Publications

Wellness and resilience are inextricably linked for Black people. In the current literature, there is an over-emphasis on defining resilience as primarily the ability to overcome challenges (Goldstein S, Brooks RB, Handbook of resilience in children. Springer, 2013). This chapter will propose a new conceptualization of resilience by describing it as the intentional prioritization of one’s psychological health, physical preservation, and emotional stability after overcoming challenges. Essentially, the emphasis is on wellness and the deliberate focus on recovering the mind, body, and spirit following challenging circumstances. The authors then describe strategies for supporting Black people’s wellness and overall resilience, which include the use of culturally specific ways of coping and the endorsement of affirmative and validating pro-Black attitudes, which in the field of Black Psychology is described as racial identity. Following the wellness strategies, the authors conclude by offering a theoretical model that describes the ways in which intersecting individual and social systems can positively impact Black people’s wellness and resilience. The proposed theoretical model combines the socio-ecological model, intersectionality theory, and resiliency theory to describe how an individual’s unique statuses of power, privilege, and identity intersect with the systems that exist to bolster resilience. Research has yet to take a strengths-based approach and intersectional approach to the socio-ecological model for Black individuals, families, and communities.

Black women in the United States continue to face multilayered forms of anti-Black gendered oppression leading to severe health disparities and inequities that have a dire impact on their well-being. This paper recognizes the urgency to attend to Black women’s health and healing in the pursuit of creating health equity. The authors call for the creation of sacred spaces for Black women to participate in embodied and community-engaged healing, grounded in a gender justice that is inextricably tied to racial justice. This research is inspired by the long, rich line of Black American women activist-healers that have called for the radical healing of Black women. Therefore, the authors root their work in an ethical health justice ethos, honoring the humanity of Black women through a recognition of their sacredness, guided by the principles of justice, truth-telling, love, and respect that emphasizes that Black women’s lives matter. Using an interdisciplinary approach, the authors braid together healing narratives from the fields of Public Health, Black Psychology, Africana Studies, and Gender, Women’s, and Sexuality Studies. Underscoring the importance of Black women reclaiming their radical healing, this paper at the same time underlines resisting anti-Black gendered racism and interlocking forms of oppression. The authors emphasize gender and racial justice while endorsing collectivistic orientations, grounded in an African-centered worldview, that support Black women’s embodied and community-engaged healing. As a result, the authors also draw from healing narratives in their fields that include cultural paradigms, socially engaged spirituality, and generational and gendered wisdom. Connecting historical to present-day medical/mental health encounters, the authors underscore inhumane, racist, and sexist pseudoscience, medical treatment, and research experiments on Black women’s bodies. The authors also address social injustices, isolation, and (dis)ease while foregrounding gender and racial justice in the creation of health equity for Black women.

There is currently a gap in the literature that explicitly connects Black feminist thought with psychological theory, research, or intervention. This article review aims to assist in filling the gap and inspire scholars to actively utilize the knowledge of Black feminism and apply it to culturally specific mental health resources for Black women. There is a need for a new generation of Black feminists to intentionally center Black women’s mental health in psychological research and therapeutic practices. Black women’s mental health is an important part of Black feminism, and accordingly psychological theory, research, and intervention should actively incorporate Black feminist thought. This article seeks to call attention to specific ways Black women can preserve and strengthen their mental health and maintain resiliency. Specifically, this review highlights three Black feminist-informed strategies that can aid in supporting Black women’s mental health: practicing essential/critical affirmations, raising Black consciousness, and intentional self-definition.

There is a need for greater emphasis to be placed on the lived experiences of Black women in psychological research, and more specifically, Black women’s experiences with suicide ideation. Despite having the lowest suicide rates, prior research indicates an increase in suicide ideation among Black women and girls. The current study aims to evaluate the moderating effects of Black women’s implementation of culturally specific ways of coping (i.e., Africultural coping skills) to pinpoint protective strategies against interpersonal suicide risk factors, thwarted belongingness, and perceived burdensomeness. 99 (M age = 23) cisgender African American/Black women were surveyed, and results indicated that spiritual centered coping both significantly and negatively moderated the relationship between perceived burdensomeness and suicide ideation (B = -0.00, t = -2.29, p = .02, 95% CI [-.0085, -.0006]). Additionally, ritual centered coping significantly and negatively moderated the relationship between perceived burdensomeness and suicide ideation (B = -.009, t = -2.05, p = .04, 95% CI [-.0179, -.0003]). Findings suggest that spiritual and ritual centered coping can be protective strategies for Black women by weakening the relationship between suicide ideation and the interpersonal suicide risk factor perceived burdensomeness.

Death by suicide is on the rise at an alarming rate for Black girls and women in the United States (Curtin & Hedegaard, 2019; Curtin et al., 2016). Despite the rise in suicide risk among this population, there is sparse research on the risk and protective factors for suicidality in Black women, and as a result, the population continues to remain underrepresented in the literature. The present study examined gendered racial microaggressions as a risk factor for suicide and investigated hope as a probable protective factor that may mitigate the impact of gendered racial microaggressions on suicide ideation in Black women. Method: Participants (N = 270) who identified as African American/Black women were recruited for the study. Results: A moderation analysis indicated a significant moderation effect of hope on the relationship between gendered racial microaggressions and suicide ideation. Conclusions: The present study contributes to the advancement of suicide research by examining suicide risk in the context of Black women’s unique experiences.

Research has shown that experiences of systemic oppression, racism, and discrimination are associated with increased psychological distress among Black women and that this might present as thoughts of suicide and suicidal behavior. The current study aims to contribute to the growing literature on suicidality among Black women by examining spiritual well-being as a protective factor that moderates the relationship between everyday discrimination and suicidality. A moderation analysis indicated a significant moderation effect of spiritual well-being on the relationship between everyday discrimination and suicidality in Black women, indicating that at high levels of spiritual well-being, the relationship between everyday discrimination and suicidality becomes weak. The current study aims to provide clinical implications relevant to culturally specific intervention plans for suicide risk among clients who are Black women.

The aim of this chapter is to provide evidence-based and culturally relevant approaches for supporting Black women's mental health as they navigate the academy. This chapter will specifically identify concrete ways for encouraging the use of African-centered coping among Black women in higher education settings. Using hierarchical multiple regressions, associations between African Self-Consciousness (ASC), Black racial identity, and hope were explored to understand their potential impact on Black women's use of African centered coping styles. 105 (Mage = 23) cisgender African American/Black women at predominantly white intuitions were surveyed, and results indicated that the combination of ASC, Black racial identity, and hope were significant indicators of Black women's use of African centered coping strategies (specifically ritual and spiritual centered coping). Results suggest that African centered coping may be connected to Black women's cultural worldview, perception of their Blackness, and endorsement of hope. Future research and clinical implications are discussed.

Feelings of defeat and entrapment are significant risk factors for various mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety, PTSD, and suicidality. However, limited studies have intentionally examined these constructs exclusively within a sample of Black women. The current study aims to investigate whether the endorsement of hope can serve as a protective factor against feelings of defeat and entrapment among Black women. About 266 (Mage = 34) cisgender African American/Black women were surveyed, and results indicated that hope negatively moderated the relationship between defeat and entrapment, suggesting that hope served as a protective factor by weakening the relationship between defeat and entrapment. Future research and clinical implications are discussed.

There is a need for additional research that intentionally utilizes an African-centered approach when examining the psychological experiences of African/Black people. Therefore, the current study utilized an African-centered psychological measurement to assess the degree to which Black women endorse culturally specific coping strategies. Specifically, the Africultrual Coping Systems Inventory (ACSI) was utilized to measure Black women’s use of collective coping, spiritual-centered coping, ritual-centered coping, and cognitive emotional debriefing. 282 cisgender women who self-identified as African American/Black (M_age = 20) completed the ACSI measure. By conducting an exploratory analysis, results indicated that the Black women in the sample were less likely to utilize ritual-centered coping (M = 1.54, SD = 2.07), more likely to utilize cognitive emotional debriefing (M = 12.04, SD = 8.46), and equally utilized spiritual-centered coping (M = 7.40, SD = 6.07) and collective coping (M = 7.39, SD = 5.83). Overall, this study can provide important implications for Black women’s health and wellness by explicitly outlining how culturally relevant coping strategies can aid in supporting Black women’s mental health and well-being.