Social support can be found through family and friends and varies based on structure, quality, and type. The study's focus is emotional support. Black women who internalize the SBW schema may:

• avoid seeking support
• believe they lack enough people to gain support from

Perceived support, or personal beliefs about one's levels of support is highlighted due to it being a stronger indicator of psychological health than actual levels of support. Weaker perceived support has been connected to the following outcomes for Black women.

• smoking
• poor exercise habits
• symptoms of depression