310 p., African/Caribbean-Canadian women's experiences of coping with divorce were explored. Six separated/divorced women from the same family, representing two generations, were interviewed individually and as a group using a semi-structured interview guide. The participants discussed their reflections on marriage and marital disruption, their post-separation experiences and challenges, and the coping resources they accessed during the divorce process. The participants also discussed how their own marriages and divorces were influenced by the marriages and marital disruptions of their family members.
196 p., While some scholars contend that Caribbean Black Americans' socioeconomic successes suggest the declining significance of racism, ethnographic studies have found that Black Caribbean Americans are often shocked, disheartened, and angered by the racism they encounter in the U.S. Findings suggest that racism is an enduring problem in the U.S. for both foreign and native-born Black Americans and that it cannot simply be dismissed as a worldview that serves to protect one's sense of self-worth. Itappears to be an obstacle for Caribbean Black Americans pursuing the American dream and may be associated with decreasing perceptions among Caribbean Black professionals that hard work and perseverance are all one needs to succeed in the U.S.
Ethnic disparities in UK mental healthcare persist despite decades of policy and practice initiatives to eradicate them. Inequalities in access, care and outcomes are most evident among people of Black Caribbean origin. However, much of this evidence is derived from clinical practice and research among men with serious mental illness. Lack of evidence about common mental health issues in Black British Caribbean women is an important omission as reducing inequalities in mental healthcare and providing effective interventions require improved understanding of aetiology, epidemiology, symptom profile and ways of coping. In this paper, I explore the conundrum of apparently low levels of perinatal depression among Black British Caribbean women despite significant levels of psychosocial risk and against the backdrop of high prevalence of diagnosed mental illness among Black British Caribbean men. I posit that the intersections of ethnicity, gender and spirituality might provide at least a partial explanation for apparent underdiagnosis in this group of women. Understanding Black British Caribbean women's mental health needs, coping styles, help-seeking strategies and their relationship with formal systems of care has important ramifications for research, policy and practice aimed at reducing mental health disparities in the context of the UK's equity-based healthcare system. Adapted from the source document.
