@article{volpe_collins_ross_ellis_lewis_ladd_fitzpatrick_2024, title={Black Young Adult Superwomen in the Face of Gendered Racial Microaggressions: Contextualizing Challenges With Acceptance and Avoidance and Emotional Eating}, volume={3}, ISSN={["1532-4796"]}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/abm/kaae017}, DOI={10.1093/abm/kaae017}, abstractNote={Abstract Background Black young adult women (ages 18–35) are at disproportionate risk for obesity and emotional eating. Emotional eating interventions target psychological flexibility, such as reducing experiential avoidance and increasing acceptance of food-related thoughts. Yet Black women face gendered racism, and some endorse roles that reduce psychological flexibility, such as the superwoman schema role. Culturally centered stress and coping has often been overlooked, leading to an incomplete understanding of processes that engender emotional eating and the implications for appropriate and effective interventions for Black young adult women. Purpose We investigated direct and indirect pathways of associations between stress from gendered racial microaggressions to emotional eating through the endorsement of superwoman schema and two aspects of psychological flexibility. Methods Black young adult women (N = 504; Mage = 24.72; 75.2% African American; 98.4% cisgender) participated in an online survey wherein they reported demographics, stress from gendered racial microaggressions, superwoman schema, experiential avoidance, acceptance of food-related thoughts, and emotional eating. Path analysis was conducted to examine direct and indirect effects. Results Results provided evidence for indirect associations between more stress from gendered racial microaggressions and more emotional eating. More stress was associated with greater endorsement of the superwoman schema which was associated with more experiential avoidance and less acceptance of food-related thoughts, which were each associated with more emotional eating. Conclusions Endorsement of superwoman schema and concomitant avoidance and less acceptance may be one way that gendered racial stress propels emotional eating. Future research could test intervention components that disrupt this path. }, number={5}, journal={ANNALS OF BEHAVIORAL MEDICINE}, author={Volpe, Vanessa V. and Collins, Abbey N. and Ross, Julia M. and Ellis, Katrina R. and Lewis, Jioni A. and Ladd, Brianna A. and Fitzpatrick, Stephanie L.}, year={2024}, month={Mar} } @article{volpe_tobin_bernard_muhigaba_ross_2024, title={Necessary, Burdensome, or Threatening? Awareness of Black-White Disparities in Health Care Access and Self-Rated Health for Black and White Americans}, volume={3}, ISSN={["1939-0025"]}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/ort0000740}, DOI={10.1037/ort0000740}, abstractNote={Awareness of racial health care inequities is one prerequisite to eliminating them. Although extant research has described awareness of racial health care inequities in the United States, the health impacts of such awareness on communities that are most impacted by these inequities remains unknown. Therefore, we examined associations between awareness of Black-White racial health care inequities and self-rated health for Black and White adults in the United States. We used survey data from non-Hispanic Black and White participants (}, journal={AMERICAN JOURNAL OF ORTHOPSYCHIATRY}, author={Volpe, Vanessa V. and Tobin, Courtney S. Thomas and Bernard, Donte L. and Muhigaba, Perusi B. and Ross, Julia M.}, year={2024}, month={Mar} } @article{volpe_benson_ross_briggs_mejia-bradford_alexander_hope_2023, title={Finding the bright side: Positive online racial experiences, racial identity, and activism for Black young adults}, volume={144}, ISSN={["1873-7692"]}, url={http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-85150395322&partnerID=MN8TOARS}, DOI={10.1016/j.chb.2023.107738}, abstractNote={Engagement in Black community activism allows Black adults to resist societal racism. Yet if interpersonal positive online racial experiences may impact self-reported engagement in Black community activism differently by racial identity remains underexamined. Guided by media, sociopolitical, and racial identity theories, we used latent class and regression analyses to examine the role of positive online racial experiences and racial identity profiles on Black adults' engagement in Black community activism. Survey data from 313 Black adults (Mage = 29.38) collected in 2021 were utilized. We generated four racial identity profiles: race-focused (n = 112), idealistic (n = 97), undifferentiated (n = 74), and detached (n = 30). Undifferentiated and detached Black adults engaged in less activism compared to race-focused adults. More positive online racial experiences were associated with more engagement in activism. Associations did not differ by racial identity. Future research should examine how positive online racial experiences make activism more hopeful and capable of creating change.}, journal={COMPUTERS IN HUMAN BEHAVIOR}, author={Volpe, Vanessa V. and Benson, G. Perusi and Ross, Julia M. and Briggs, Alexis S. and Mejia-Bradford, Sasha C. and Alexander, Anitra R. and Hope, Elan C.}, year={2023}, month={Jul} } @article{volpe_ross_collins_spivey_watson-singleton_goode_hoggard_giscombe_2023, title={Gendered Racial Microaggressions and Emotional Eating for Black Young Adult Women: The Mediating Roles of Superwoman Schema and Self-Compassion}, volume={7}, ISSN={["1471-6402"]}, url={http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-85164501928&partnerID=MN8TOARS}, DOI={10.1177/03616843231182913}, abstractNote={ Black young adult women's stress experiences are shaped by intersecting racism and sexism. To respond to this stress, some Black young adult women engage in emotional eating, which may threaten their health. Yet processes in the association between gendered racial microaggressions and emotional eating for Black young adult women remain unclear. In the current study, we used cross-sectional online survey data from a 2021 national investigation of 504 United States Black young adult (18–35 years old) women (98.4% cisgender) to test if the superwoman schema and self-compassion mediated the link between gendered racial microaggressions and emotional eating. Employing a serial mediation model in which we controlled for sociodemographic and health covariates, we found support for the hypothesized mediation: more gendered racial microaggressions were associated with greater endorsement of the superwoman schema; greater endorsement of the superwoman schema was associated with less self-compassion; and less self-compassion was associated with more emotional eating. Results provide cross-sectional evidence of theorized processes between gendered racial microaggressions and emotional eating for Black young adult women and point to self-compassion as one potentially important component of health behavior interventions to reduce emotional eating for Black young adult women who take on a superwoman role. }, number={1}, journal={PSYCHOLOGY OF WOMEN QUARTERLY}, author={Volpe, Vanessa V. and Ross, Julia M. and Collins, Abbey and Spivey, Briana N. and Watson-Singleton, Natalie N. and Goode, Rachel W. and Hoggard, Lori S. and Giscombe, Cheryl L. Woods L.}, year={2023}, month={Jul} } @article{ross_hope_volpe_2023, title={Intersections of Racial/Ethnic and Religious Identities on Bodily Well-Being for Black College-Attending Emerging Adults}, volume={6}, ISSN={["2196-8837"]}, url={http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-85161846952&partnerID=MN8TOARS}, DOI={10.1007/s40615-023-01653-y}, abstractNote={Black undergraduates face threats to healthy weight and body image (i.e., bodily well-being). Having a strong racial/ethnic identity can promote health during emerging adulthood. However, less is known about the intersections of racial/ethnic and religious identities on the bodily well-being of Black college-attending emerging adults, despite evidence to indicate that aspects of religiosity are also associated with health. We use quantitative data from 767 Black college-attending emerging adults in the Multi-University Study of Identity and Culture to examine the independent contributions of racial/ethnic and religious identity for bodily health, and test a potential interaction between racial/ethnic and religious identity on bodily health outcomes. Results from a multivariate linear regression model indicate that Black college-attending emerging adults with both high religious identity and high racial/ethnic identity exploration had higher body mass index and less positive body image. Findings suggest ways to strengthen the development of culturally appropriate public health prevention and intervention efforts that target body image and weight for Black college-attending emerging adults. IMPACT STATEMENT: Black college-attending emerging adults face challenges to their health, particularly threats to healthy weight and body image during this period of psychosocial transitions. The developmental process of navigating racial/ethnic and religious identities during this time raises challenges and opportunities for health promotion for this population. Yet, research that explores the role of these identities remains scarce. We found that Black college-attending emerging adults had higher body mass index and more negative body image when they reported more racial/ethnic identity exploration coupled with higher religious identities. Results shed light on the complex ways that navigating both racial/ethnic and religious identities may put some Black college-attending emerging adults at greater health risk. Health education and promotion practice focused on improving Black emerging adult health in college contexts should ensure that behavioral interventions are appropriately nuanced and situated in these populations' developmental and cultural considerations.}, number={3}, journal={JOURNAL OF RACIAL AND ETHNIC HEALTH DISPARITIES}, author={Ross, Julia M. and Hope, Meredith O. and Volpe, Vanessa V.}, year={2023}, month={Jun} }