Date
5-16-2024
Department
School of Behavioral Sciences
Degree
Doctor of Education in Community Care and Counseling (EdD)
Chair
Todd Schultz
Keywords
Critical Race Theory, Social Stress Theory, Discrimination, Racism, Health Disparities, cultural competency, health policies, African American Women in healthcare, racial identity, race matters
Disciplines
Counseling | Public Health
Recommended Citation
Benson, RaMona D., "An Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis Exploring African American Women’s Perceptions of Access to Healthcare in the Midwest" (2024). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 5574.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/5574
Abstract
The purpose of this interpretive phenomenological study was to explore access to healthcare through the lens and lived experiences of African American Women (AAW) in Midwestern towns throughout the United States. African American women and other people of low socio-economic backgrounds continue to live with poorer health outcomes than many of their counterparts African American Women experience barriers to healthcare from a unique perspective than their White counterparts. Although medical professionals endeavor to attain equal treatment among each of their patients, significant healthcare disparities are prevalent among AAW Commonly recognized ethnic stereotypes are not always intentionally supported, however, their mere existence shapes how information about a person is processed and can result in unintentional prejudices in decision-making. This well-known phenomenon is commonly referred to as implicit bias. Systemic structural obstacles and different methods of marginalization as described above, continue to plague and limit AAW’s access to quality healthcare in their neighborhoods. This research considered these factors in addition to the access to culturally competent healthcare providers and their ability to address known mental and physical health disparities among AAW through qualitative interviews.
