The stress that causes the most negative effect on Black women is chronic, or ongoing, stress. As a result, Black women’s bodies may produce more cortisol continually over time.
According to research submitted in 2022 to the Women’s Health Reports “Studies have observed that Black women may be excessively burdened by physiological impacts of chronic stress caused by health disparities associated with chronic stressors, including discrimination, neighborhood stress, daily stress, family stress, acculturative stress, environmental stress, and maternal stress.
“They are likely to suffer the twofold consequences of social stress resulting from the interaction between racial and gender discrimination, compounded by health and socioeconomic disparity. This may ultimately contribute to an increase in disease manifestation.” (Tipre & Carson, 2022).
As a result, Black women’s bodies may produce more cortisol continually over time. Long-term exposure to elevated cortisol levels can increase Black women’s risk of:
Anxiety
Depression
ADHD
Hypertension
Autism
Now, here is why we wanted to start this episode with stress statistics. Black women making self-care a priority isn’t selfish and should not be sidelined or maligned — it’s necessary and can be lifesaving.
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