Strength in adversity: Blacks bear burden better than Whites.

Family studies in the area of severe mental illness have focused primarily on the problems of White parents caring for a psychiatrically disabled child. In response to such neglect of the unique experiences of Black families, this study compared the coping mastery ability and self-esteem scores of 24 Black and 185 White parents of severely mentally ill offspring to determine the different effects of caregiving on these 2 groups of parents.