No abstract

When faced with difficulties and problems, people use a variety of cognitive and behavioral strategies to cope, and culture influences the strategies that are chosen. Unfortunately, little is known about how culture influences coping because most research is done with White samples. As coping is a key determinant of a person’s adaptation to stressful life events, it is imperative that researchers develop a nuanced understanding of African American coping that is specific enough to guide prevention and intervention efforts. Thus, the aim of this study was to (a) investigate how African Americans differ from one another in the way they cope and (b) examine whether the strategies they typically use to cope (dispositional coping) differ from those used to cope with racism (situation-specific coping). Results indicate that African Americans cope differently depending on the type of stressor—they use one set of strategies generally but rely on a different set to cope with racism. Results also revealed gender and acculturation differences in how African Americans cope.

Objective: The primary goal of this study was to examine the relations between racial discrimination experiences and different dimensions of mental health stigma among a diverse sample of people of color. Method: Participants were recruited through blast emails at a large public university and completed an online survey ( N = 205). Four linear regressions were completed predicting from recent racial discrimination experiences to (1) negative beliefs about mental health problems, (2) treatments, (3) treatment seeking and (4) anticipated stigma. Results: Results indicated that recent racial discrimination experiences contributed unique variance in anticipated stigma from loved ones, as well as negative beliefs about mental health problems. Conclusion and Implications for Practice: Racial discrimination contributes to increased anticipated stigma and negative beliefs about mental health problems. Addressing the impact of racial discrimination as it influences these dimensions of mental health stigma is important to promote recovery among people of color.

Stigma surrounding mental illness and mental health treatment remains a significant problem, particularly among African Americans. This study sought to examine the effects of 2 intervention delivery methods in reducing reported stigma. African Americans (n = 158) were nonrandomly assigned to an in-person contact or video condition and administered a survey immediately before, after, and 2 weeks following the stigma intervention. The in vivo contact condition consisted of an African American man discussing his experiences with mental illness and psychotherapy. The session was recorded, and the recording was used for the video condition. There were no significant effects based on delivery method; however, there was a significant effect for time on stigma and help-seeking attitude measures. Further research is needed to determine the overall effectiveness of the intervention.