‘Just be strong and keep going’: the influence of Superwoman Schema on Black women’s perceived expectations of coping with sexual pain

Abstract

Superwoman Schema, a conceptual framework that reflects Black women’s ability to overcome gendered racism and stress, affects the way Black women choose to cope with health-related issues. The purpose of this study was to investigate how Black women perceive they should cope with sexual pain using the Superwoman Schema as an analytic and interpretative guide. Data were derived from participants who completed an individual interview on sexual pain and pleasure. Deductive thematic analysis was conducted. Results indicated whereas some Black women endorsed all five components of Superwoman Schema as coping strategies for sexual pain, other Black women resisted SWS completely. Additionally, one participant was an outlier and did not endorse or resist SWS. Implications for generational sexual health interventions for Black women are discussed.

Keywords:

• Sexual pain
• Black women
• Superwoman Schema
• coping
• self-silencing

Disclosure statement

The authors declare that there is no conflicting interest

Additional information

Funding

This study was partially funded by the Center for Positive Sexuality’s Race and Sexuality Grant.