Article Database

Relationships Among Identity, Perceived Discrimination, and Depressive Symptoms in Eight Ethnic‐Generational Groups

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The Price of Strength: Black College Women ‘ s Perspectives on the Strong Black Woman Stereotype

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Black feminist scholars posit that the Strong Black Woman stereotype (SBW) is a compelling image that depicts Black women as strong, independent, and self-sacrificing. Research suggests SBW internalization is related to mental and physical health problems. This study asked Black college women open-ended questions on several SBW-related topics. Thematic analysis of approximately 90 participants revealed definitions of SBW, including, strong, independent, hardworking, and caring. Contrary to SBW’s positive perception, the majority of participants reported SBW’s negative effects on their health, highlighting SBW’s paradox. Findings increase awareness of the SBW stereotype for mental health professionals who work with Black college women.

Gender, Race, and Speech Style Stereotypes

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Considerable research has shown that people have stereotypical beliefs about the speech and communication style of women and men. There is less research about stereotypes of Black people’s speech, and none that jointly or comparably investigates communication stereotypes as a function of both gender and race. In this study, White college students (n = 111) rated a fictional character’s speech on 36 pairs of words characteristic of communication style (e.g., emotional–unemotional) and also generated dialogue for the character. Targets’ race and sex were varied. Results showed that beliefs about speech style were stronger for race than gender. Black speakers, both women and men, were rated as more direct and emotional, and less socially appropriate and playful, than White speakers. The dialogue generated by participants for Black speakers was less grammatical and more profane than for White speakers. Gender effects were consistent with earlier research but suggest a weakening of stereotypes; women’s speech was seen as somewhat less direct and more emotional than men’s speech. Beliefs about speech and communication style are important because they may function not only to describe “what is” but to prescribe “what should be” in social interaction.

Tough or Tender: (Dis) Similarities in White College Students’ Perceptions of Black and White Women

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Although intersectional theory and empirical evidence suggest that race impacts how women are perceived, there is a dearth of research on how the dominant culture stereotypes Black women compared to White women. The current study addresses this gap using an intersectional framework to investigate White college students’ stereotypes of Black and White women. How these stereotypes fit with stereotypic images found in theoretical/empirical literature was also examined. Analyses of data from 109 White college students revealed that Black women were perceived in ways consistent with the Matriarch/Sapphire stereotypic image (e.g., strong and domineering). This image stands in contrast to current and previous perceptions of (White) women as affective and communal. The impact of the Matriarch/Sapphire image on Black women is likely mixed. Internalizing the strength aspect of the Matriarch/Sapphire could help Black women cope with the negative effects of racism, sexism, and classism. Conversely, being perceived as innately strong and domineering could increase the blame attributed to Black women who are survivors of sexual assault and/or domestic violence, limiting avenues of support and justice available to these women. It could also lead to a minimization of Black women’s mental and physical health problems. Interventions that educate professionals about the Matriarch/Sapphire image could help reduce its negative impact.

Coping with racism: What works and doesn’t work for Black women?

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Perceived racial discrimination (PRD) has deleterious effects on Black Americans. However, there is minimal empirical research on the influence of gender and coping on the relationship between PRD and mental health. This study posited that coping style (i.e., problem-focused coping and avoidant coping) would moderate the relationship between PRD and depressive symptoms in Black women. The sample included 91 Black women (mean age of 23.32 years) from an urban New England university. The Schedule of Racist Events, the Coping Orientations to Problems Experienced scale, and the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale were used to measure PRD, coping style, and depressive symptoms, respectively. Multiple regressions showed that problem-focused and avoidant coping significantly moderated the relationship between lifetime PRD and depressive symptoms. In addition, avoidant coping significantly moderated the relationship between recent PRD and depressive symptoms. The directions of these findings indicate that higher levels of problem-focused coping may buffer the effects of PRD on depressive symptoms, and higher levels of avoidant coping may exacerbate the effects. Implications for Black women’s resiliency and susceptibility to mental health distress are discussed.

To blame or not to blame: Influences of target race and observer sex on rape blame attribution

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There is a paucity of research on the influence of racist and sexist stereotypes in rape blame attribution, including the jezebel and matriarch stereotypes of Black women. This study extends the literature by examining how victim race, perpetrator race, and participant sex affect perceptions of a rape survivor’s promiscuity (jezebel stereotype) and strength and/or toughness (matriarch stereotype). The myth of the Black male sexual predator of White women is also investigated. Data provided partial support for the jezebel stereotype. There were also contradictory findings supporting and challenging the acceptance of the Black rapist of White women stereotype. No significant differences were found for the matriarch stereotype. Reasons for and implications of findings are explored.

Stress and Mental Health: Moderating Role of the Strong Black Woman Stereotype

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Research indicates that Black women highly endorse the Strong Black Woman (SBW) stereotype—a perception that Black women are naturally strong, resilient, self-contained, and self-sacrificing. This endorsement appears to be a good thing, providing Black women protection against the numerous stressors they must contend with daily. However, anecdotal and qualitative evidence suggests that SBW endorsement limits Black women’s ability to cope healthily which exacerbates the negative mental health outcomes of stress. Because few empirical studies of SBW have been conducted, how SBW endorsement might influence the stress–mental health association is unknown. The current study addresses this gap by quantitatively examining the relationships among SBW endorsement, stress, and anxious and depressive symptoms with a sample of 92 Black female college students. Results revealed that both moderate and high levels of SBW endorsement increase the relationship between stress and depressive symptoms, while low levels of SBW endorsement do not. These data extend previous qualitative findings and suggest that embracing the SBW stereotypic image increases Black women’s vulnerability to depressive symptoms associated with stress.

Living at the Intersection: The Effects of Racism and Sexism on Black Rape Survivors

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Empirical and clinical data indicate that Black rape survivors are blamed more and are less likely to disclose their assaults than other
women. We propose that these differences are, in large part, due to how Black women are perceived and evaluated. Specifically, we link two historical images of Black women, Jezebel and Matriarch, to the contemporary experience of Black rape survivors. The paradoxical and destructive implications of these images on Black rape survivors’ decisions to disclose and report their rapes are discussed. Racially sensitive intervention strategies are also provided.

Impact of racial macro-and microaggressions in Black women’s lives: A preliminary analysis

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Most studies on perceived racial discrimination do not differentiate between macroaggressions (i.e., overt, purposeful discrimination) and microaggressions (i.e., subtle, typically unconscious discrimination) or examine gender. This study addresses these gaps by exploring: (a) the prevalence of perceived racial macroaggressions (PRMa) and perceived racial microaggressions (PRMi) in Black women’s lives and (b) how PRMa and PRMi influence depressive and anxious symptoms in this group. Participants were 187 undergraduate students who self-identified as Black women. Sixty-three percent of the participants reported experiencing some type of PRMa at least once in a while during the past year, and 96% reported experiencing some type of PRMi at least a few times a year. As hypothesized, PRMa and PRMi significantly predicted depressive symptoms; however, PRMa made a stronger unique contribution. Contrary to hypotheses, PRMa but not PRMi significantly predicted anxious symptoms. Findings suggest that PRMa and PRMi are common occurrences for Black women and are associated with negative mental health outcomes, with PRMa being the less common but more detrimental of the two.

Converging Interests: Black Scholar-Advocacy and the Black College Athlete

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In the wake, or rather midst, of academic misconduct and narratives of Black college athletes’ challenges (e.g., from Kevin Ross and Dasmine Cathy), scholars have worked to address said inequalities. The importance of critical race theory to define the significance of cultural capital is arguably a seminal tool for scholars to use toward unveiling the challenges of Black student-athletes’ matriculation. However, these scholars, particularly Black sports scholars, have embraced a more active role in advocacy from developing mentoring programs to speaking on Capitol Hill. Illuminating the challenges and benefits that Black sport scholars endure is important in their quest to support Black college athletes.