Date of Conferral

12-23-2024

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Public Health

Advisor

Michael Schwab

Abstract

In the United States, racism has been labeled a public health emergency. Amid rising rates of racism reported in schools, many Black girls aged 5 to 12 have severe and persistent symptoms of depression. Although Woods-Giscombé’s Superwoman Schema (SWS) is an acknowledged coping mechanism that Black women and adolescent girls can use to fight and transcend interconnected systems of racial and gender oppression, it has rarely been studied among pre-adolescent girls. The purpose of this qualitative narrative inquiry was to explore the lived experience of the SWS among fourth-grade Black girls in Detroit, Michigan. The theoretical framework was the SWS. Eighteen girls were interviewed. Interview responses were analyzed by hand coding (using Microsoft Excel) to establish 7 themes that highlighted SWS-related experiences, behaviors, and contributing factors. Most participants reported that they often felt irritated, depressed and unjustly blamed, and some said they had been tormented by bullying and racism since they were little. All said they had to be strong, and many reported trying to do this in ways recommended by the SWS (e.g., succeeding in school and sports, not letting others see them cry, and mostly hiding their feelings). However, participants also experienced being strong in ways not in the SWS (e.g., standing up to bullies, being like their mothers, and helping and encouraging others). The results could be useful to public health practitioners in developing strength-based racial socialization strategies for younger girls to safeguard against poor mental health outcomes, which would represent a significant positive social change.

Download

Share

 
COinS