A new study explores whether different facets of being a strong black woman, which researchers sometimes refer to as ‘superwoman schema,’ ultimately protect women from the negative health impacts of racial discrimination — or cause more harm.

«[Women] talked about every day walking out of their houses and putting on their ‘armor’ in anticipation of experiencing racial discrimination,» said Amani M. Allen, associate professor of community health sciences and epidemiology at the University of California, Berkeley, describing focus groups she led with African American women in the San Francisco Bay Area.

«What they were really describing was this idea of being strong black women and feeling the need to prepare for the racial discrimination they expect on a daily basis; and that preparation and anticipation adds to their overall stress burden,» Allen said.

Allen is lead author of a new study that explores whether different facets of being a strong black woman, which researchers sometimes refer to as «superwoman schema,» ultimately protect women from the negative health impacts of racial discrimination — or create further harm.

The new study revealed that, in the face of high levels of racial discrimination, some aspects of the superwoman persona, including feeling an obligation to present an image of strength and to suppress one’s emotions, seemed to be protective of health, diminishing the negative health effects of chronic racial discrimination.

But others facets of the persona, such as having an intense drive to succeed and feeling an obligation to help others, seemed to be detrimental to health, further exacerbating the deleterious health effects of the chronic stress associated with racial discrimination.

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Materials provided by University of California — Berkeley. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.