Leveraging Community Engagement to Develop Culturally Tailored Stress Management Interventions in Midlife Black Women

Abstract

Chronic stress is a social health determinant associated with many persistent health conditions and health disparities for midlife Black women. Midlife Black women in the United States are exposed to multiple, competing stressors, increasing their risk for adverse health outcomes. The objective of the current study was to illicit information about the key life stressors experienced by midlife Black women. Focus groups were conducted using a convenience sample of midlife Black women ( N = 11, age range = 41 to 54 years). Coding and thematic analysis identified four primary sources of stress: workplace, parenting, finances, and social media. Gendered racism and discrimination and life imbalance emerged as underlying stressors linked to the Strong Black Woman persona. This persona prioritizes resilience and self-reliance while suppressing self-care. The stressors identified will inform the development of an intervention and should be considered when providing care for midlife Black women. [ Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, 57 (3), 32–38.]

Views of Black women patients with obesity on desired and undesired weight‐focused clinical encounters

“…The present study is important because it targets a hard to reach group of Black female patients who have obesity and whose views about how they want their physicians to talk to them about their weight was not known prior to the present study. Notably, even though the sample size in the present study is small, this sample size is consistent with that of most of the few published qualitative health-focused studies that with Black participants [24][25][26] and with that of many articles published on patients' views of obesity management and treatment. [27][28][29][30][31][32] It is also notable that we used content analyses using the comparative method to analyse the obtained focus group data-a rigorous, highly respected qualitative data analysis method.…”

Nia Imani Model of Care’s Impact on Homeless African-American Women

“…Finally, there is a need for future research to help nurses understand the current structure of the African-American family in urban contexts like Milwaukee and to gain a deep understanding of how women cope with their complex realities, as this impacts parenting, and maternal and child health. This study builds on previous nursing research related to African-American women and homelessness, IPV, substance use and abuse, and related stressors, which examined these factors and their negative, intersecting impacts on African-American women and their children (Duke & Searby, 2019; Jones et al, 2018; Matheson et al, 2015; Wilson & Laughon, 2015).…”

Disentangling Associations Among Maternal Lifetime and Prenatal Stress, Psychological Functioning During Pregnancy, Maternal Race/Ethnicity, and Infant Negative Affectivity at Age 6 Months: A Mixtures Approach

“…Our findings suggest that interventions aimed to mitigate effects of prenatal maternal stress on offspring developmental outcomes will be more effective if tailored to account for observed racial/ethnic differences, which has been noted in other contexts. 56,57 While clinicians may screen for current ongoing adversities in pregnant women under their care, they do not typically screen for lifetime cumulative exposures, including traumatic experiences. It is only recently that health care providers have recognized the prevalence of traumatic stressors across the life course and the impact they have on a range of health outcomes.…”

“…Our findings suggest that interventions aimed to mitigate effects of prenatal maternal stress on offspring developmental outcomes will be more effective if tailored to account for observed racial/ethnic differences, which has been noted in other contexts. 56 , 57 …”