FACTS AND FIGURES
Learn about statistics, trends, and other relevant insights for behavioral health practitioners working to reduce health disparities and improve outcomes for people in underserved communities.
Chronic Stress
Chronic stress, marked by the continuous release of stress hormones, can have harmful effects on mental
and physical health.
1 Black women in the United States tend to experience higher levels of
psychosocial stressors (e.g., discrimination, socioeconomic resources, interpersonal traumas) than other
groups of women and are disproportionately impacted by stress-related health conditions.
2 For example,
as of 2019, breast cancer is the leading cause of death for Black women and studies suggest an association
between psychosocial stress and breast cancer disparities.
3 Stress has also been indirectly linked to
physical health conditions through poor diet and unhealthy eating behaviors.
1 A research study
found that over 80% of non-Hispanic Black women were overweight or obese (body mass index [BMI] of >2kg and 30kg,
respectively) due in part to psychological determinants of emotional eating behaviors.
4 Perceived stress
is also associated with anxiety and depression, symptoms of which Black people are more likely to report overall,
and Black women twice as likely than men to experience.
5, 6 Focusing on the sources of stress as well as
effective stress management and coping strategies can promote health equity and help reduce the disparities experienced by this group.
SAMHSA provides resources to support coping and stress management strategies.
References
- O'Connor, D. B., Thayer, J. F., & Vedhara, K. (2021). Stress and health: A review of psychobiological processes. Annual review of psychology, 72, 663-688.
- Mekawi, Y., Carter, S., Brown, B., Martinez de Andino, A., Fani, N., Michopoulos, V., & Powers, A. (2021). Interpersonal trauma and posttraumatic stress disorder among Black women: does racial discrimination matter? Journal of Trauma & Dissociation, 22(2), 154-169.
- Sánchez-Díaz, C. T., Strayhorn, S., Tejeda, S., Vijayasiri, G., Rauscher, G. H., & Molina, Y. (2021). What mediates the racial/ethnic disparity in psychosocial stress among breast cancer patients? Cancer Causes & Control, 32, 357-367.
- Pickett, S., Burchenal, C. A., Haber, L., Batten, K., & Phillips, E. (2020). Understanding and effectively addressing disparities in obesity: A systematic review of the psychological determinants of emotional eating behaviours among Black women. Obesity Reviews, 21(6), e13010.
- Catabay, C. J., Stockman, J. K., Campbell, J. C., & Tsuyuki, K. (2019). Perceived stress and mental health: The mediating roles of social support and resilience among black women exposed to sexual violence. Journal of affective disorders, 259, 143-149.
- Brown, L. L., Abrams, L. R., Mitchell, U. A., & Ailshire, J. A. (2020). Measuring more than exposure: Does stress appraisal matter for Black–White differences in anxiety and depressive symptoms among older adults? Innovation in Aging, 4(5), igaa040.