Coping with ecological transitions by black families: A psychosocial model

This paper reviews the research on black families for the purpose of pinpointing specific issues relevant to coping with ecological transitions, i.e, stressful changes in role, condition, or setting (Bronfenbrenner, 1979). Models of coping are reviewed and specific criteria are proposed for a model of family coping. These include existence of a shared stressor, interaction of individual coping styles, and use of system-level constructs to describe adaptation. A health-related ecological transition, specifically childhood cancer, is used to discuss how unique aspects of black family life may affect patterns of coping by black families and individuals. Specific attention is devoted to the relationships of paradoxical attributions, perceived racial discrimination, social identity, religiosity, flexible family roles, egalitarian decision making, and family structures to each other and to family coping. The paper organizes these variables in a model of coping with the basic assumption that the relationship between stress and health or psychological outcomes is mediated by several unique features of black life which influence how blacks appraise stressors, how actively they engage in behavioral strategies to cope, and how they gain access to coping resources and support.