Intervening with African-Americans: Culturally Specific Practice Considerations

Abstract

Social work interventions are best applied when tailored to meet the specific needs of the target population. Practice perspectives that foster resilience by integrating core African-American values serve to decrease psychosocial risks and promote positive coping and adaptation. This article describes models of risk and resilience and the Africentric perspective. The discussion then integrates these concepts to highlight the importance of Africentric approaches for promoting resilience. In addition to placing risk and resilience at the forefront, the Africentric perspective is explored as a framework for developing new practice interventions that promote resilience. These perspectives are integrated in proposing engagement, assessment, and intervention strategies that employ the Africentric perspective. A case example illustrates the application of strategies that are informed by this integrated perspective. Implications for practice and research are discussed.

Designing Culturally Relevant Physical Activity Programs for African-American Women: A Framework for Intervention Development

“…This phenomenon has been termed as an “ethic of care” by previous researchers [87, 88]. While this phenomenon has been reported by women of all cultural and ethnic backgrounds, it appears to be more accentuated in the value system of AA women [25, 60]. Qualitative and quantitative research shows that AA women not only take great pride in, but are responsible for the majority of the household and caretaking responsibilities within their familial unit [36, 41, 43, 45, 46, 47, 48, 59, 75, 89, 90–94].…”

“…Development of our framework was predicated on our PA intervention research among AA women [13–20], seminal literature focused on the topics of cultural adaptation and health promotion programs [21, 12, 22], sociological and theoretical perspectives on the role of women in AA culture (i.e., Womanist, Afrocentric, and Black Feminist) [23–25], and key determinants of PA engagement among AA women [26, 27]. We used a life course perspective [28] to inform model development because it allowed us to focus on generational/cohort characteristics of AA culture and life events that AA women experience throughout the life span.…”

Utility of Social Cognitive Theory in Intervention Design for Promoting Physical Activity among African-American Women: A Qualitative Study

“…45,46 It is important to note that this phenomenon is prevalent among women of other racial/ethnic backgrounds; however, findings demonstrate it to be more revered and emphasized in the AA community. 47,48 …”

Empowerment and Social Support: Implications for Practice and Programming Among Minority Women with Substance Abuse and Criminal Justice Histories

“…As such, the lack of available resources for minority women may perpetuate feelings of powerlessness. 15,16 These disparities in resource access permeate the criminal justice landscape, and highlight the gaps in policy and programs that need to be addressed to promote the health and well-being of women who are or were formerly involved in the criminal justice system.…”