Cognitive Behavioral Models, Measures, and treatMents for stress disorders in afriCan aMeriCans tawanda M. greer, elizaBeth Brondolo, eloM aMuzu, and aMandeep Kaur 11over the past 20 years, a growing body of research has provided evidence of significant racial disparities in stress exposure. african americans report higher levels of stress than white americans when assessments include selfreport indices of stress. african americans also experience stress as a function of greater exposure to significant threats to safety, achievement, and belonging and reduced access to resources necessary to mitigate these threats. racial and ethnic discrimination serves as an additional source of stress and contributes to disparities in other critical life areas. interconnections among stressors (e.g., crime and unemployment) and bidirectional relationships among stressors and stress responses (e.g., crime, trauma, and revictimization) further exacerbate racial disparities in stress exposure.substantial research has suggested that across populations, greater perceptions of stress are associated with increased distress and risk of impairments in mental and physical health (Baum, 2002;Baum, garofalo, & Yali,