Self-Esteem, Problem-Solving, and Family Crisis: Factors That Impact Black Women's Stress Management

Stress is probably the most significant contributor to disease — and it is the most difficult to treat. While existing research has identified numerous ways in which Black Americans are negatively affected by chronic stress including a short lifespan than their White counterparts, little has been done to identify intergenerational stress and/or coping experiences of Black women. One way that Black women and families cope with stress is through family coping. The concept of family stress as well as family coping (e.g. how the family deals with difficult situations; resources the family has to cope) is especially important to consider for Black families who often experience supportive family systems (McAdoo, 1982). Not only are families serving as support systems, families are also responsible for teaching children the necessary skills for coping (Hammen et al., 2011). While there is research to support family roles in coping, more research is needed to identify how Black women (i.e., mothers/daughters) utilize the family system for problem-solving and coping with stress. Turnage (2004) found that the mother-daughter relationship significantly impact self-esteem. Researchers have identified a relationship between self-esteem and stress (Lin & Yusoff, 2013; Power, 2004) the findings indicate that self-esteem moderates the effects of stress on psychological functioning (Author, 2017; Shorter-Gooden, 2004, Turnage, 2004).  

The current study examines self-esteem, problem-solving, family life events, and coping among Black women.

Convenience and snowball sampling methods were used to recruit a sample of n=119, self-identified, Black mothers and daughters 18-72 years old. The participants were predominantly African American (n = 110, 92.4%). Most participants were single (n = 57, 48.3%) or married (n = 37, 31.4%).

 Hypothesis 1: There are significant differences in degree of self-esteem (RSE), degree of problem-solving (PSI), adaptation to stress (FCOPES), and amount of stress (FILE) between mothers and daughters.

The result of the individual ANOVA was statistically significant for degree of self-esteem by family member grouping (F(1, 111) = 4.04,p= .047, partial η²= .034).  The result of the individual ANOVA was statistically significant for degree of problem solving by family member grouping (F(1, 114) = 8.46,p= .004, partial η²= .069). The result of the individual ANOVA was statistically significant for amount of stress by family member grouping (F(1, 114) = 11.53,p= .001, partial η²= .092).

Hypothesis 2: There are significant differences in degree of self-esteem (RSE), degree of problem-solving (PSI), adaptation to stress (FCOPES), and amount of stress (FILE) between individuals’ relational status. The results of the overall MANOVA were significant for relational status (F(4, 111) = 2.72,p= .033, partial η²= .089), suggesting that there were significant differences between married or domestic partnership and other relationship statuses. The result of the individual ANOVA was significant for adaptation to stress (F(1, 114) = 6.60,p= .011, partial η²= .055). 

Understanding the nature of intergenerational stress for Black women can enhance mental and physical health treatment of this population. The results from this study offers practice insights about the importance of understanding how mediators (e.g., problem solving and self-esteem) effect stress management.