Date of Award

Fall 12-2022

Degree Type

Dissertation/Thesis

Degree Name

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

School

Leadership and Advanced Nursing Practice

Committee Chair

Carolyn Coleman

Committee Chair School

Leadership and Advanced Nursing Practice

Committee Member 2

Lisa Morgan

Committee Member 2 School

Leadership and Advanced Nursing Practice

Abstract

Research shows that the adult Black community is 20% more likely to experience serious mental health problems such as anxiety disorder (Anxiety and Depression Association of America [AADA], 2018). While this sobering statistic suggests the need for mental health resources in the African American community, findings indicate significant factors that depict how individuals view the mental health medical system, its health disparities, and noted inequities. Past experiences with trust and discrimination, minimal accessibility to adequate insurance, and lack of culturally aware mental health providers have all been supportive reasons for the African American community to turn to other coping mechanisms to mitigate anxiety symptoms.

In recent years, coping methods have become integral to dealing with the relatable symptom of anxiety. According to Kasi et al. (2012), non-maladaptive coping styles can be beneficial in assisting an individual undergoing periods of anxiety-related stress. This doctoral project aimed to utilize informal mental health strategies to reduce or diminish anxiety symptoms in African Americans between the ages of 18-60 in two weeks. Twenty African American men and women implemented listening to daily affirmations or nature sounds, doodling/coloring, and journaling for two weeks when they experienced signs of anxiety. This doctoral project sought to expand the strategies available to help African American men and women with an anxiety diagnosis and further extended the challenge to continue utilizing mental health strategies when symptoms permit.

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