Nov 13 Flashcards
what even is coping?
multiple related definitions
INTENTIONAL and CONSCIOUS, or UNCONSCIOUS RESPONSES to STRESS
basically, how one responds to stress
coping is distinct from, but similar to…
emotion regulation
sometimes studied together, sometimes apart
2 major distinctions in coping types
- primary control
- secondary control
primary control coping
efforts to change the STRESSOR ITSELF
thought to be more effective for stressors WITHIN your control
secondary control coping
change YOURSELF to adapt to the stressor
thought to be more effective for UNCONTROLLABLE stressors
ie. ignore or reframe situation
ie. distract yourself/think about positive things instead
Dr Kevin Nadal’s coping strategies (video)
uses secondary coping strategies
- talks about his feelings with people
- uses support network to unpack experiences
- tries not to internalize things
- externalizes racialized experiences ie. “it’s because they’re racist, it’s not my fault”
*he LEARNED these strategies from models, esp his black female friends
Dr Linda Juang’s coping strategies (video)
emotions accumulate from racism experiences
so much emotion in the instant it happens, hard to cope
different emotions occur when she sees her kids experience racism - more sadness and hurt
coping strategies:
- talking about her experiences
- hearing from others about how they handle things, sharing stories and coping strategies
- reading books, listening to others
- makes her proud to see others standing up
Dr Marissa Franco (video)
racism as a multiracial person
feelings of anger
emotional suppression
trying to make others feel comfortable
experienced audacious comment “you would’ve been a slave if you were alive 100 years ago”
she felt she had to respond docilely and avoid confronting the white woman
so much anger/emotion in response to these events that it feels like she can’t productively respond in a way that’s inclusive of the anger
and she feels so angry about that - mad at the perpetrator and at her friend for not standing up for her
mad and disappointed at herself too - internal conflict
as a multiracial person, says there’s a component of privilege to “know whiteness” and be able to please white people, but that this comes at a personal sacrifice - she gives something up when she makes those decisions
Dr Marissa Franco and primary control
its hard to engage in primary control
so hard to stand up against these experiences
doesn’t want to be disruptive or confrontational
feelings of anger, frustration, helplessness, discomfort, fear of escalating the event, recognizing the perpetrator isn’t in a place to recognize the weight of their actions
culturally-embedded coping - what does this mean?
complex set of learned behaviours that has a SHARED MEANING among members of a racial/ethnic group
doesn’t mean that ONLY members of X or Y group use this strategy
not exclusive to one group, but might have shared meaning exclusive to that group
culturally embedded coping: may be…
- more COMMON among CERTAIN ethnic-racial groups than others
- may have SLIGHTLY DIFF MEANINGS
ie. anti-racist critical action for minority people can be both a coping strategy and help challenge structural issues
but for majority group members, they aren’t coping through action in the same way because they aren’t personally disadvantaged by the system of oppression
coping: while it’s important to look at mainstream coping strategies…
coping is VERY CONTEXTUALIZED and very tightly woven within a person’s cultural context
only looking at mainstream coping obscures other types of important culturally-specific coping strategies and sources of resilience
framework of radical hope (Mosley et al 2019) BACKGROUND
radical hope = conceptualized as KEY identity-consistent coping factor among POC
“radical hope allows for a SENSE OF AGENCY to CHANGE things for the GREATER GOOD - a belief that one can fight for justice and that the fight won’t be futile”
“the steadfast belief in the collective capacity contained within communities of colour to HEAL and TRANSFORM oppressive forces into a BETTER FUTURE despite OVERWHELMING ODDS”
framework of radical hope: two axes
- PAST to FUTURE
- linked by COLLECTIVE MEMORY
- COLLECTIVE ORIENTATION to INDIVIDUAL ORIENTATION
- linked by FAITH and AGENCY
- RADICAL HOPE
- in the middle of these two axes
framework of radical hope: faith
idea that positive change for one’s group is POSSIBLE DESPITE BARRIERS faced by POC
framework of radical hope: agency
sense that POC can alone or with others, ACT TO IMPROVE individual and collective WELLNESS
framework of radical hope: collective memory
“humanizes our stories, captures a group’s shared history of struggles and victories, and provides pathways created by previous generations to identify alternative routes to use in times of crisis”
ie. remembering history of oppression
ie. remembering fight for voting rights
framework of radical hope: faith, agency and collective memory lead to…
4 different types of behaviours
- understanding history of oppression and resistance
- ancestral pride
- envisioning possibilities
- meaning and purpose
framework of radical hope: understanding history of oppression and resistance
CONTEXTUALIZE current racial/ethnic inequalities
“in order for POC to ENVISION the possibilities of a BETTER and more egalitarian TOMORROW, it’s important to UNDERSTAND that intersecting forms of oppression that different racial-ethnic groups have faced (ie. dispossession of land, broken treaties, genocide, enslavement, racial labour exploitation, voter suppression, criminalization of immigrants, gender exploitation of POC) and how they have RESISTED and SURVIVED them”
knowledge that POC haven’t only coped with oppression and survived, but have resisted and ALTERED in some ways roots causes of systems of oppression
framework of radical hope: ancestral pride
grounded in the:
a) knowledge
b) respect
c) admiration
of the INDIVDIUAL and COLLECTIVE sacrifices and accomplishments of previous generations
motivates people to thrive in the moment
sparks DESIRE TO CHALLENGE the status quo and COMMIT to social action to improve societal equity for the future
doubling down on group membership to cope
framework of radical hope: envisioning possibilities
relying on collective memory of group, plus faith and agency, to envision both radical long term and practical short term possibilities for:
- wellness equity
- liberation
- dignity of POC
collective memory helps one look back through history and see rights and conditions seemingly impossible at the time being realized by one’s group
framework of radical hope: meaning and purpose
“with a sense of meaning and purpose that is DEVELOPED through COLLECTIVE MEMORY and ENHANCED through FAITH and AGENCY, possibilities for the future of the collective can be visualized”
summary of radical hope
overall, an interesting way to think about coping with discrimination and oppression among POC
relies on:
- history
- resilience
- past experiences of group overcoming oppression
to push people to LOOK FORWARD to better future possibilities and DERIVE MEANING/PURPOSE from INDIVIDUAL and COLLECTIVE efforts to thrive in spite of and in resistance of oppression
example of culturally-embedded coping - religiosity/spirituality…
meta analysis
found religious coping generally leads to better coping, even in non-POC
religiosity/spirituality = VERY IMPORTANT part of many MINORITIZED communities in NA context
ties into RADICAL HOPE
radical hope through religiosity/spirituality - STUDY of black YA finds…
study of 188 Black 20-22 year olds
FINDINGS:
- racial discrimination > more depression and more stress physiological disruption
- more depression mediates discrimination > cortisol relationship
- this pathway is COMPLETELY DISRUPTED (ie. discrimination doesn’t predict depression) for those with HIGH RELIGIOUS INVOLVEMENT
John Henryism
constant awareness of one’s race as a black person in America
often respond to stereotypes and discrimination and barriers with REPEATING HIGHER COPING (STRIVING)
striving + difficult circumstances = cardiovascular system damage + stroke risk
striving results in higher BP and other health disparities by 20s, 30s, 40s
where does John Henryism get its name from
fable
about John Henry - he has an epic battle against a massive machine, and beats it, but then drops dead from the mental and physical toll of the fight
Volpe et al study - Does John Henryism moderate the impacts of racial discrimination on blood pressure among Black uni students?
SETUP:
1) 234 Black uni students at predominately White institution (PWI)
2) mostly female
MAIN FINDINGS
1) racial discrimination > higher diastolic BP
2) John Henryism MODERATED the above relationship
Volpe et al study - discrimination * John Henryism interaction
positive association between racial discrimination and diastolic BP was stronger for those higher in John Henryism coping
showed a steeper diastolic BP trend
John Henryism adds fuel to the fire
John Henryism is very similar to…
striving
john henryism statements:
“I’ve always felt I could make my pretty much what I wanted to make of it”
“I like doing things other people thought were impossible”
“when things are tough, I don’t lose sight of my goals”
striving statements:
“ability to stay focused on one’s goals, plan ahead, and not get distracted from one’s goals”
“if someone bothers me when I’m busy I ignore them”
striving throwback - health consequences of upward social mobility
striving = very high effort coping
striving predicts worse health
it’s successful for MOVING UP THE LADDER, but it has negative consequences
- tangible positive results (economic, educational)
- negative physical results
achievement/health paradox
phenomenon caused by:
a) striving/JH
b) social conditions that lead to striving
CONTEXT: structural racism, oppression, chronic stress, scarcity
FAMILY/SOCIALIZATION PRACTICES
(racial, emotion, academic socialization)
lead to
STRIVING PERSISTENT BEHAVIOURAL STYLE
(emotional suppression, prevention motivation, unmodulated persistence)
RESULTS:
a) academic achievement
b) MH symptoms
c) allostatic load > health disparities
early measures of ways of coping with discrimination
prior measures: ASKING people what they do generally when they face stress
ie. John Henyrism measures:
“It’s not always easy, but I manage to find a way to do the things I really need to get done”
“when I’m in a stressful situation, I think about the positives I can glean from it”
problem with early measures of ways of coping with discrimination
NOT SPECIFIC to the TYPE of stressor you’re facing
or the CONTEXT - the way you react to a situation depends on the situation itself
people may cope different depending…
on the SITUATION and TYPE of stressor they’re facing
people have GENERAL STYLES, but strategy use can still vary
diffs in coping: Hoggard et al Black uni student study
- Ps DIDN’T APPRAISE racialized stressors as more TAXING/STRESSFUL than non-racialized stressors
- THOUGHT they COPED EQUALLY SUCCESSFULLY with them as well
- but, Ps did:
a) MORE CONFRONTATIVE COPING
b) LESS PROBLEM SOLVING
c) MORE AVOIDANCE
d) MORE RUMINATION
when faced with racialized stressors versus non-racialized stressors
Black uni student study - diffs in coping for racialized vs non-racialized stressors
Ps did:
- more confrontative coping
- less problem solving
- more avoidance
- more rumination
(although Ps appraised these stressors as equally taxing/stressful AND thought they coped equally well with both types)
one of the only coping scales specifically about coping with discrimination…
Umana-Taylor et al and McDermott et al
ITEM STEM: sometimes people experience discrimination or negative remarks about their ethnic or racial background, and there are different ways that people can deal with these situations. HOW OFTEN HAVE YOU USED EACH OF THE FOLLOWING STRATEGIES WHEN COPING WITH DISCRIMINATION?
Umana-Taylor and McDermott et al - coping scale specifically about discrimination - ITEMS
ITEMS:
“talking to the person to clarify the misconception or stereotype”
“just thinking about all the positive things that you have to offer/being proud of yourself”
“working hard to prove discriminatory people wrong”
“dealing with discrimination by saying something rude right back to the person”
“ignoring the situation”
study - how does discrimination impact ethnic-racial discrimination-specific coping strategies?
T1 and T2 - 6 weeks apart
QUESTION: how does discrimination predict FUTURE CHANGES in how Latinx YA cope?
FINDINGS: discrimination at T1 predicts…
- GREATER PRIDE as a coping strategy
- more HARD WORK to cope with disc
…6 weeks later
study - how does discrimination impact ethnic-racial discrimination-specific coping strategies? DISC AT T1 DOESN’T PREDICT…
- TALK at T2
- RUDENESS at T2
- IGNORING at T2
what’s one way we can encourage effective coping?
ERS
ERS and coping skills
ERS - both CULTURAL SOCIALIZATION and PREP FOR BIAS can increase coping skills on youth
depending on the context
prep for bias and coping
in Black adolescents…
prep for bias is associated with APPROACH COPING and ENGAGEMENT COPING
APPROACH coping: problem solving
ENGAGEMENT coping:
“I try to think of different ways to change the problem or fix the situation [primary]”
“I tell myself that everything will be alright [secondary]”
Salcido & Stein - study of ERS and coping in 135 Latine adolescents
CULTURAL SOCIALIZATION but NOT prep for bias…
related PROACTIVE COPING with disc
proactive coping related to LESS DEPRESSION & ANXIETY
final summary
- coping = reaction to experiences of stress
- conceptualization of coping is complex
- culturally-embedded coping practices shouldn’t be overlooked
a) John Henryism & striving - costs & benefits
b) civic engagement - may be promising and also impacts structural issues themselves - but can also be stressful
c) community & sharing experiences - very important
- need to assess coping specifically with discrimination
- try things out and be flexible - if all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail
