Date
6-17-2026
Department
School of Behavioral Sciences
Degree
Doctor of Education in Community Care and Counseling (EdD)
Chair
Jason Ward
Keywords
Black American, stigma, self-stigma, mental health, religion, spirituality
Disciplines
Christianity | Counseling
Recommended Citation
Dorsey, Sylvia D., "The Black American Women, Mental Health, Self-Stigma, and the Church" (2026). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 8606.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/8606
Abstract
The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study is to explore the lived experiences of Christian Black American women who underutilize mental health services due to a perceived notion of self-stigma of Christian Black American women seeking mental health services and how the church may play a role. A transformational theory guides this study. In a transformative framework the study focuses on looking at marginalized groups that have power differentials and are viewed as being less important in society and to understand their life experiences. Stigma and self-stigma are the dominating factors that contribute to the underutilization of mental health services by Black women. The Black American community has a strong relationship with religiosity/ spirituality. Black women are the largest group that connect with their religious beliefs and spirituality. Religion has a positive effect on mental wellbeing; however, the church also could be a hinderance to help seeking among Black women. There is a disparity between Black and White uses of mental health services. The gap in this literature is in understanding the disparity, how to eliminate barriers to mental health care and how the church can support and collaborate with mental health agencies to eliminate the barriers. A phenomenological approach will be used because it studies people with common life experiences. Five to ten adult participants, from ages 18 and above, will come from predominately Black attended churches, community centers, and social media. Data collection will be done by picking candidates with specific criteria, i.e., Black American, female, church attendees, and able to articulate their mental health experiences. Open coding data analysis will be used to organize data into categories.
