Athlete and nonathlete Strong Black Woman schema endorsement

Strong Black Women (SBW) schema endorsement can negatively affect the mental and physical health of Black women. Furthermore, SBW schema endorsement has been shown to impact Black women’s attitudes toward mental health service utilization. The current study builds upon previous research by exploring and comparing SBW schema endorsement and attitudes toward utilization of mental health services within college-aged athlete and nonathlete populations. Survey responses from 54 Black females 18 to 25 years of age were analyzed. Findings show that SBW schema endorsement and attitudes toward the utilization of mental health services do not differ between Black college-aged female athletes and nonathletes. A majority of Black women believe it is very important to have a therapist or mental health provider of a similar race and ethnic background, and of those who have utilized mental health services in the past, a majority reported being somewhat satisfied or very satisfied. The findings of this study provide insight into Black women’s mental health service utilization to facilitate the improvement of available and effective mental health care services for Black women.