Journal article
Superwoman schema, motherhood status, and subclinical atherosclerosis among African American women
Psychoneuroendocrinology, 107696
01 Feb 2026
PMID: 41344043
Featured in Collection : UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel
Abstract
Background: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death among women in the United States, with African American women facing markedly higher rates of CVD-related morbidity and mortality than women of other racial/ethnic backgrounds. African American women's heightened risk for CVD has been linked to their disproportionate exposure to social stressors. In the present study, we examine how Superwoman Schema (SWS) is related to carotid intima media thickness (IMT) among African American women, as well as the moderating role of motherhood status. Methods: Data are from the Mechanisms Underlying the Impact of Stress and Emotions (MUSE) on African American Women's Health Study, a cohort of 422 African American women residing in the greater Atlanta metropolitan area. The women completed demographic questions (e.g., motherhood status) and psychosocial assessments, including the 35-item SWS scale. IMT scans were also performed during the visit. Results: After adjustment for sociodemographic (e.g., age) and CVD risk (e.g., systolic blood pressure) factors, the results revealed that Resistance to Vulnerability was associated with lower IMT among non-mothers. Conclusions: The results indicate that African American women's culturally rooted tendency to embody strength, independence, self-reliance, ambition, and care for others may serve as a compensatory mechanism influencing CVD risk, with the associations varying by motherhood status.
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Details
- Title
- Superwoman schema, motherhood status, and subclinical atherosclerosis among African American women
- Creators
- Lori S. Hoggard - North Carolina State UniversityTe-ojah J. Dennison-Morgan - North Carolina State UniversityJordan Parker - University of California, Los AngelesRaphiel J. Murden - Emory UniversityZachary T. Martin - Emory UniversityJelaina Shipman-Lacewell - Emory UniversityChristy L. Erving - The University of Texas at AustinNicole D. Fields - Emory UniversityShivika Udaipuria - Emory UniversityRenee H. Moore - Drexel University, Epidemiology and BiostatisticsViola Vaccarino - Emory UniversityArshed A. Quyyumi - Emory University School of MedicineMindy L. Coccari - University of PittsburghTene T. Lewis - Emory University
- Publication Details
- Psychoneuroendocrinology, 107696
- Publisher
- Elsevier
- Number of pages
- 8
- Grant note
- T32 HL130025 / NIH; United States Department of Health & Human Services; National Institutes of Health (NIH) - USA Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development; United States Department of Health & Human Services; National Institutes of Health (NIH) - USA; NIH Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development (NICHD)
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Epidemiology and Biostatistics
- Web of Science ID
- WOS:001635151200001
- Scopus ID
- 2-s2.0-105023710635
- Other Identifier
- 991022133561304721
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- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- Web of Science research areas
- Endocrinology & Metabolism
- Neurosciences
- Psychiatry