Stressful Life Events and Psychiatric Symptoms in Black Adolescent Females

Abstract

The relationship between stressful life events andpsychiatric morbidity in a sample of over 1,300 Black adolescent females is reported in this article. The sample was part of a large-scale effort to evaluate primary health services for adolescents in ten United States cities. Black females were considered of special interest since divergent ideas exist regarding their vulnerability to psychiatric problems. On one hand, they are deemed to be at high risk because of their racial and disadvantaged socioeconomic status. A historical legacy exists, however, asserting that Black women acquired coping skills that have permitted them to adapt successfully to such adversities. The hypothesis of this study, that there would be a large group of Black adolescent females with highly stressful experiences and low symptom levels, was not supported by the data. A stronger-than-expected relationship between stress and several types of psychiatric disorders was found. The findings indicated that Black females were not insulated in any special way from the harmful influences of stressful events.

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