SBW schema: emotional strength, independence, and caretaking. We found that personal mastery mediated the association between endorsement of the SBW schema and negative mental health outcomes: greater endorsement of the SBW schema was associated with lower mastery, and subsequently more anxiety and depressive symptoms. We identified a similar pattern of results when testing two SBW schema subcomponents: emotional strength and caretaking. Study findings further evidence the deleterious impact of the SBW schema on Black women’s mental health, while illuminating one explanatory factor in this relationship—personal mastery. We conclude by discussing areas for future research and practice with Black women.

Keywords

Strong Black Woman Schema personal mastery depression anxiety

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Abrams

J. A.

Hill

Maxwell

(2019). Underneath the mask of the strong Black woman schema: Disentangling influences of strength and self-silencing on depressive symptoms among U.S. Black women. Sex Roles, 80(9–10), 517–526. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-018-0956-y

Adams-Bass

V. N.

Bentley-Edwards

K. L.

Apugo

Mawhinney

Mbilishaka

(2020). The trouble with Black girl magic for Black girls. In Apugo

Mawhinney

Mbilishaka

(Eds.), Strong Black girls: Reclaiming schools in their own image (p. 99). Teachers College Press.

Adkins-Jackson

P. B.

Jackson Preston

P. A.

Hairston

(2022). ‘The only way out’: How self-care is conceptualized by Black women. Ethnicity and Health. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/13557858.2022.2027878

Assari

(2019). High sense of mastery reduces psychological distress for African American women but not African American men. Archives of General Internal Medicine, 3(1), 5–9. https://doi.org/10.4066/2591-7951.100066

Bailey

(2018). Stronger: An examination of the effects of the strong Black woman narrative through the lifespan of African American women. https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/communication_theses/119/

Baker

T. A.

Buchanan

N. T.

Mingo

C. A.

Roker

Brown

C. S.

(2015). Reconceptualizing successful aging among Black women and the relevance of the strong Black woman archetype. The Gerontologist, 55(1), 51–57. https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/gnu105

Beauboeuf-Lafontant

(2003). Strong and large Black women?: Exploring relationships between deviant womanhood and weight. Gender & Society, 17(1), 111–121. https://doi.org/10.1177/0891243202238981

Bell

E. L. J. E.

Nkomo

S. M.

(1998). Armoring: Leaming to withstand racial oppression. Journal of Comparative Family Studies, 29(2), 285–295. https://doi.org/10.3138/jcfs.29.2.285

Black

A. R.

Woods-Giscombé

(2012). Applying the stress and ‘strength’ hypothesis to Black women’s breast cancer screening delays. Stress and Health, 28(5), 389–396. https://doi.org/10.1002/smi.2464

10.

Boals

Vandellen

M. R.

Banks

J. B.

(2011). The relationship between self-control and health: The mediating effect of avoidant coping. Psychology and Health, 26(8), 1049–1062. https://doi.org/10.1080/08870446.2010.529139

11.

Brady

T. J.

(2003). Measures of self-efficacy, helplessness, mastery, and control: The arthritis helplessness index (AHI)/rheumatology attitudes index (RAI), arthritis self‐efficacy scale (ASES), children’s arthritis self‐efficacy scale (CASE), generalized self‐efficacy scale (GSES), mastery scale, multi‐dimensional health locus of control scale (MHLC), parent’s arthritis self‐efficacy scale (PASE), rheumatoid arthritis self‐efficacy scale (RASE), and self‐efficacy scale (SES). Arthritis & Rheumatism, 49(S5), S147–S164. https://doi.org/10.1002/art.11413

12.

Brown

D. L.

Blackmon

Rosnick

C. B.

Griffin-Fennell

F. D.

White-Johnson

R. L.

(2017). Initial development of a gendered-racial socialization scale for African American college women. Sex Roles, 77(3–4), 178–193. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-016-0707-x

13.

Castelin

White

(2022). “I’m a strong independent Black woman”: The strong Black woman schema and mental health in college-aged Black women. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 46(2), 196–208. https://doi.org/10.1177/03616843211067501

14.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) . (2010). Current depression among adults--United States, 2006 and 2008. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 59(38), 1229–1235. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20881934/.

15.

Cohen

(1992). A power primer. Psychological Bulletin, 112(1), 155–159. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.112.1.155

16.

Davis

S. M.

Jones

M. K.

(2021). Black women at war: A comprehensive framework for research on the strong Black woman. Women’s Studies in Communication, 44(3), 301–322. https://doi.org/10.1080/07491409.2020.1838020

17.

Derogatis

L. R.

Unger

(2010). Symptom checklist-90-revised. In Weiner

I. B.

Edward

(Eds.), The corsini encyclopedia of psychology (4th ed., pp. 355–356). John Wiley & Sons. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/9780470479216.corpsy0970.

18.

Donovan

R. A.

West

L. M.

(2015). Stress and mental health: Moderating role of the strong Black woman stereotype. Journal of Black Psychology, 41(4), 384–396. https://doi.org/10.1177/0095798414543014

19.

Dow

D. M.

(2015). Negotiating “the welfare queen” and “the strong Black woman”: African American middle-class mothers’ work and family perspectives. Sociological Perspectives, 58(1), 36–55. https://doi.org/10.1177/0731121414556546

20.

Eshbaugh

E. M.

(2009). Socioeconomic predictors of mastery among mothers in poverty. Journal of Poverty, 13(4), 426–440. https://doi.org/10.1080/10875540903272405

21.

Faul

Erdfelder

(1992). GPOWER: A priori, post-hoc, and compromise power analyses for MS-DOS [Computer program]. Bonn University.

22.

Graham

Clarke

(2021). Staying strong: Exploring experiences of managing emotional distress for African Caribbean women living in the UK. Feminism & Psychology, 31(1), 140–159. https://doi.org/10.1177/0959353520964672

23.

Hair

J. F.

Hult

G. T. M.

Ringle

C. M.

Sarstedt

(2022). A primer on partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). Sage.

24.

Hamin

D. A.

(2008). Strong Black woman cultural construct: Revision and validation. Unpublished doctoral dissertation. Georgia State University.

25.

Harrington

E. F.

Crowther

J. H.

Shipherd

J. C.

(2010). Trauma, binge eating, and the “strong Black woman”. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 78(4), 469–479. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0019174

26.

Harris-Perry

(2011). Sister citizen: Shame, stereotypes, and Black women in America. Yale University Press.

27.

Hayes

A. F.

(2018). Introduction to mediation, moderation, and conditional process analysis: A regression-based approach (2nd ed.). Guilford Press.

28.

Himle

J. A.

Baser

R. E.

Taylor

R. J.

Campbell

R. D.

Jackson

J. S.

(2009). Anxiety disorders among African Americans, blacks of Caribbean descent, and non-Hispanic whites in the United States. Journal of Anxiety Disorder, 23(5), 578–590. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.janxdis.2009.01.002

29.

Iglewicz

Hoaglin

D. C.

(1987). Use of boxplots for process evaluation. Journal of Quality Technology, 19(4), 180–190. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224065.1987.11979063

30.

Jackson

F. Z.

Naidoo

(2012). “Lemeh check see if meh mask on straight”: Examining how Black women of Caribbean descent in Canada manage depression and construct womanhood through being strong. Southern Journal of Canadian Studies, 5(1), 223–240. https://doi.org/10.22215/sjcs.v5i1.296

31.

Jones

Gaskin-Cole

Leath

(2024). An examination of strength socialization in Black mother-daughter relationships . Unpublished manuscript.

32.

Jones

M. K.

Hill-Jarrett

T. G.

Latimer

Reynolds

Garrett

Harris

Joseph

Jones

(2021). The role of coping in the relationship between endorsement of the strong Black woman schema and depressive symptoms among Black women. Journal of Black Psychology, 47(7), 578–592. https://doi.org/10.1177/00957984211021229

33.

Jones

M. K.

Leath

Settles

I. H.

Doty

Conner

(2022). Gendered racism and depression among Black women: Examining the roles of social support and identity. Cultural Diversity & Ethnic Minority Psychology, 28(1), 39–48. https://doi.org/10.1037/cdp0000486

34.

Keith

V. M.

Lincoln

K. D.

Taylor

R. J.

Jackson

J. S.

(2010). Discriminatory experiences and depressive symptoms among African American women: Do skin tone and mastery matter? Sex Roles, 62(1–2), 48–59. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-009-9706-5

35.

Lacey

K. K.

Parnell

Mouzon

D. M.

Matusko

Head

Abelson

J. M.

Jackson

J. S.

(2015). The mental health of US Black women: The roles of social context and severe intimate partner violence. BMJ Open, 5(10), Article e008415. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2015-008415

36.

Lazarus

R. S.

Folkman

(1984). Stress, appraisal and coping. Springer.

37.

Lewis

Williams

Peppers

Gadson

(2017). Applying intersectionality to explore the relations between gendered racism and health among Black women. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 64(5), 475–486. https://doi.org/10.1037/cou0000231

38.

Lewis

J. A.

Mendenhall

Harwood

S. A.

Browne Huntt

(2013). Coping with gendered racial microaggressions among Black women college students. Journal of African American Studies, 17(1), 51–73. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12111-012-9219-0

39.

Liao

K. Y.-H.

Wei

Yin

(2020). The misunderstood schema of the strong Black woman: Exploring its mental health consequences and coping responses among African American women. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 44(1), 84–104. https://doi.org/10.1177/0361684319883198

40.

Lim

Z. X.

Chua

W. L.

Lim

W. S.

Lim

A. Q.

Chua

K. C.

Chan

E. Y.

(2022). Psychometrics of the Pearlin Mastery Scale among family caregivers of older adults who require assistance in activities of daily living. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(8), 4639. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19084639

41.

Little

R. J.

Rubin

D. B.

(2019). Statistical analysis with missing data. John Wiley & Sons.

42.

Mizell

C. A.

(1999). African American men’s personal sense of mastery: The consequences of the adolescent environment, self-concept, and adult achievement. Journal of Black Psychology, 25(2), 210–230. https://doi.org/10.1177/0095798499025002005

43.

Mooney

C. Z.

Mooney

C. F.

Duval

R. D.

Mooney

C. L.

Duvall

(1993). Bootstrapping: A nonparametric approach to statistical inference. Sage Publications.

44.

Muruthi

J. R.

Muruthi

B. A.

Thompson Cañas

R. E.

Romero

Taiwo

Ehlinger

P. P.

(2022). Daily discrimination, church support, personal mastery, and psychological distress in Black people in the United States. Ethnicity and Health, 28(4), 503–521. https://doi.org/10.1080/13557858.2022.2078481

45.

Neal-Barnett

A. M.

Stadulis

Payne

M. R.

Crosby

Mitchell

Williams

Williams-Costa

(2011). In the company of my sisters: Sister circles as an anxiety intervention for professional African American women. Journal of Affective Disorders, 129(1–3), 213–218. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2010.08.024

46.

Nelson

Cardemil

E. V.

Adeoye

C. T.

(2016). Rethinking strength: Black women’s perceptions of the “strong Black woman” role. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 40(4), 551–563. https://doi.org/10.1177/0361684316646716

47.

Nelson

Shahid

N. N.

Cardemil

E. V.

(2020). Do I really need to go and see somebody? Black women’s perceptions of help-seeking for depression. Journal of Black Psychology, 46(4), 263–286. https://doi.org/10.1177/0095798420931644

48.

Pearlin

L. I.

Mullan

J. T.

Semple

S. J.

Skaff

M. M.

(1990). Caregiving and the stress process: An overview of concepts and their measures. The Gerontologist, 30(5), 583–594. https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/30.5.583

49.

Pearlin

L. I.

Schooler

(1978). The structure of coping. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 19(1), 2–21. https://doi.org/10.2307/2136319

50.

Perez

N. B.

Melkus

G. D. E.

Vorderstrasse

A. A.

Wright

Sun

Y. V.

Crusto

C. A.

Taylor

J. Y.

(2022). Latent class analysis of depressive symptom phenotypes among Black/African American mothers. Nursing Research, 72(2), 93–102. https://doi.org/10.1097/NNR.0000000000000635

51.

Powell

Adams

L. B.

Cole-Lewis

Agyemang

Upton

R. D.

(2016). Masculinity and race-related factors as barriers to health help-seeking among African American men. Behavioral Medicine, 42(3), 150–163. https://doi.org/10.1080/08964289.2016.1165174

52.

Robinson

M. N.

Thomas Tobin

C. S.

(2021). Is John Henryism a health risk or resource?: Exploring the role of culturally relevant coping for physical and mental health among Black Americans. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 62(2), 136–151. https://doi.org/10.1177/00221465211009142

53.

Samuel-Hodge

C. D.

Headen

S. W.

Skelly

A. H.

Ingram

A. F.

Keyserling

T. C.

Jackson

E. J.

Ammerman

A. S.

Elasy

T. A.

(2000). Influences on day-to-day self-management of type 2 diabetes among African-American women: Spirituality, the multi-caregiver role, and other social context factors. Diabetes Care, 23(7), 928–933. https://doi.org/10.2337/diacare.23.7.928

54.

Schlomer

G. L.

Bauman

Card

N. A.

(2010). Best practices for missing data management in counseling psychology. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 57(1), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0018082

55.

Sharp

E. A.

Ispa

J. M.

(2009). Inner-city single Black mothers’ gender-related childrearing expectations and goals. Sex Roles, 60(9–10), 656–668. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-008-9567-3

56.

Skinner

E. A.

Zimmer-Gembeck

M. J.

(2011). Perceived control and the development of coping. In Folkman

(Ed.), The Oxford handbook of stress, health, and coping (pp. 35–59). Oxford University Press.

57.

Stanton

A. G.

Jerald

M. C.

Ward

L. M.

Avery

L. R.

(2017). Social media contributions to strong Black woman ideal endorsement and Black women’s mental health. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 41(4), 465–478. https://doi.org/10.1177/0361684317732330

58.

Strack

(1992). “Order effects” in survey research: Activation and information functions of preceding questions. In Schwarz

Sudman

(Eds.), Context effects in social and psychological research. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-2848-6_3

59.

Terry

D. J.

(1991). Coping resources and situational appraisals as predictors of coping behavior. Personality and Individual Differences, 12(10), 1031–1047. https://doi.org/10.1016/0191-8869(91)90033-8

60.

Thoits

P. A.

(1995). Stress, coping, and social support processes: Where are we? What next? Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 53–79. https://doi.org/10.2307/2626957

61.

Thomas

A. J.

Witherspoon

K. M.

Speight

S. L.

(2004). Toward the development of the stereotypic roles for Black women scale. Journal of Black Psychology, 30(3), 426–442. https://doi.org/10.1177/0095798404266061

62.

Thomas

Banks

Eaton

A. A.

Ward

L. M.

(2022). 25 years of psychology research on the “strong Black woman”. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 16(9), Article e12705. https://doi.org/10.1111/spc3.12705

63.

Utsey

S. O.

Hook

J. N.

(2007). Heart rate variability as a physiological moderator of the relationship between race-related stress and psychological distress in African Americans. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 13(3), 250–253. https://doi.org/10.1037/1099-9809.13.3.250

64.

Uzogara

E. E.

Jackson

J. S.

(2016). Perceived skin tone discrimination across contexts: African American women’s reports. Race and Social Problems, 8(2), 147–159. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12552-016-9172-y

65.

Watson

N. N.

Hunter

C. D.

(2015). Anxiety and depression among African American women: The costs of strength and negative attitudes toward psychological help-seeking. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 21(4), 604–612. https://doi.org/10.1037/cdp0000015

66.

Watson

N. N.

Hunter

C. D.

(2016). “I had to be strong”: Tensions in the strong Black woman schema. Journal of Black Psychology, 42(5), 424–452. https://doi.org/10.1177/0095798415597093

67.

Watson-Singleton

N. N.

(2017). Strong Black woman schema and psychological distress: The mediating role of perceived emotional support. Journal of Black Psychology, 43(8), 778–788. https://doi.org/10.1177/0095798417732414

68.

West

C. M.

(1995). Mammy, Sapphire, and Jezebel: Historical images of Black women and their implications for psychotherapy. Psychotherapy: Theory, Research, Practice, Training, 32(3), 458–466. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-3204.32.3.458

69.

West

L. M.

Donovan

R. A.

Daniel

A. R.

(2016). The price of strength: Black college women’s perspectives on the strong Black woman stereotype. Women & Therapy, 39(3–4), 390–412. https://doi.org/10.1080/02703149.2016.1116871

70.

Woods

K. C.

(2013). The strong Black woman archetype and intentions to seek therapy for depression: A cultural application of the theory of planned behavior. Unpublished doctoral dissertation. Michigan State University. https://doi.org/10.25335/M5Q98Q

71.

Woods-Giscombé

C. L.

(2010). Superwoman schema: African American women’s views on stress, strength, and health. Qualitative Health Research, 20(5), 668–683. https://doi.org/10.1177/1049732310361892