Underneath the Mask of the Strong Black Woman Schema: Disentangling Influences of Strength and Self-Silencing on Depressive Symptoms among U.S. Black Women

Abstract

Recent investigations have elucidated the influence of the Strong Black Woman (SBW) Schema on the mental health and treatment seeking behaviors of Black women in the United States. However, the SBW schematic characteristics that produce depression have yet to be identified. The current study fills this void in the literature through a quantitative examination of how characteristics of the SBW Schema relate to depressive symptomology. Analyses were based on 194 participants, including college students (n = 98) and community members (n = 96), ranging in age from 18 to 82 years-old (M = 37.53, SD = 19.88). As hypothesized, various manifestations of self-silencing were found to significantly mediate the relationship between the perceived obligation to manifest strength (a SBW characteristic) and depressive symptomatology. The present study advances the idea that depressive symptoms are related to endorsement of the SBW Schema and highlights selfsilencing as a mechanism by which this relationship occurs. These results offer evidence and clarification of the impact of the SBW Schema on Black women's mental health and identify specific points of intervention for mental health practitioners conducting therapeutic work with Black women. We provide recommendations for future research to avoid pathologizing strength and we discuss the implications and potential benefits of integrating a Womanist theoretical perspective into counseling for Black women, a population that has historically underutilized mental health resources.

The Misunderstood Schema of the Strong Black Woman: Exploring Its Mental Health Consequences and Coping Responses Among African American Women

“…In a quantitative study, the SBW schema positively predicted depressive symptoms (Watson & Hunter, 2015). Abrams, Hills, and Maxwell (2018) also found a positive association between the SBW schema and depressive symptoms and that self-silencing mediated the SBW schema-depression link. In interviews, African American women disclosed that depression is a reality in their lives, and it results from exhaustion tied to the burdens of supporting others, not attending to their own needs, and repressing vulnerable emotions (Beauboeuf-Lafontant, 2008).…”

“…Regarding loneliness, perhaps mediators other than MP are more pertinent to the association between the SBW schema and loneliness. For example, self-silencing and emotional inhibition are both positively correlated with the SBW schema (Abrams et al, 2018; Harrington et al, 2010) and might mediate the SBW schema-loneliness link.…”

“…Because there are only a few quantitative studies on the SBW schema (e.g., Donovan & West, 2015; Harrington et al, 2010), we hope to contribute to the literature by providing additional quantitative data to support the associations between the SBW schema and mental health outcomes. Furthermore, only a paucity of studies (Abrams, Hills, & Maxwell, 2018; Harrington et al, 2010; James, 2015; Watson-Singleton, 2017) have examined how the SBW schema influences the mental health of African American women. We address this gap in the literature by exploring maladaptive perfectionism (MP), self-compassion, collective coping, and spiritual coping as potential mediators between the SBW schema and depression, anxiety, and loneliness.…”

Do I Really Need to Go and See Somebody? Black Women’s Perceptions of Help-Seeking for Depression

“…Although some Black women have viewed the SBW role positively, Black feminist theorists have posited that the SBW role, when used as a controlling image, is problematic (Collins, 2000). In support of this idea, some scholars have found a link between adherence to the SBW role and anxiety (Watson & Hunter, 2015), depression (Abrams et al, 2019;Amankwaa, 2003;Beauboeuf-Lafontant, 2007, as well as stress-related health behaviors (Donovan & West, 2015;Shahid et al, 2018;Woods-Giscombé, 2010) and binge eating (Harrington et al, 2010). Furthermore, researchers have found that some Black women who internalized the SBW role may perceive struggle as a normative experience (Abrams et al, 2014;Beauboeuf-Lafontant, 2008;Nelson et al, 2016;Woods-Giscombé, 2010), and may conceptualize depression as resulting from personal weakness or resulting from long-term accommodations to strength (Beauboeuf-Lafontant, 2008;Edge & Rogers, 2005;Waite & Killian, 2009).…”

Gender Differences in the Relationship Between Self-Silencing, Trauma, and Mental Health Among Juvenile Legal System-Involved Youth

“…Previous research suggests that, among adolescents, self-silencing correlates with internalizing conditions including depression (Harper & Welsh, 2007), as well as risky sexual interactions (Widman et al, 2006), relationship dissatisfaction (Remen, 2000), and disordered eating (Morrison & Sheahan, 2009). While the original examination of self-silencing utilized a sample comprised of 92% White women (Jack & Dill, 1992), researchers have since evidenced a positive relationship between self-silencing and depression among women of color, including a sample of 214 predominantly lowincome and African-American women (Brody et al, 2014), and a sample of 194 black female college students and community members (Abrams et al, 2019).…”