THE CHAINS WE CANNOT SEE
Our ancestors endured chains that could be seen. Today, some of the chains affecting Black families are harder to see. Financial stress. Economic fear. Shame. Survival thinking. Intergenerational scarcity. These invisible chains may not leave marks on our wrists, but they can leave marks on our minds, bodies, relationships, behaviors, sense of identity, and our ability to envision the future.
If financial stress can affect virtually every dimension of our well-being, why is money so often missing from our conversations about mental health?
FINANCIAL STRESS AND BLACK MENTAL HEALTH
Did you know that . . .
- 67% of Black adults identified money as a significant source of stress in APA’s Stress in America research.
- 71% of Black adults experience pressure to have enough money to do the things they want, while 68% feel pressure to provide financially for their families according to Pew Research.
One might often think of financial problems as only being significant to low-income families. However, financial pressure crosses all income levels. According to Pew research, 73% of lower-income, 70% of middle-income, and 69% of upper-income Black adults reported pressure to have enough money. With this in mind, financial stress cannot simply be understood as a problem for the impoverished.
UNDERSTANDING THE ROOTS OF FINANCIAL STRESS
Financial stress does not occur in a vacuum. For many African Americans, today’s experiences with money exist within a broader historical, cultural, familial, and economic context. For instance:
Historical experiences: generations of economic exclusion, discrimination, and barriers to wealth-building.
Systems of oppression: policies and practices that restricted economic opportunity and contributed to persistent inequality.
Scarcity narratives: messages about “not enough,” fear of loss, and survival.
Intergenerational impact: financial beliefs, coping strategies, responsibilities, and stress responses transmitted through families and communities.
Despite these adversities, African-descended communities have demonstrated extraordinary strengths in terms of resourcefulness, creativity, collective responsibility, entrepreneurship, faith, resistance, and resilience.
FINANCIAL STRESS IS MORE THAN A MONEY PROBLEM
Financial stress can affect nearly every part of our lives, including:
The Body (Physical): Sleep, headaches, fatigue
The Mind (Mental): Concentration, worry, decision-making
The Heart (Emotional): Fear, anger, guilt, shame
The Self (Psychological): Confidence, identity, agency
The Spirit (Spiritual): Hope, meaning, purpose
Relationships & Culture (Community): Family roles, expectations, conflict
Behavior (Action & Habits): Avoidance, overspending, overworking, overgiving
Daily Functioning: Work, school, healthcare and quality of life
Imagine a parent dealing with severe health issues, making the decision to feed their family instead of purchasing medication. Consider that college student who barely earns enough money to support themselves, yet sends a majority of those funds home to support aging parents. Or perhaps that teenager who participates in illegal activity believing it is the only way to help a struggling household.
To society, these behaviors may be labelled as irresponsible, maladaptive, or in the latter case, criminal. From the individual’s perspective, their actions speak to survival.
Understanding the context does not mean excusing harmful behavior. It means understanding the whole person so healthier alternatives can become possible.
When we address financial stress at the root and support the whole person, not just the wallet, we cultivate stronger individuals, healthier families, and empowered communities.
African centered psychology has continued to challenge us to understand the impact of racism and oppression in relation to wellness within the context of history, culture, community, identity and collective empowerment. Breaking invisible financial chains requires drawing upon those same strengths that havehas sustained us.
Consider for a moment: Where does financial stress show up in your own life and where might it be showing up in the lives of people you serve?”
To move from awareness to action, I would like to propose the African Centered LIBERATION Framework, a practical tool for examining financial stress through a whole person culturally responsive lens.
THE LIBERATION FRAMEWORK: MAKING THE INVISIBLE VISIBLE
L — Locate Stress Points
Where is money affecting emotions, relationships, health, or daily functioning?
I — Identify Trauma Patterns
Notice avoidance, overworking, overgiving, impulsivity, hypervigilance, or fear.
B — Build Financial Self-Efficacy
Begin with small, achievable actions that restore confidence.
E — Engage Community Supports
Healing does not have to happen in isolation.
R — Reclaim Decision-Making Power
Strengthen agency and the ability to make intentional choices.
A — Align Spending With Values
Connect financial decisions with what matters most.
T — Track Progress, Not Perfection
Recognize growth rather than allowing shame to define success.
I — Interrupt Shame
Replace secrecy and self-condemnation with understanding and support.
O — Open Conversations About Money and Mental Health
Make financial well-being a legitimate part of whole-person wellness.
N — Normalize Healing as an Ongoing Process
Financial healing, like emotional healing, is not a one-time event.
Liberation is not merely freedom from something. It is the movement toward purpose, connection, dignity, possibility, and collective well-being.
PUT MONEY IN THE CONVERSATION
“Money may not be the presenting problem, but it may be part of the problem being presented.”
People rarely enter a therapist’s office, medical setting, school, community program, church, or wellness practice announcing:
“My presenting problem is financial stress.”
Instead, money may appear as: anxiety, anger, depression, chronic pain, sleeplessness, burnout, relationship conflict, hopelessness, or avoidance.
Helping professionals do not need to become financial advisers. They can begin with one respectful question:
“How is financial stress affecting your well-being?”
Then listen, normalize, assess, and support or refer when appropriate.
For families and communities, the same principle applies: create spaces where conversations about money can occur without shame.
CLOSING: MAKING THE INVISIBLE VISIBLE
Our ancestors demonstrated extraordinary resilience in the face of visible chains. Honoring that legacy also means recognizing the invisible restraints affecting our well-being today. Liberation of the African spirit must include the freedom to pursue mental, emotional, physical, spiritual, cultural, and economic well-being.
When we overlook financial stress, we risk addressing symptoms while missing an important part of the story. We do not have to solve every financial problem, but we can stop making financial stress invisible.
Breaking invisible chains begins by making the invisible visible.
REFERENCES:
American Psychological Association- Stress In America Report. March 2022.
American Psychological Association Poll- Future of Nation, Economy and Presidential election. Top U.S. Stressors. October 22, 2024.
Black Americans Views on Success in the U. S. . Pew Research Center. February 7, 2024.
Infinity Financial LLC. (n.d.). [Financial literacy infographic] [Pinterest pin]. Pinterest. Pinterest pin
NewOne. (n.d.). Black adults face rising financial strain over the last decade: Here’s what the data shows [Pinterest pin]. Pinterest. Pinterest pin
studyempirex. (n.d.). 2026 ka aadha saal nikal gaya, bank balance check kiya? 📉 [Pinterest pin]. Pinterest. Pinterest pin
What Personal Success Means to Black Americans. Pew Research Center. February 7, 2024
