"I choose joy": Exploring Black familial joy as a strengths-based coping asset in the United States

Black Americans have long conceptualized joy as the difference between surviving and thriving. And yet, few studies have focused on the protective process of joy within Black families, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic which disproportionately impacted Black youth and families due to systemic racism in the United States. In analyzing two phases of data collected with Black maternal caregivers living in the Midwest, we explored Black maternal caregivers' descriptions of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their families and the importance of joy during this time. Using consensual qualitative analysis, we identified six main themes of how their lives were shaped by the COVID-19 pandemic: (1) experiencing loss of income, (2) experiencing isolation, (3) experiencing a death in the family, (4) experiencing greater closeness with their children, (5) navigating virtual learning, and (6) experiencing the birth of a new baby or a new family member joining the household. Additionally, they described joy as a family during the pandemic as togetherness and safety. In the interviews, we identified three main themes that represented key aspects of what joy meant to Black maternal caregivers and their families: (1) "It helped me cope with life": Joy as a Way to Cope Amid Difficult Life Experiences; (2) "What if [joy] starts with what's around her": Joy as a Way to Engender Resistance Among Black Children; and (3) "Just joy in doing the small things": Joy as It Occurs Through Everyday Activities. This study provides one of the first detailed empirical accounts of Black familial joy, illustrating its role as a protective process rooted in the strengths of Black families. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).