Is all giving good?
The Health and Activism Study continues a line of feminist scholarship exploring political and social attitudes among college-aged women (Tangri, 1993; Cole & Stewart, 1996; Stewart, Settles & Winter, 1998). Sandra Tangri first initiated a longitudinal study of women in male-dominated careers in 1967. The Women’s Life Paths Study (WLPS), as it was known, made significant contributions to the field of psychology in understanding women’s lives, personality development, and career goals during a time when women were beginning to enter the labor force. This work was continued by Abigail Stewart and Elizabeth Cole at the University of Michigan, following the same cohort of women into their late sixties at the time of last data collection. Collectively, the WLPS data spans over 35 years of women’s lives.
The Health and Activism Study (HAS) picks up where WLPS leaves off, examining contemporary everyday experiences, levels of identity consciousness, and political involvement among young adults in 2016, a defining election year marked by intense political polarization, an unprecedented U.S. presidential election, and the rise of whiteness alongside anti-establishment attitudes.
A focal feature of the HAS is a concentration on health and well-being. Social activism yields different health effects compared to other types of giving and prosociality, such as volunteerism (e.g., stress, burnout, etc.). Our recent publication from this work (led by Jasmine B. Johnson) describes the relationship between civic behavior typologies and mental health among Black women.
How does civic engagement emerge for younger Black women?
We find that anti-racist action was the most prevalent domain of civic behavior among young Black women (Mage = 24.27) surveyed in 2016. Other areas of interest were: Reproductive Rights & Healthcare, Liberal Values, Humanitarian, Immigration and International Human Rights, and Conservative Values. These domains were conceptually created based on underlying themes of civic causes.
In terms of what types of actions were taken, five actions (signed a petition, attended a meeting, wrote a letter or called a public office, was an active member of an organization, and gave money) were combined into one category labeled “Traditional Political” as these actions demonstrate traditional forms of civic behaviors deemed as relatively safe and pose minimal risks. Attending a rally or demonstration was labeled as “Political Protest” as it is a riskier civic behavior that could potentially result in physical harm or arrest. These categories were based on previous work measuring Black Community Activism.
Our latent class analysis identified three unique civic subtypes among Black women: Stably Committed (high commitment to both traditional and protest actions across all civic cause domains), Traditionally Engaged (high commitment to traditional actions around anti-racism, liberal values, and reproductive rights & healthcare, but low protest actions across all civic domains), and Low Engagement (low commitment to both traditional political actions and political protests).
What does this mean for understanding the health implications of activism and civic engagement?
Our findings indicate that emerging adult Black women classified as Stably Committed (high traditional + high protest activism) experience more discrimination and higher depressive symptoms. Compared to other groups with lower levels of political involvement, intense activism may be associated with negative health outcomes. This research emphasizes that while political activism is essential for social change, it is not without psychological costs. Engagement in political action must be coupled with care and the creation of safe spaces, particularly for younger Black women.
CH+SE launched its first wave of the Health and Activism Study in October 2016.
