Date of Conferral

1-1-2021

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Psychology

Advisor

Brian Ragsdale, Georita Frierson

Abstract

The research concerning adult crying is limited, and no studies have been conducted using African American women. The purpose of this quantitative non-experimental study was to explore if crying acts as a coping mechanism for African American women faced with racism and if crying is related to positive mental health outcomes. Past research has indicated that women experiencing racism may seek out support as described by the tend and befriend theory. Crying has been described as a form of release when people are in positions in which they find it hard to cope. A sample of 140 African American women were asked about their experiences with racism. Fifty-five percent reported that they had experienced racism in the previous 6 months. Of those women, 27% indicated that they cried during or after the incident. Women who did not cry reported better mental health than those who did cry. Women who reported higher use of the hypervigilance racism-related coping strategy were more likely to have lower mental health scores. The results demonstrated that although some African American women used crying as a coping mechanism, most of the African American women did not cry after their experience with racism. This study promotes positive social change because it presented some valuable information about the ways African American women cope with racism and provides a deeper understanding about how racism affects the emotional well-being of Black women. The results of this study can help experts in psychology understand the stress and pain that comes with racism and the trauma that is associated with it.

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