Date of Conferral

2023

Degree

Doctor of Social Work (DSW)

School

Social Work

Advisor

Debora Rice

Abstract

Within the social work profession, there has been limited understanding of tailoring treatment and coping strategies specific to Black women. The parallelism of Black women and strength has created a generational, internal conflict with maintaining the cultural label known as the strong Black woman (SBW) and stigma related to seeking help to improve mental health. The stigma associated with seeking help has hindered Black women from communicating thoughts or behaviors that categorize vulnerability. Grounded in the SBW collective theory and Black womanist theory, this study explored how the SBW stereotype impacts the communication on vulnerability and coping strategies Black women use. In this generic qualitative study, semi structured interviews were conducted to gather the self-perceptions of 12 Black women regarding vulnerability, communication, and coping strategies. Through thematic analysis, findings indicated that although most of the participants saw vulnerability as a weakness, they felt it was relative to transparency and truth. Their responses showed that while the participants felt society shaped the perceptions of how vulnerable or not Black women were seen as, they wanted to rewrite the narrative and define how they are viewed instead of societal stereotypes. The findings also indicated that these Black women used alone time and spirituality to cope with mental health issues. The findings of this study can be used to promote positive social change by starting conversations between social workers and Black women that reflect an appreciation of Black women’s experiences and informing social work best practices on effectively treating this marginalized group.

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