Abstract
Mental illness and stigma are key concerns in congregations and represent important threats to community health. Clergies are considered influential in how congregants think about and respond to mental health issues, especially in African American congregations. In-depth interviews with 32 African American and White clergies were conducted to understand their unique perspectives on mental health and how they interact with their congregations based on those perspectives. Findings include six themes related to mental health stigma, namely, holistic definitions of health; African Americans and different conceptions of mental health (only reported by African American clergies); code words and language; depression as a special case; perceptions of mental health counseling and treatment; and clergy strategies for addressing mental health stigma. The clergies in this study recognized their influence on ideas related to mental health in their congregations, and most expressed active efforts toward discussing mental health and reducing stigma.
Highlights
Stigma of mental illness is considered a widespread threat to public health and communities in the United States (Parcesepe and Cabassa 2013; Casados 2017), and especially impacts racial and ethnic minority groups (Misra et al 2021)
Mental health and stigma emerged as overarching themes in participant interviews
Many clergies in this study recognized the effects of stigma on perceptions of mental illness and how stigma influences whether people seek and receive help for mental health issues
Summary
Stigma of mental illness is considered a widespread threat to public health and communities in the United States (Parcesepe and Cabassa 2013; Casados 2017), and especially impacts racial and ethnic minority groups (Misra et al 2021). Stigma leads to a number of harmful sequelae, including a tendency for individuals with mental illness to avoid seeking treatment (Corrigan 2004), being secretive about one’s mental illness and withdrawing from others (Mayer et al 2021), or only seeking spiritual interventions from clergies rather than from mental health professionals (Peteet 2019). Adhering to a particular religious belief system produces a unique worldview through which mental health and illness are understood and given meaning—especially as influenced by the authority of the clergy (Oxhandler et al 2018; Ward et al 2013). Research shows that religious adherence and attendance have positive effects on mental health, e.g., greater mental well-being (Corrigan et al 2003), the receipt of social support (Rasic et al 2011; Sternthal et al 2010), increased coping skills (Rasic et al 2011; Ward et al 2013), and the prohibition of unhealthy behaviors while supporting healthy behaviors (Hill et al 2007)
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