Church-based Social Support Research Articles

Religious Commitment and Intent to Die by Suicide during the Pandemic

Suicide is the second leading cause of death in 10–34-year-olds in the U.S. It is vital to identify protective factors that promote resilience in a suicide crisis. Background: This study explored the contributions of religious commitment (RC) and religious service attendance to decreased suicide intent in 18–34-year-olds. Possible moderators were investigated, including church-based social support, pandemic-related faith struggles (PRFS), and moral objections to suicide. Methods: Participants completed an online survey reporting on RC, suicide intent, church-based social support, religious service attendance, PRFS, and moral objections to suicide. Results: In the convenience sample of 451 18–34-year-olds (M = 24.97; 47.23% female), religious participants reported significantly less suicide intent than non-religious participants. RC and moral objections to suicide were more strongly negatively correlated with suicide intent than religious service attendance, but religious service attendance was associated with lower suicide intent in a regression model. Almost four times more religious young adult participants reported PRFS than not, and PRFS was found to moderate the benefits of social support received in their faith communities. Conclusions: It is suggested that professional caregivers use religious service attendance as a straightforward way to assess a possible protective factor for suicidal religious young adults. Professional caregivers may also assess for moral objections to suicide, which may provide simple decision rules in a suicide crisis. The large number of religious young adults reporting PRFS in this study suggests the need for professional caregivers to assess for spiritual struggles, which may confer suicide risk. Because of the interplay of spiritual risks and protections, mental health providers who are unsure of how to address these in therapy may need to collaborate with and make referrals to faith leaders to increase protections and reduce risks in suicidal religious young adults.

Daily discrimination, church support, personal mastery, and psychological distress in black people in the United States

ABSTRACT Objective This study used the stress process model to test the mediating effects of personal mastery and moderating effects of church-based social support on the relationship between daily discrimination and psychological distress across three age groups of African American and Afro-Caribbean adults. Methods Using a national sample of 5008 African Americans and Afro-Caribbean adults from the National Survey of American Life Study, this study employs structural equation modeling to investigate the relationships between daily discrimination, personal mastery, church-based social support, and psychological distress. Results Daily discrimination was an independent predictor of psychological distress across all groups. Group- and age-specific comparisons revealed significant differences in the experience of daily discrimination and psychological distress. Mastery was a partial mediator of the relationship between discrimination and psychological distress among Afro-Caribbeans while church support was a significant moderator only among the young and older African Americans. Implications Together, our study findings provide useful first steps towards developing interventions to reduce the adverse psychological impacts of daily discrimination on African Americans and Afro-Caribbeans. Intervention efforts such as individual psychotherapy aimed to improve Afro-Caribbean individuals’ sense of mastery would be a partial solution to alleviating the adverse effects of discrimination on their psychological health.

Unfair Treatment by the Police and Race: Is Religiosity a Protective Resource for Well-Being

A growing body of work documents the relationship between criminal justice and health has emerged in recent years, including the association between unfair treatment by the police (UTBP) and violent/racialized policing and health outcomes. However, little is known about the resources that could reduce the harmful consequences to well-being of UTBP. Using data from the Nashville Stress and Health Study, we consider both depressive symptoms and allostatic load (a physiological marker of health) and several dimensions of religiosity as stress buffers. African Americans (but not Whites) who experienced personal police contact reported higher depressive symptoms relative to those who experienced no police contact and those reporting vicarious UTBP. Weekly religious attendance and higher church-based support (but not beliefs in divine control, a causal attribution of God’s influence in daily life) mitigated this relationship. African Americans with personal UTBP had higher allostatic load than those with no UTBP. Neither church attendance nor church-based social support attenuated the relationship between personal UTBP and allostatic load, nor did divine control. We discuss how the results of our study can help clarify the parameters of the effectiveness of religious/spiritual coping for African Americans and their implications for criminal justice reform.

Discrimination, Church Support, Personal Mastery, and Psychological Distress Among Black People in the United States

Objective: This study used the stress process model to test the mediating effects of personal mastery and moderating effects of church-based social support on the relationship between everyday discrimination and psychological distress across three age groups of African American and Afro-Caribbean adults. Methods: Using a national sample of 5008 African Americans and Afro-Caribbean adults from the National Survey of American Life Study, this study employs structural equation modeling to investigate the relationships between everyday discrimination, personal mastery, church-based social support, and psychological disorders. Results: Everyday discrimination was an independent predictor of psychiatric disorders across all groups. Group- and age-specific comparisons revealed significant differences in the experience of everyday discrimination and psychiatric disorders. Mastery was a partial mediator of the relationship between discimination and psychiatric disorder among Afro-Caribbeans while church support was a significant moderator only among the young and older African Americans. Implications: Together, our study findings provide useful first steps towards developing interventions to reduce the adverse psychological impacts of everyday discrimination on African Americans and Afro-Caribbeans. Intervention efforts such as individual psychotherapy aimed to improve Afro-Caribbean individuals’ sense of mastery would be a partial solution to alleviating the adverse effects of discrimination on their psychological health.

Practices of Supportive Church Children's Ministries: An Exploratory Multilevel Investigation of Church of the Nazarene Congregations in the United States

Background Religious communities have been identified as an important source of social support for children. Although church children's ministries (i.e., church programs where children receive religious education separate from their parents) have been suggested as a potential avenue for the transmission of social support, the specific children's ministry practices that promote social support have not been established empirically. Purpose The purpose of the present study was to determine whether contemplative-reflective practices, structured playtime, and unstructured playtime predict between-church differences in children's church-based social support (i.e., received support, perceived support from peers, perceived support from adults) controlling for children's individual characteristics and children's ministry size. Methods Using a multilevel approach, we analyzed self-report survey data from 43 children's ministers and 1,090 children from 43 Church of the Nazarene congregations in the United States. Results Results showed that children's supportive experiences were largely predicted by their individual characteristics (e.g., family religiosity, agreeableness). However, contemplative-reflective practices had a medium positive effect on received support and perceived support from peers and adults. Unstructured playtime had a medium positive effect on received support only. Structured playtime was unrelated to all three outcomes. Conclusions and Implications These findings suggest that, although some children are naturally predisposed to thrive socially at church, children's ministry practices appear to have a significant and substantive impact on children's church-based social support. The results shed light on the conditions that create and sustain church-based social support. Churches wishing to make children feel part of a supportive community should consider incorporating contemplative-reflective practices into their children's worship service (e.g., mindful prayer and reflective experiences, meaningful choices, leadership opportunities for children, safe and intimate opportunities to share and receive prayer, and liturgical traditions), as well as regular space for unstructured playtime wherein children can exercise autonomy, demonstrate their unique talents and abilities, and engage in informal conversations with peers and adults about their life experiences, feelings, and personal problems.

Abstract D025: “Place it in God’s hands”: Exploring the influence of sources of social support and religious coping practices of African American breast cancer survivors

Abstract Background: Religious coping (i.e. religious practices or beliefs that help an individual adapt to a stressful situation) has been shown to help African American breast cancer survivors obtain a better quality of life as well as find purpose from their cancer experience. Both prayer and church attendance are believed to be the most common religious coping practices among African American breast cancer survivors. However, relatively little is known about: 1) the relative commonness of religious coping practices; and, 2) which sources of social support (i.e. church members, clergy leaders, family, and friends) may also influence religious coping among survivors. Objective(s): To assess the prevalence of religious coping mechanisms and the sources of social support who influence African American breast cancer survivors. Methods: The current study was a secondary analysis of the OASIS (Offering African American Survivors Increased Support) study. Participants were eligible for this study if they identified as being an African American female adult and were diagnosed between 2011-2014 within a local hospital in Chicago, IL. Eligible participants answered a modified version of the Church-based Social Support Scale and responded to open-ended questions related to their social support experiences by members of their social network. Results: A total of 33 participants completed the questionnaire at the time of data analysis. Weekly religious service attendance was highly prevalent among study participants post-diagnosis (n=12, 36.4%). Approximately eighteen percent of survivors (n=6) reported praying throughout their breast cancer journey. No participants reported receiving prayer from their church members or clergy leaders. However, nine participants (27.3%) expressed that a family member and/or a friend offered to pray for them throughout their cancer experience. Conclusion: There was a relatively high prevalence of church attendance. Family and friends appeared to be the more common source of influence in the form of religious coping through prayer. Future researchers should consider partnering with both family and friends when conducting faith-based and religious-based interventions to improve quality of life among African American breast cancer survivors. Citation Format: Shaila M. Strayhorn, Nyahne Q Bergeron, Desmona Strahan, Aditya Khanna, Kariem Watson, Dana Villines, Yamilé Molina. “Place it in God’s hands”: Exploring the influence of sources of social support and religious coping practices of African American breast cancer survivors [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Twelfth AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2019 Sep 20-23; San Francisco, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2020;29(6 Suppl_2):Abstract nr D025.

Religious involvement, God images, and life satisfaction

ABSTRACTThis study addresses two issues. The first is to identify the aspects of religious life that are associated with benevolent images of God including denominational affiliation (Conservative Christians versus others), church attendance, and church-based social support (i.e., spiritual support). Data from a nationwide survey suggests that church-based support appears to be the most consequential. The second issue involves embedding these constructs in a conceptual model that traces effects of benevolent God images on life satisfaction. The following hypotheses form the core of this model: (1) Conservative Christians will attend worship services more often, (2) individuals who go to church more often tend to receive more support, (3) people who receive more support are more likely to have benevolent images of God, (4) benevolent images of God are associated with greater hope, and (5) greater hope is associated with greater life satisfaction. The findings provide support for each hypothesis.

Church-Based Social Support's Impact on African-Americans' Physical Activity and Diet Varies by Support Type and Source.

The objective of this study was to examine sources (friends, family, church members, and pastors) and type (positive or negative) of social support and their association with eating and physical activity behaviors. Study participants consisted of 41 African-American adults (78% female), with an average age of 43.5years (standard deviation=15.7). Participants were recruited from churches in southwest, Ohio. Mean comparisons showed family members, and friends had the highest positive and negative social support scores for healthy eating and physical activity. Pastors and church members received the lowest social support scores related to these behaviors. Using a linear regression analysis, social support in the form of physical activity rewards from family members was positively associated with fruit and vegetable consumption after adjusting for gender, age, education level, and church location. Based on these findings, future research should continue examining how different social support sources and types influence physical activity and healthy eating behaviors among African-Americans.

Discrimination, Serious Psychological Distress, and Church-Based Emotional Support Among African American Men Across the Life Span.

This study tested whether church-based social support buffers the negative effects of discrimination on serious psychological distress (SPD) among three age groups-early, middle, and late adulthood-of African American men. Negative binominal regression analyses for discrimination and SPD were performed using data from 1,271 African American men from the National Survey of American Life. Discrimination was positively associated with SPD for all age groups. An interaction between church-based support and discrimination indicated that under conditions of high levels of support from congregants, discrimination, and SPD were positively correlated. However, discrimination and SPD were unrelated for low levels of church-based support. Further, the interaction was significant for men aged 18-34 and 55 or older but not significant for men aged 35-54. This is the first study to document relationships among discrimination, SPD, and church-based support in a nationally representative sample of African American men. Overall, rather than revealing a stress-buffering function, findings were consistent with the resource mobilization perspective of social support, indicating that higher levels of assistance from church networks are provided when individuals experience high levels of both discrimination and SPD.

Religious Involvement and the Black–White Paradox in Mental Health

Despite demonstrating poorer physical health profiles, African Americans experience similar or more favorable mental health than whites, an unexpected pattern given their relatively disadvantaged social status. Given higher levels of religious involvement, a predominant attribution for the black–white paradox in mental health is differential religious involvement (stronger levels of religiosity among African Americans) but little research explicitly tests this assumption. Differential religious importance may also explain the mental health paradox, given past findings that religion is a stronger aspect in the lives of African Americans relative to whites. Using data from the National Survey of American Life, I investigate the black–white mental health paradox in depressive symptoms across three dimensions (spanning 18 measures) of religious involvement–organizational religious involvement, non-organizational religious involvement, and church-based social support. Specifically, I test whether black–white differences in either religious involvement or the importance of religiosity can explain mental health advantage of African Americans. Despite remarkably higher levels of religious involvement among African Americans relative to whites, these differences do not explain the mental health paradox. There was also no evidence supporting the differential impact of religious involvement argument. Future research should explore both positive and negative coping, in addition to the role of intersectionality when studying this unexpected trend.

Church-Based Social Support Among Caribbean Blacks in the United States.

An emerging body of research notes the importance of church-based social support networks in the daily lives of Americans. However, few studies examine church-based support, and especially among ethnic subgroups within the U.S. Black population, such as Caribbean Blacks. This study uses data from the National Survey of American Life (NSAL) to examine demographic and religious participation (e.g., attendance, interaction) correlates of church-based social support (e.g., receipt of emotional support, receipt of general support, provision of support to others, and negative interaction) among Caribbean Blacks residing in the U.S. Multiple regression analyses indicated that religious participation was associated with all four dependent variables. Church attendance was positively associated with receiving emotional support, general social support, and providing support to others, but was not associated with negative interaction. Frequency of interaction with fellow congregants was positively associated with receiving emotional support, receiving general support, providing support to others and negative interaction. Demographic findings indicated that women provided more support to church members and experienced more negative interactions with members than did men. Education was positively associated with frequency of support; household income was negatively associated with receiving emotional support and providing social support to others. Findings are discussed in relation to the role of church-based support networks in the lives of Caribbean Black immigrants and communities.

Assessing Age Differences in the Relationship Between Emotional Support and Health Among Older Mexican Americans.

Research reveals that people tend to place greater value on emotional support as they move through the life course. Older people are likely to do so because emotional support benefits them in some way. The purpose of this study was to see whether there are age differences in the relationship between emotional support and the number of chronic health conditions. In the process, an effort is made to contribute to the literature in three ways. First, an emphasis placed on assessing the relationship between emotional support and health within late life. Second, variations in the source of support are taken into account by contrasting support within religious institutions with support that is received outside church. Third, these issues are examined with data provided by a nationally representative sample of older Mexican Americans (N = 663). The findings suggest that age differences in the relationship between emotional support and health are present within late life. Moreover, the data indicate that this relationship holds for church-based social support but not support that is received outside the church.

Mosque-Based Emotional Support Among Young Muslim Americans.

Despite a growing literature on social support networks in religious settings (i.e., church-based social support), little is known about mosque-based support among Muslims. This study investigates the demographic and religious behavior correlates of mosque-based social support among a multi-racial and ethnic sample of 231 young Muslims from southeast Michigan. Several dimensions of mosque-based support are examined including receiving emotional support, giving emotional support, anticipated emotional support and negative interactions with members of one's mosque. Results indicated that women both received and anticipated receiving greater support than did men. Higher educational attainment was associated with receiving and giving less support compared to those with the lowest level of educational attainment. Moreover, highly educated members reported fewer negative interactions than less educated members. Mosque attendance and level of congregational involvement positively predicted receiving, giving, and anticipated emotional support from congregants, but was unrelated to negative interactions. Overall, the study results converge with previously established correlates of church-based emotional support.

Church-based social support, religious commitment, and health among older Mexican Americans

Research indicates that social support that is provided by fellow church members is associated with better health. The goal of the current study is to contribute to this literature in three potentially important ways. First, the effects of received support are contrasted with a second measure of support–satisfaction with support received. Second, it is hypothesized that the effects of church-based support on self-rated health will depend upon the level of religious commitment. Third, these issues are examined with data from a nationwide survey of older Mexican Americans. The findings suggest that satisfaction with support, but not received support, is associated with better health. However, the results further reveal that these potentially important benefits are only evident among older Mexican Americans who are more committed to their faith.

Measuring Communities of Faith: A Preliminary Investigation

The purpose of this study is to estimate a higher-order confirmatory factor model of communities of faith that consists of two tiers. Seven dimensions of church-based social support make up the first tier including emotional support received from rank-and-file church members as well as emotional support received from a pastor. It is hypothesized that these first-order constructs are driven by a higher-order latent variable that denotes a community of faith. The data reveal that emotional support represents the way in which a community of faith is most likely to be manifest while tangible support is a less critical component.

Church-Based Social Support and a Sense of Belonging in a Congregation among Older Mexican–Americans

Research suggests that people with a strong sense of belonging in a congregation tend to rate their health in a more favorable way. However, relatively little is known about how a sense of belonging arises in a congregation. The purpose of the current study is to see if five different dimensions of church-based social support are associated with a sense of belonging in a congregation. In the process, an effort is made to contribute to the literature in two potentially important ways. First, the relationship between church-based support and belonging is evaluated with data from a nationwide survey of older Mexican–Americans. Second, tests are conducted to see if there are gender differences in the relationship between church-based support and belonging. The findings suggest that for the sample as a whole, receiving more of each type of church-based social support is associated with a stronger sense of belonging. Moreover, the results reveal that the relationship between all five types of church-based support and belonging is stronger for older Mexican–American men than for older Mexican–American women.

Church-Based Social Support, Functional Disability, and Change in Personal Control over Time

The purpose of this study is to see whether measures of church-based and secular social support offset the effects of functional disability on change in feelings of personal control over time. Survey data were obtained from Wave 2 and Wave 3 of a nationwide sample of older adults (N=583). The findings suggest that spiritual support from fellow church members offsets the effects of functional disability on change in feelings of personal control over time. In contrast, neither emotional support from fellow church members nor emotional support from secular social network members exerted a similar effect.

A preliminary study of the moderating role of church-based social support in the relationship between racist experiences and general anxiety symptoms.

The current study explores the potential buffering effect of church-based social support on the effect of racism on anxiety symptomology in a Black sample. Fifty participants completed a questionnaire packet containing measures of anxious arousal and stress (general anxiety) symptoms, church-based social support, and experience of racist events. Results indicated that church-based social support moderated the relationship between racist experiences and general anxiety symptoms such that at low levels of church-based social support the experiences of racism and stress (general anxiety) symptoms were significantly positively associated. The clinical implications of these findings and future research directions are discussed.

Church-Based Social Support and Suicidality Among African Americans and Black Caribbeans

This study explores the relationship between church-based informal social support and lifetime prevalence of suicide ideation and attempts within a representative national sample of African American and Black Caribbean adults. Characteristics of church-based social support networks, as well as emotional support and negative interaction with church members were examined in relation to lifetime suicide ideation and attempts. This study used data from the National Survey of American Life (2001–2003). Frequency of interaction with church members was positively associated with suicide attempts, while subjective closeness to church members was negatively associated with suicide ideation. Emotional support, service attendance, and negative interaction with church members were unrelated to both suicide ideation and attempts. Findings are discussed in relation to research on church-based support networks, different models linking church support and suicidality, and the mechanisms by which church-based networks deter suicide ideation and attempts.

Buffers of Racial Discrimination: Links With Depression Among Rural African American Mothers

The current study examines racial discrimination as a predictor of depression in a sample of 414 rural, low-income African American mothers of young children. The potential moderating role of optimism and church-based social support was also examined. Mothers completed questionnaires when their child was 24-months-old. Hierarchical regression revealed that mothers' perception of racism was a significant predictor of depression even after controlling for a variety of distal demographic characteristics and environmental stressors. Significant interactions suggested the importance of psychological and social characteristics in understanding maternal depression. Specifically, high levels of optimism and church-based social support buffered mothers from increased depressive symptomology due to perceived racism.