Black, beautiful, and brave: A phenomenological exploration of the intersectional experiences of black female Veterans and culturally humble mental healthcare

Abstract:Veterans' mental health has been a significant point of interest due to high rates of mental health diagnoses and suicide among the population. However, existing research has beenhistorically conducted from a cis-heteropatriarcial perspective, which contributes to racial disparities in medical literature and treatment. Despite Black women being one of the fastest growing demographics serving in the U.S. armed forces, their representation in research is often obscured, making it difficult to identify their needs inclusive of their lived experiences as members of at least three marginalized social identities: Black, female, and veteran. Drawing from the theoretical frameworks of intersectionality, cultural humility, and patient-centered care, this project was initiated to contribute to the growing body of literature on the experiences of Black female veterans within the military culture and seeking mental health treatment. The ultimate goal was to create a continuing education program that acknowledges and recognizes the unique experiences of this population, with the hopes of reducing provider implicit biases and bridging the cultural gap between mental health professionals and Black female veterans.To achieve the goals of this project, a phenomenological qualitative analysis project was designed to obtain direct feedback from Black female veterans to better understand their lived experiences as veterans seeking mental health care. Five Black female veterans participated insemi-structured interviews to answer three project questions: 1) How do Black female veterans experience military culture? 2) What must mental health providers know to treat this population with cultural humility? 3) What information should be included in a continuing education program for mental health professionals? Data was analyzed using thematic content analysis.The findings revealed that: 1) Black female veterans view the military as a steppingstone for life advancement, 2) mental health professionals must be mindful microinvalidations to achieve and maintain positive therapeutic relationships and outcomes, and 3) a continuing education program should include basics of military culture and emphasize the importance oftreating the veteran with acceptance.This project reinforces the importance of considering intersecting identities in veterans' mental health treatment and advocates for future research to become more transparent with demographic disparities to reduce overgeneralizations.