Date of Award

Summer 2022

Document Type

Project – Full Written

Degree Name

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

Committee Chair

Erin Montgomery

Abstract

For decades, Black women have upheld the stereotype of being consistently strong, capable, tenacious, and unwavering throughout life’s many challenges. Unfortunately, while being resolute in their desire to succeed against all odds, many Black women have unknowingly embraced the characteristics of a phenomenon known as Superwoman Schema. Superwoman Schema consists of five characteristics that are not inherently negative. However, when Black women consistently embody these traits which include the determination to succeed and to be strong, and an obligation to help others; they may neglect their own self-care needs. Subsequently, while neglecting themselves, focusing on others, and continuously trying to strive and thrive, Black women may in turn develop stress and stress-related conditions. Mindfulness-based holistic therapies such as meditation, yoga, and deep breathing have been shown to decrease anxiety and stress while also improving certain stress-related conditions such as hypertension and obesity. This DNP project sought to bring awareness to Superwoman Schema and its negative stress effects. The project also served to introduce to Black women the practice of holistic therapies as a potential method to decrease their perceived stress levels as related to Superwoman Schema.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License

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