Location
Chamberlain Student Center
Document Type
Poster
College
College of Science & Mathematics
Event Website
https://research.rowan.edu/rowan-research-days-2024.html
Start Date
26-3-2024 12:00 PM
End Date
26-3-2024 3:00 PM
Abstract
Black men continue to face health disparities due to systemic oppression. Research indicates that mind-body-spirit practices (MBSPs) can effectively improve mental and physical health, thereby reducing health disparities among Black men. However, MBSPs are often White-female-dominated practices, thus putting Black male practitioners at continued risks of under-representation and marginalization in MBSP spaces. The culturally specific nature of MBSP spaces may then be an important factor in MBSPs’ influence on Black men’s health. Therefore, we aimed to explore how culturally specific MBSP spaces impact Black male practitioners’ MBSPs. We collaborated with Black Boys OM (BBO), a global community of Black male mind-body practitioners, and utilized a case study-mixed methods approach to examine how BBO impacts Black male practitioners’ MBSPs. We conducted individual interviews (median length = 41 minutes) with the participants, 17 Black male yoga instructors from BBO, to learn about their experiences with BBO and other MBSP spaces. We utilized a hybrid qualitative approach that combined elements of codebook and reflexive thematic analysis to analyze our transcripts. We generated four categories of meanings to describe how the participants viewed BBO’s impact on their MBSPs. These categories included: 1) Black male mind-body practitioners’ needs, 2) the nature of mainstream MBSP spaces, 3) benefits of BBO, 4) requests for BBO. Finally, we discuss our findings and their implications for Black men’s health.
Black Boys OM: a case study of the impacts of community and culture on wellness practices
Chamberlain Student Center
Black men continue to face health disparities due to systemic oppression. Research indicates that mind-body-spirit practices (MBSPs) can effectively improve mental and physical health, thereby reducing health disparities among Black men. However, MBSPs are often White-female-dominated practices, thus putting Black male practitioners at continued risks of under-representation and marginalization in MBSP spaces. The culturally specific nature of MBSP spaces may then be an important factor in MBSPs’ influence on Black men’s health. Therefore, we aimed to explore how culturally specific MBSP spaces impact Black male practitioners’ MBSPs. We collaborated with Black Boys OM (BBO), a global community of Black male mind-body practitioners, and utilized a case study-mixed methods approach to examine how BBO impacts Black male practitioners’ MBSPs. We conducted individual interviews (median length = 41 minutes) with the participants, 17 Black male yoga instructors from BBO, to learn about their experiences with BBO and other MBSP spaces. We utilized a hybrid qualitative approach that combined elements of codebook and reflexive thematic analysis to analyze our transcripts. We generated four categories of meanings to describe how the participants viewed BBO’s impact on their MBSPs. These categories included: 1) Black male mind-body practitioners’ needs, 2) the nature of mainstream MBSP spaces, 3) benefits of BBO, 4) requests for BBO. Finally, we discuss our findings and their implications for Black men’s health.
https://rdw.rowan.edu/grad_student_symposium/2024/mar26/7
Comments
Khanh Pham is a Ph.D. student in Clinical Psychology working under Dr. Jonathan M. Lassiter.