Being strong: How Black West-Indian Canadian women manage depression and its stigma

Purpose: To discover how women from a nondominant cultural background (West Indian) experience and manage depression. Design: Explanatory using grounded theory. Methods: Semistructured interviews were conducted with 12 Black West-Indian Canadian women who experienced depression. Between 1994 and 1996, the firs t author engaged in participant observation. Findings: The women used the basic social process they called "being strong " to manage or ameliorate depression. Being strong included "dwelling on it ," "diverting myself," and "regaining my composure. " For most of the women , the range of available life choices was limited to the three processes; h owever, a few engaged in "trying new approaches. " These women were less li mited in their range of cultural and behavioral boundaries than were the ot hers, and began tentatively to explore other options for themselves. Conclusions: Black West-Indian Canadian women in this study managed their d epression in culturally defined ways by being strong and not showing vulner ability. Because being strong was also evident in a previous study of domin ant-culture women as a prelude to depression, the process may be widespread in women prone to depression. The findings provide helpful information for intervening in an unfamiliar culture.