Gendered racism emerges as a pervasive mental health concern among Black women doctoral students. However, there is a scarcity of existing literature on the strategies being used to maintain mental well-being while navigating gendered racism among Black women doctoral students. To address the current gaps in scientific knowledge, this dissertation completed individual semi-structured interviews. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), and the lens of Black Feminist Thought and Intersectionality were used as guiding theoretical frameworks to examine narratives of fifteen Black women doctoral students at universities in the United States. The study findings provided insight into coping strategies and the role of radical healing as a way of resisting oppression while in a doctoral program. Data analysis resulted in three themes describing coping strategies: (1) navigating identity and social dynamics, (2) incorporating coping strategies and wellness, and (3) healing and activism in the pursuit of equity. Healing and activism encompassed strategies of radical healing. Implications for research and practice are offered.
","abstract_html":"<p>Gendered racism emerges as a pervasive mental health concern among Black women doctoral students. However, there is a scarcity of existing literature on the strategies being used to maintain mental well-being while navigating gendered racism among Black women doctoral students. To address the current gaps in scientific knowledge, this dissertation completed individual semi-structured interviews. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), and the lens of Black Feminist Thought and Intersectionality were used as guiding theoretical frameworks to examine narratives of fifteen Black women doctoral students at universities in the United States. The study findings provided insight into coping strategies and the role of radical healing as a way of resisting oppression while in a doctoral program. Data analysis resulted in three themes describing coping strategies: (1) navigating identity and social dynamics, (2) incorporating coping strategies and wellness, and (3) healing and activism in the pursuit of equity. Healing and activism encompassed strategies of radical healing. Implications for research and practice are offered.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Keys, Phylicia"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)","degree_level":"Dissertation","degree_discipline":"Social Work","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Vetta Sanders Thompson"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2024,"date_issued":"2024-05-22T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2024-05-22T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T06:12:17Z","subjects":["Social and Behavioral Sciences","Social Work"],"languages":["English (en)"],"rights":["I have not registered my thesis with the U.S. Copyright Office, and do not intend to."],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/brown_etds/35"],"render_values":[{"text":"https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/brown_etds/35","href":"https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/brown_etds/35","code":true}]}]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://doi.org/10.7936/GS30-EZ21","outbound_label":"DOI","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Vetta Sanders Thompson"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Keys, Phylicia"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2024-07-25T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Social Work","Brown School"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Dissertation"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Social and Behavioral Sciences","Social Work"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language","label":"Dc Language","values":["English (en)"]},{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["I have not registered my thesis with the U.S. Copyright Office, and do not intend to."]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://doi.org/10.7936/GS30-EZ21","https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/brown_etds/35"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Gendered racism emerges as a pervasive mental health concern among Black women doctoral students. However, there is a scarcity of existing literature on the strategies being used to maintain mental well-being while navigating gendered racism among Black women doctoral students. To address the current gaps in scientific knowledge, this dissertation completed individual semi-structured interviews. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), and the lens of Black Feminist Thought and Intersectionality were used as guiding theoretical frameworks to examine narratives of fifteen Black women doctoral students at universities in the United States. The study findings provided insight into coping strategies and the role of radical healing as a way of resisting oppression while in a doctoral program. Data analysis resulted in three themes describing coping strategies: (1) navigating identity and social dynamics, (2) incorporating coping strategies and wellness, and (3) healing and activism in the pursuit of equity. Healing and activism encompassed strategies of radical healing. Implications for research and practice are offered.
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