Wellbeing among Black American adults living in low-resourced communities

Very little is known about how Black Americans living in low-resourced communities define and maintain wellbeing. Utilizing a culturally tailored research design, we explored the phenomenon of wellbeing as it resonated with the lived experiences of our informants (N = 35). Using a thematic analysis, we found that existing conceptualizations and theorizing of wellbeing did not consistently emerge from our data. First, we noted paradoxical tensions between descriptions of wellbeing as indicated by the participants (e.g., being alive and having a pain-free life) and the Western, Eurocentric views evidenced in the wellbeing literature. Second, participants identified intergenerational family ties and community networks as ways that foster wellbeing. These findings suggest that we can no longer delimit and apply existing views in theorizing and measuring wellbeing. Our findings elucidated the mindsets, relationships, activities, and practices that define and foster wellbeing among Black Americans living in low-resourced communities.