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2 - Social Determinants of Health and Mental Health for Black Women

from Part I - Black Women in Context

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 June 2023

Donna Baptiste  and
Adia Gooden
By
Uchechi A. Mitchell
Donna Baptiste
Affiliation:
Northwestern University, Illinois
Adia Gooden
Affiliation:
Unconditionally Worthy, Co.
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Summary

Drawing on public health and psychological research and scholarship, we provide an overview of the historical, social, political, and economic experiences that impact the mental health and wellness of Black women in America. We explore Black women’s statuses driven by racial, ethnic, sex/gender, social class, and other disparities. Using a social determinants of health framework We highlight the ways that systemic inequities interact with biological predispositions to shape Black women’s health and mental health. We discuss how Black women’s social group statuses create challenging conditions that induce mental and emotional symptoms such as mood and anxiety disorders. We utilize a case example to illustrate how these interacting forces might play out in one Black woman’s life.

Keywords

public healthmental healthphysical healthsocial deterinantssystemic inequity
Type
Chapter
Information
Promoting Black Women's Mental Health
What Practitioners Should Know and Do
 , pp. 41 - 64
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2023

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