Journal article
Superwoman schema and arterial stiffness in Black American women: assessing the role of environmental mastery
Annals of behavioral medicine, v 59(1), kaaf035
17 May 2025
PMID: 40380318
Featured in Collection : UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel
Abstract
Emerging evidence suggests that the Superwoman Schema (SWS)-the sociocultural representation of Black women as naturally strong, independent, and nurturing-may play an important role in Black women's cardiovascular health; but findings have been relatively mixed. One interesting possibility is that environmental mastery, a sense of control over one's environment, may mitigate negative aspects of SWS.
We investigated whether mastery moderated the association between SWS and pulse wave velocity (PWV), the gold standard measure of arterial stiffness linked to cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.
Participants were N = 368 early middle-aged (30-45 years old) Black women from the southeastern USA who completed the 35-item Giscombé Superwoman Schema Questionnaire and Ryff's 14-item environmental mastery scale. Carotid-femoral PWV was assessed using the SphygmoCor device. Linear regression models examined the main and interactive associations of SWS and mastery on PWV, adjusting for age, education, income, body mass index, smoking status, blood pressure, and antihypertensive medication use.
Analyses revealed a significant overall SWS endorsement by mastery interaction [β = -.11, P = .02], such that SWS was positively associated with higher PWV only when mastery was low. Three SWS dimensions drove this association: SWS strength, SWS suppress emotions, and SWS resistance to vulnerability (all P-values < .05) showing similar patterns to the overall SWS interaction with mastery.
In Black women, high endorsement of SWS is associated with greater arterial stiffness when environmental mastery is low. Thus, SWS may be more physiologically taxing when one senses less control over their environment.
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Details
- Title
- Superwoman schema and arterial stiffness in Black American women: assessing the role of environmental mastery
- Creators
- Kennedy M Blevins - University of California, IrvineNicole D Fields - Emory UniversitySarah D Pressman - University of California, IrvineChristy L Erving - The University of Texas at AustinZachary T Martin - Emory UniversityReneé H Moore - Drexel UniversityRaphiel J Murden - Emory UniversityRachel Parker - Emory UniversityShivika Udaipuria - Emory UniversityBianca Booker - Emory UniversityLaKeia Culler - Emory UniversityViola Vaccarino - Emory UniversityArshed Quyyumi - Emory UniversityTené T Lewis (Corresponding Author) - Emory University
- Publication Details
- Annals of behavioral medicine, v 59(1), kaaf035
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press
- Number of pages
- 10
- Grant note
- R01 HL130471 / NHLBI NIH HHS K24 HL163696 / NHLBI NIH HHS T32 HL130025 / NHLBI NIH HHS R01 HL158141 / NHLBI NIH HHS
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Epidemiology and Biostatistics
- Web of Science ID
- WOS:001501161000001
- Scopus ID
- 2-s2.0-105005523681
- Other Identifier
- 991022053803904721
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- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- Web of Science research areas
- Psychology, Multidisciplinary