Expanding the Psychological Wellness Threshold for Black College Women

Abstract

Objectives: This study investigated the effectiveness of a culturally congruent group intervention program entitled “Claiming Your Connections (CYC)” aimed at reducing stress and enhancing psychosocial competence (i.e., locus of control and active coping) among Black college women. Method: Using an experimental design, a total of 96 undergraduate Black college women recruited from four predominantly White institutions and one historically Black college and university were randomly assigned to either the CYC group ( n = 49) or the wait-list control group ( n = 47). The CYC group attended 10-week group intervention sessions. Repeated measures analysis of variance was used to test intervention effects for the outcome variables. Results: After the intervention, the CYC group reported a significantly greater reduction in perceived stress and external locus of control compared to the control group. Conclusions: Counseling implications and directions for the development of future culturally relevant practice interventions with this population are discussed.