Exploring the Relationship Between the Strong Black Woman Archetype and Mental Health Help-Seeking Behaviors of Black
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CRANES IN THE SKY: EXPLORING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE STRONG BLACK WOMAN ARCHETYPE AND MENTAL HEALTH HELP-SEEKING BEHAVIORS OF BLACK WOMEN A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF THE TEXAS WOMAN’S UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENT OF SOCIOLOGY AND SOCIAL WORK COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES BY MIA M. KIRBY B.S., M.S.W., LCSW DENTON, TEXAS MAY 2019 Copyright © 2019 by Mia Moore Kirby DEDICATION This work is dedicated to my ancestors and spirit guides Joseph B. Provost Sr. Mary Louise Dorn Jackson James Lamar Provost Wilbur Daniel Moore Thank you for always being with me. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First, I must acknowledge The Creator, through which all blessings flow. I could not have embarked on this journey without the presence of the Lord in my life, Ashé. It wasn’t until I was deeply ingrained in the research that I realize that this work is a physical embodiment of my upbringing. To this end, I must thank my parents, my mother Janice Provost, for being the original strong black women in my life, who demonstrated strength through healing. I can never repay you for the seeds of healing and growth that you planted in me. To my father, Dexter Moore, the first DJ I ever knew. You have always been one of my biggest supporters. I am so grateful for your wisdom and guidance throughout my life and most importantly for always playing my favorite songs. To my husband, Dr. Darian T. Kirby, I am beyond grateful for your love, support, and encouragement. For never letting me give up, for being a listening ear, for praying for me and with me, for being so understanding and as always for being the “Rock to my Kite”. I love you always and forever. To my daughter Kylle Eva, the shining star of my life. You encouraged me, prayed for me, and kept me motivated throughout this journey. I love you M.T.P. To my son- shine Kohl Thomas, you’ve kept me laughing, singing, and dancing when I needed it the most. I love you Kohlie-Kohl. iii To my village, my grandmothers Mary E. Provost and Hazel S. Moore, I am honored to sit at your feet. Your prayers, encouragement, wisdom, and guidance, means the world to me. To my little “big” brother Jamaal, you are such an inspiration, thank you for always loving, encouraging, and supporting me. To my in-laws Darrell and Toni Kirby, Ashley, Eisa, Dia, Issac, and Danan thank you for your all of your help, prayers, and encouraging words. To my aunts, uncles, and cousins of the Provost, Moore, Harris, Carter, Williams and Kirby families thank you for always being my cheerleaders. I am so grateful for your support. To my doctoral committee, my chair Dr. Jessica Guillion, from the beginning you got it, you truly understood me and my work. I am so appreciative for your continued support and guidance, for helping make my vision a reality. Thank you for being the one for “the rest of us” and continually pushing for growth, and excellence. To Dr. Paul Bones, I am so grateful for your assistance and guidance in this project, for pushing me to research more, dig deeper, and find my voice. Your ideas were always helpful and really encouraged me to develop a deeper theoretical perspective. To Dr. Nila Ricks, thank you first for taking a chance on me as a research assistant. You gave me the opportunity to learn firsthand what it takes to be a stellar researcher and produce scholarly work. Thank you for showing me the ropes to navigating academia as a Black woman and for always encouraging me and for never allowing me to give up. To the faculty and staff of the TWU Social Work Program, to which I have had the pleasure of working with over the past year, thank you for your encouragement and words of wisdom throughout this process. I am so grateful for all of your support. iv To my sister-friends, Chrystal, Angela, Monika, Tamera, Michelle, Vanessa, Becky, and Aubree thank you for all your love, support, encouragement, and guidance. I will always remember the countless hours of evening courses together, studying and writing together, and laughing and crying together. You all have been the best part of this journey. I am so grateful for your friendship. To my fellow GTA office-mates, AKD buddies, and my group text best friends, Vikter and Lawanna, you two have made this experience so memorable. I love you guys and I am so glad that you are in my life. Thank you for listening to me and always being so positive and supportive. To the gracious women who participated in this study thank you for demonstrating strength in allowing yourselves to be vulnerable. Thank you for understanding the importance of your voice and for allowing me to share in your life experiences. I am beyond grateful for your participation in this study. Special thanks to Hogg Foundation’s Mental Health Frances Fowler Wallace Memorial Grant, which partially funded this research. v ABSTRACT MIA KIRBY CRANES IN THE SKY: EXPLORING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE STRONG BLACK WOMAN ARCHETYPE AND MENTAL HEALTH HELP-SEEKING BEHAVIORS OF BLACK WOMEN MARCH 2019 The purpose of this study is to explore the relationship between the strong Black woman archetype and the self-image of Black women as well as their mental health help-seeking behaviors. Specifically, I am exploring if a relationship between strength and receiving professional mental health services exists. The results of the study provided insight into these concepts and implications for future research and mental health intervention strategies for Black women. Previous research has provided some insight on the Strong Black woman image (Guy- Sheftall, 1995; Harris-Lacewell, 2001; Holmes et al, 2001; Collins, 2000; Wyatt, 2008) in addition to the mental health help-seeking behaviors of Black women (Pyant & Yanico 1991; Thomas, 2004; Beauboeuf-Lafontant, 2007; Johnson, 2009; Levine, 2015; Sosulski & Woodward, 2013). However, little research exists examining the relationship between the strong Black woman archetype and mental health help-seeking behaviors of Black women (Beauboeuf- vi Lafontant, 2007; Holmes et al, 2001; Watson & Hunter, 2015). This study was conducted using two forms of qualitative data collection. The first aspect of the study analyzed music from the Black Power and Feminist movements of the (1960’s-1970’s) as well as music from the Black Lives Matter movement (2013- present day). The second aspect of the study was conducted through semi-structured interviews. A historically, underrepresented group in academia (Collins, 2000). Black women’s voices and experiences in seeking mental health services warrant investigation due to the prevalence of mental health issues and lack of help-seeking behaviors within the Black community. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS DEDICATION ................................................................................................................................ ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................................................... iii ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................................... vi LIST OF FIGURES .........................................................................................................................x LIST OF TABLES ......................................................................................................................... xi Chapter I. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................1 Research Dilemma ...................................................................................................4 Purpose Statement ....................................................................................................7 Research Questions ..................................................................................................8 Theoretical Framework ...........................................................................................9 Significance of Study .............................................................................................11 Dissertation Overview ...........................................................................................12 II. LITERATURE REVIEW ..............................................................................................13 Introduction ............................................................................................................13 Theoretical Framework ..........................................................................................14 Strong Black Woman Archetype ...........................................................................21 Music......................................................................................................................25 Mental Health.........................................................................................................30 Summary ................................................................................................................34 III. EPISTEMOLOGY AND METHODOLOGY .............................................................36 Introduction ............................................................................................................36 Epistemology .........................................................................................................36 Methodology ..........................................................................................................40