The strong Black woman (SBW) schema is a racialized gender role characterized by emotional control, independence, and self-sacrifice. Little is known about how internalization of the SBW schema may influence Black women's romantic relationships. The current study explored the link between endorsement of the SBW schema and relationship flourishing through gender role conflict (the discrepancy between societally prescribed and personally enacted gender roles) and considered how these associations may vary based relationship type (queer or non-queer). One hundred eighty-eight Black women (Mage = 32.28, SD = 11.52 years) completed measures assessing SBW schema endorsement, gender role conflict (GRC), and relationship flourishing, as well as opened-ended questions about their romantic relationship. A mixed-method approach was used, and data was analyzed using a mediated moderation analysis utilizing PROCESS Macro and the thematic analysis method. Results revealed a significant negative correlation between the SBW schema and relationship flourishing. Additionally, GRC did not mediate the association between SBW schema and relationship flourishing, nor was that association moderated by relationship type. However, post-hoc analyses demonstrated that external GRC moderated the association between SBW schema and relationship flourishing. Themes revealed that participants experienced gender role conflict in their relationships both interpersonally (i.e., desire for boundaries, feeling disregarded, feeling prioritized, causing disagreements, and providing support) and intrapersonally (i.e., feeling unsupported, feeling emotionally and physically depleted, and feeling disconnected).

Using intersectionality as a guiding framework, the current study examined how gendered and racialized perceptions of Black women as "strong Black women" may be shaped by colorism. This experimental study sampled 314 Black and White participants from the community. Participants were presented with a vignette that described a Black woman coping with workplace stress in one of two ways, one congruent with strong Black womanhood (emotional restriction) and one incongruent with strong Black womanhood (emotional vulnerability), alongside the image of a light skin or dark skin Black woman. Then, participants were asked to rate how "strong" they perceived the woman in the vignette to be. A factorial ANCOVA was conducted to test how perceptions of the woman in the vignette varied based on her emotional response to workplace stress and skin tone, while controlling for perceptions of likability and competence. As hypothesized, we observed that participants perceived the woman responding to workplace stress with emotional restriction as stronger than the women who responded with emotional vulnerability. However, skin tone, nor the interaction between emotional response and skin tone had a bearing on participants' perceptions. There were also no differences in perceptions based on participant race. Through its intersectional framing, this study challenges scholars and practitioners to consider how the interplay between racism, sexism, and colorism shapes how Black women are seen by others and, in turn, how they may see themselves as strong Black women. Implications of the findings, limitations, and future directions are discussed.

The purpose of the current study is to revise the wording of the items in the Strong Black Woman (SBW) attitudes scale and investigate the psychometric properties of this revised scale (renamed the SBW Cultural Construct Scale, SBWCCS). Another goal is to determine if the scale predicts racial identity, stress, and social support. The sample consisted of 152 women of African descent, who were recruited from a community based organization. An exploratory factor analysis on the SBWCCS scale suggested a 3-factor model consisting of (1) caretaking, (2) affect regulation, and (3) self-reliance. These factors parallel those found in the original scale (Thompson, 2003). The internal consistency was adequate for the overall scale and the caretaking subscale, but somewhat low for affect-regulation and self-reliance. The SBWCCS scale predicted centrality of racial identity and stress (measured as perceived stress and number of stressful events). Specifically, women who reported higher levels on the SBWCCS also reported higher levels of centrality and stress. In addition, higher levels on the caretaking subscale predicted lower reciprocity of social support. Other aspects of racial identity (public and private regard) and social support (received and satisfaction) were not predicted by SBWCCS. Methodological limitations and implications for future research are discussed.

The purpose of the current study is to revise the wording of the items in the Strong Black Woman (SBW) attitudes scale and investigate the psychometric properties of this revised scale (renamed the SBW Cultural Construct Scale, SBWCCS). Another goal is to determine if the scale predicts racial identity, stress, and social support. The sample consisted of 152 women of African descent, who were recruited from a community based organization. An exploratory factor analysis on the SBWCCS scale suggested a 3-factor model consisting of (1) caretaking, (2) affect regulation, and (3) self-reliance. These factors parallel those found in the original scale (Thompson, 2003). The internal consistency was adequate for the overall scale and the caretaking subscale, but somewhat low for affect-regulation and self-reliance. The SBWCCS scale predicted centrality of racial identity and stress (measured as perceived stress and number of stressful events). Specifically, women who reported higher levels on the SBWCCS also reported higher levels of centrality and stress. In addition, higher levels on the caretaking subscale predicted lower reciprocity of social support. Other aspects of racial identity (public and private regard) and social support (received and satisfaction) were not predicted by SBWCCS. Methodological limitations and implications for future research are discussed.

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Mémoire en recherche-création. Co-direction. / Basé sur une approche singulière, personnelle et interdisciplinaire, le présent mémoire de recherche-création interroge l’évolution des représentations cinématographiques associées aux femmes noires, largement répandues dans le cinéma américain, français et antillais. Cette étude-essai s’appuie plus particulièrement sur les liens que maintiennent les mythes respectifs de la Strong Black Woman dans un contexte nord-américain et celui de la femme Potomitan antillaise, en retraçant : leur historicité commune bien que géographiquement éparse, les valeurs de résilience et de sacrifice qu’elles partagent, mais aussi les limites sous-jacentes que révèlent l’utilisation de ces deux figures au cinéma. Pour comprendre l'ampleur de l'influence cinématographique et sociétale de ces mythes, il est essentiel d'examiner non seulement les contextes postcoloniaux dont ils sont issus et dans lesquels ils ont évolué, mais aussi les théories féministes qui prennent en compte, ou non, la dimension raciale de ces questions. Il faut également considérer la persistance des stéréotypes qui associent ces femmes et les personnages qu'elles interprètent à l'écran à des conceptions figées et racistes. Rythmée par le dialogue qu’entretiennent les deux composantes de ce mémoire-création, alliant une étude scientifique basée sur une méthodologie comparative à la réalisation d’un court-métrage de fiction, cette réflexion apporte une critique quant au rôle que jouent de telles représentations audiovisuelles dans la construction identitaire et la perception sociale de ces femmes et des communautés afro-descendantes auxquelles elles appartiennent. Ce faisant, il s’agit ici de révéler les lacunes palpables qui animent les récits cinématographiques qui en sont faits, ainsi que leur manque prégnant de subtilité et d’inclusivité. En outre, nous suggérons d'examiner des films qui adoptent une approche moderne de ces concepts. / Based on a unique, personal, and interdisciplinary approach, this present research-creation thesis examines the evolution of cinematic representations associated with Black women, widely prevalent in American, French, and French Caribbean cinema. This study-essay relies specifically on the links between the myths of the Strong Black Woman in a North American context and that of the Potomitan woman in the Caribbean, tracing their common historicity despite being geographically opposed, the values of resilience and sacrifice they share, as well as the underlying limitations revealed by using these two figures in cinema. In order to grasp the extent of the cinematic and societal influence of these myths, it is essential to consider not only the postcolonial contexts from which they originate and within which they have evolved but also the feminist theories that take into account, or not, the racial dimension of these issues. Additionally, it is necessary to consider the persistence of stereotypes that associate these women and the fictional characters they embody on screen with fixed and racist conceptions. Structured by the dialogue between the two components of this research-creation, combining a scientific study based on a comparative methodology with the making of a fictional short film, this reflection provides a critique of the role played by such audiovisual representations in the construction of identity and social perception of these women and the Afro-descendant communities to which they belong, revealing the tangible shortcomings that animate the cinematic narratives surrounding them, as well as their lack of subtlety and inclusivity. Furthermore, we suggest examining films that advise a modern approach to these concepts.

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