Being a “Strong Black Woman” (SBW) is a frequent cultural demand for Black Women. The physical and emotional disadvantages of this persistent racial gender role expectation are notable. The purpose of the current exploratory study was to (1) confirm a link between endorsement of the SBW schema and self-reported perceived stress and (2) investigate the potential demographic features that predict the level of endorsement of the SBW schema. A community sample of n = 185 Black women completed an online survey containing the Giscombé Superwoman Schema Questionnaire (Woods-Giscombé et al., 2019), the Perceived Stress Scale-10 (Cohen & Williamson, 1988), and a demographic questionnaire. The results indicated that more endorsement of SBW ideals uniquely predicted greater perceived stress. Also, only the demographic variables of age and number of children were predictors of SBW endorsement. Endorsement of SBW expectations did not vary across the other demographic variables indicating the SBW schema was prominent for most participants in the sample.
AbramsJ. A.MaxwellM.PopeM.BelgraveF. Z. (2014). Carrying the world with the grace of a lady and with the grit of a warrior: Deepening our understanding of the “Strong Black Woman” schema. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 38(4), 503–518. https://doi.org/10.1177/0361684314541418
3.
AllenA. M.WangY.ChaeD. H.PriceM. M.PowellW.SteedT. C.Rose BlackA.DhabharF. S.Marquez-MagañaL.Woods-GiscombeC. L. (2019). Racial discrimination, the superwoman schema, and allostatic load: Exploring an integrative stress‐coping model among African American women. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1457(1), 104–127. https://doi.org/10.1111/nyas.14188
4.
BakerT. A.BuchananN. T.MingoC. A.RokerR.BrownC. 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
5.
Beauboeuf-LafontantT. (2005). Keeping up appearances, getting fed up: The embodiment of strength among African American women. Meridians: Feminism, Race, Transnationalism, 5(2), 104–123. https://doi.org/10.1353/mer.2005.0003
6.
Beauboeuf-LafontantT. (2007). You have to show strength: An exploration of gender, race, and depression. Gender & Society, 21(1), 28–51. https://doi.org/10.1177/0891243206294108
7.
Beauboeuf-LafontantT. (2009). Behind the mask of the strong Black woman: Voice and the embodiment of a costly performance. Temple University Press.
8.
CarringtonC. H. (2006). Clinical depression in African American women: Diagnosis, treatment, and research. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 62(7), 779–791. https://doi.org/10.1002/jclp.20289
9.
CarterL.RossiA. (2019). Embodying strength: The origin, representations, and socialization of the Strong Black Woman ideal and its effect on Black women's mental health. Women & Therapy, 42(3–4), 289–300. https://doi.org/10.1080/02703149.2019.1622911
10.
CaseK. A. (2016). Intersectional pedagogy: Complicating identity and social justice. Routledge.
11.
CatabayC. J.StockmanJ. K.CampbellJ. C.TsuyukiK. (2019). Perceived stress and mental health: The mediating roles of social support and resilience among Black women exposed to sexual violence. Journal of Affective Disorders, 259, 143–149. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2019.08.037
12.
CohenJ. (1988). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers.
13.
CohenS.Janicki-DevertsD. (2012). Who’s stressed? Distributions of psychological stress in the United States in probability samples from 1983, 2006, and 2009. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 42(6), 1320–1334. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1559-1816.2012.00900.x
14.
CohenS.KamarckT.MermelsteinR. (1983). A global measure of perceived stress. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 24(4), 385–396. https://doi.org/10.2307/2136404
15.
CohenS.WilliamsonG. (1988). Perceived stress in a probability sample of the United States. In SpacapanS.OskampS. (Eds.), The social psychology of health: Claremont symposium on applied social psychology (pp. 31–67). Sage.
16.
CollinsP. H. (2000). Gender, Black feminism, and black political economy. The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 568(1), 41–53. https://doi.org/10.1177/000271620056800105
17.
CollinsP. H. (2004). Black sexual politics: African Americans, gender, and the new racism. Routledge.
18.
DavisA. W.LevantR. F.PryorS. (2018). Traditional femininity versus strong Black women ideologies and stress among Black women. Journal of Black Studies, 49(8), 820–841. https://doi.org/10.1177/0021934718799016
19.
DavisS. M. (2015). The “strong Black woman collective”: A developing theoretical framework for understanding collective communication practices of Black women. Women's Studies in Communication, 38(1), 20–35. https://doi.org/10.1080/07491409.2014.953714
20.
Davis TribbleB. L.AllenS. H.HartJ. R.FrancoisT. S.Smith-BynumM. A. (2019). “No [right] way to be a Black woman”: Exploring gendered racial socialization among Black women. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 43(3), 381–397. https://doi.org/10.1177/0361684318825439
21.
DigginsA.Woods-GiscombeC.WatersS. (2015). The association of perceived stress, contextualized stress, and emotional eating with body mass index in college-aged Black women. Eating Behaviors, 19, 188–192. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eatbeh.2015.09.006
22.
DonovanR. A.WestL. 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
23.
EllisP. D. (2010). The essential guide to effect sizes: Statistical power, meta-analysis, and the interpretation of research results. Cambridge University Press.
FaulF.ErdfelderE.BuchnerA.LangA. G. (2009). Statistical power analyses using G* Power 3.1: Tests for correlation and regression analyses. Behavior Research Methods, 41(4), 1149–1160. https://doi.org/10.3758/BRM.41.4.1149
26.
FaulF.ErdfelderE.LangE.BuchnerA. (2007). G*Power 3: A flexible statistical power analysis program for the social, behavioral, and biomedical sciences. Behavior Research Methods, 39(2), 175–191. https://doi.org/10.3758/bf03193146
GeronimusA. T.HickenM.KeeneD.BoundJ. (2006). “Weathering” and age patterns of allostatic load scores among Blacks and Whites in the United States. American Journal of Public Health, 96(5), 826–833. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2004.060749
29.
GeronimusA. T.HickenM. T.PearsonJ. A.SeasholsS. J.BrownK. L.CruzT. D. (2010). Do US Black women experience stress-related accelerated biological aging?Human Nature, 21, 19–38. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12110-010-9078-0
30.
GreenB. N. (2019). Strong like my mama: The legacy of “strength,” depression, and suicidality in African American women. Women & Therapy, 42(3–4), 265–288. https://doi.org/10.1080/02703149.2019.1622909
31.
HallJ. C.ConnerK. O.JonesK. (2021). The strong Black woman versus mental health utilization: A qualitative study. Health & Social Work, 46(1), 33–41. https://doi.org/10.1093/hsw/hlaa036
32.
hooksb. (1981). Ain’t I a woman: Black women and feminism. South End Press.
33.
JamisonD. F. (2018). Key concepts, theories, and issues in African/Black psychology: A view from the bridge. Journal of Black Psychology, 44(8), 722–746. https://doi.org/10.1177/0095798418810596
34.
JonesM. K.DayS. X. (2018). An exploration of Black women’s gendered racial identity using a multidimensional and intersectional approach. Sex Roles, 79(1), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-017-0854-8
35.
JonesM. K.HarrisK. J.ReynoldsA. A. (2021). In their own words: The meaning of the strong Black woman schema among Black US college women. Sex Roles, 84(1), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-020-01170-w
36.
JonesS. C. T.AndersonR. E.Gaskin-WassonA. L.SawyerB. A.ApplewhiteK.MetzgerI. W. (2020). From “crib to coffin”: Navigating coping from racism-related stress throughout the lifespan of Black Americans. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 90(2), 267–282. https://doi.org/10.1037/ort0000430
37.
LeeE.-H. (2012). Review of the psychometric evidence of the Perceived Stress Scale. Asian Nursing Research, 6(4), 121–127. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anr.2012.08.004
38.
LeiR. F.RhodesM. (2021). Why developmental research on social categorization needs intersectionality. Child Development Perspectives, 15(3), 143–147. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdep.12421
39.
LiaoK. Y.-H.WeiM.YinM. (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.
Martinez-FuentesS.Umaña-TaylorA. J.JagerJ.SeatonE. K.SladekM. R. (2020). An examination of ethnic-racial identity and U.S. American identity among Black, Latino, and White adolescents. Identity, 20(3), 208–223. https://doi.org/10.1080/15283488.2020.1784177
41.
MitchellA. M.CraneP. A.KimY. (2008). Perceived stress in survivors of suicide: Psychometric properties of the Perceived Stress Scale. Research in Nursing & Health, 31(6), 576–585. https://doi.org/10.1002/nur.20284
42.
MitchellA.HerringK. (1998). What the blues is all about: Black women overcoming stress and depression. Perigee Trade.
43.
MontgomeryD. C.PeckE. A.ViningG. G. (2021). Introduction to linear regression analysis. John Wiley & Sons.
44.
NelsonT.CardemilE. V.AdeoyeC. 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
45.
NelsonT.ShahidN. N.CardemilE. 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
46.
NicholsT. R.GringleM. R.PulliamR. M. (2015). “You have to put your children’s needs first or you're really not a good mother”: Black motherhood and self-care practices. Women, Gender, and Families of Color, 3(2), 165–189. https://doi.org/10.5406/womgenfamcol.3.2.0165
47.
OrsiJ. M.Margellos-AnastH.WhitmanS. (2010). Black–White health disparities in the United States and Chicago: A 15-year progress analysis. American Journal of Public Health, 100(2), 349–356. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2009.165407
48.
RandolphL. B. (1997). Strong Black Woman syndrome. Ebony, 52(9), 24–24.
49.
RobertiJ. W.HarringtonL. N.StorchE. A. (2006). Further psychometric support for the 10‐item version of the Perceived Stress Scale. Journal of College Counseling, 9(2), 135–147. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.2161-1882.2006.tb00100.x
50.
RomeroR. E. (2000). The icon of the strong Black woman: The paradox of strength. In JacksonL. C.GreeneB. (Eds.), Psychotherapy with African American women: Innovations in psychodynamic perspective and practice (pp. 225–238). Guilford Press.
51.
Shorter-GoodenK. (2004). Multiple resistance strategies: How African American women cope with racism and sexism. Journal of Black Psychology, 30(3), 406–425. https://doi.org/10.1177/0095798404266050
52.
SteedT. C. (2013). Superwoman schema: Using structural equation modeling to investigate measurement invariance in a questionnaire. [Doctoral dissertation]. The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, UNC-Greensboro Digital Archive. https://libres.uncg.edu/ir/uncg/f/Steed_uncg_0154D_11315.pdf
53.
TakakiR. (2008). A different mirror: A history of multicultural America. Bay Back Books Publishing.
54.
ThomasA. J.HoxhaD.HackerJ. D. (2013). Contextual influences on gendered racial identity development of African American young women. Journal of Black Psychology, 39(1), 88–101. https://doi.org/10.1177/0095798412454679
55.
ThomasA. J.WitherspoonK. M.SpeightS. L. (2008). Gendered racism, psychological distress, and coping styles of African American women. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 14(4), 307–314. https://doi.org/10.1037/1099-9809.14.4.307
56.
Walker-BarnesC. (2014). Too heavy a yoke: Black women and the burden of strength. Wipf and Stock Publishers.
57.
Watson-SingletonN. 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
58.
WatsonN. N.HunterC. 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
59.
WatsonN. N.HunterC. 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
60.
WatsonJ. M.LoganH. L.TomarS. L. (2008). The influence of active coping and perceived stress on health disparities in a multi-ethnic low-income sample. BMC Public Health, 8(41), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-8-41
61.
WestL. M.DonovanR. A.DanielA. 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
62.
WilliamsM. G.LewisJ. A. (2021). Developing a conceptual framework of Black women's gendered racial identity development. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 45(2), 212–228. https://doi.org/10.1177/0361684320988602
63.
Woods-GiscombéC. 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
64.
Woods-GiscombéC. L.AllenA. A.BlackA. R.SteedT. C.LiY.LackeyC. (2019). The Giscombe Superwoman Schema Questionnaire: Psychometric properties and associations with mental health and health behaviors in African American Women. Issues in Mental Health Nursing, 40(8), 672–681. https://doi.org/10.1080/01612840.2019.1584654
65.
Woods-GiscombéC. L.LobelM. (2008). Race and gender matter: A multidimensional approach to conceptualizing and measuring stress in African American women. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 14(3), 173–182. https://doi.org/10.1037/1099-9809.14.3.173
66.
Woods-GiscombéC. L.RobinsonM.CarthonD.Devane-JohnsonS.Corbie-SmithG. (2016). Superwoman schema, stigma, spirituality, and culturally sensitive providers: Factors influencing African American women's use of mental health services. Journal of Best Practices in Health Professions Diversity, 9(1), 1124–1144.
67.
WyattJ. (2008). Patricia Hill Collins's Black sexual politics and the genealogy of the Strong Black Woman. Studies in Gender and Sexuality, 9(1), 52–67. https://doi.org/10.1080/15240650701759516
