Download or read book Factors that Influence African American Church Goers to Seek Help from Their Churches as Opposed to Traditional Social Service Agencies written by Tenolian Rodney Bell and published by . This book was released on 1997 with total page 322 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Abstract: This study was designed to examine the factors that influence African American church goers to seek help from the African American church instead of traditional social service agencies. There is a dearth of information in the literature on the help seeking behavior of African American church goers. The participants were 145 members from nine (9) different denominations: Apostolic, Baptist, First Church of God, Holiness, Lutheran, Methodist, Nondenominational, Episcopalian, and Presbyterian. A purposive sampling strategy was used with a cross-sectional survey. All respondents volunteered to participate in this study.

Download or read book Black Christians Use of Ministers in Times of Distress written by Carol V. Burrell-Jackson and published by . This book was released on 2008 with total page 606 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Factors Related to Mental Health Stigma Among Church Affiliated African Americans written by Tacia Reneice Burgin and published by . This book was released on 2022 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: African Americans make up 13% of the U.S. population, yet represent nearly 20% of persons diagnosed with a mental illness. Studies suggest African Americans experience higher levels of mental health related stigma (MHS) than whites. In addition, African Americans have the highest rate of church attendance compared to all other racial/ethnic groups, and they are more likely to seek counsel from religious leaders. Although there is a growing body of research on MHS with African Americans, few studies have explored MHS predictors among church-affiliated African Americans – a population that may be important to examine given studies have shown that African American churches have great influence on health behaviors and beliefs among their members. This study used the Health Stigma and Discrimination Framework’s key constructs (e.g., domains, facilitators, stigma marking, manifestations) to guide examination of predictors (e.g., mental health fear, awareness, and social support, cultural and social norms, access to mental health services, demographics, mental health conditions, and mental health-related stigma beliefs) of MHS among an African American church-affiliated population. Baseline survey data from the religiously-tailored Healthy Actions to Impact Mind and Soul (Healthy AIMS) pilot intervention study, which focused on mental health screening and linkage to care services and took place in four African American churches (N=200 participants) in Kansas City, MO, was used to determine potential predictors of mental health stigma for examination. Most participants were female (79.5%), church members (78.5%) and an average age of 53 (SD = 17). Participants endorsed moderate to high levels of MHS (M = 39.03; SD = 6.8; range 11-55). Results indicated that social support (support from others and beliefs), collaborative and self-directive religious coping, and engaging in religious activities (e.g., thinking of God, meditating, praying) were significantly related to MHS. Linear regression analysis indicated that self-directive religious coping was a positive predictor of MHS. African Americans may engage in self-directive religious coping due to negative beliefs about the connection between having a mental illness and religiosity/spirituality. Future interventions may consider addressing MHS through providing tailored education and offering screening in a trusted setting, such as African American churches.

Download or read book Dissertation Abstracts International written by and published by . This book was released on 2008 with total page 628 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book G K Hall Interdisciplinary Bibliographic Guide to Black Studies written by Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture and published by . This book was released on 2001 with total page 616 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book God and Government in the Ghetto written by Michael Leo Owens and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2008-11-15 with total page 323 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In recent years, as government agencies have encouraged faith-based organizations to help ensure social welfare, many black churches have received grants to provide services to their neighborhoods’ poorest residents. This collaboration, activist churches explain, is a way of enacting their faith and helping their neighborhoods. But as Michael Leo Owens demonstrates in God and Government in the Ghetto, this alliance also serves as a means for black clergy to reaffirm their political leadership and reposition moral authority in black civil society. Drawing on both survey data and fieldwork in New York City, Owens reveals that African American churches can use these newly forged connections with public agencies to influence policy and government responsiveness in a way that reaches beyond traditional electoral or protest politics. The churches and neighborhoods, Owens argues, can see a real benefit from that influence—but it may come at the expense of less involvement at the grassroots. Anyone with a stake in the changing strategies employed by churches as they fight for social justice will find God and Government in the Ghetto compelling reading.

Download or read book In Search of Wisdom written by Prof. Anne E. Streaty Wimberly and published by Abingdon Press. This book was released on 2011-07-01 with total page 219 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: edited by Anne E. Streaty Wimberly A guide for pastors, church leaders, and all who help African Americans in their search for a meaningful Christian lifestyle. Forming Christians--leading fallen and flawed human beings into the path of discipleship to a crucified and risen Lord--is one of the central, if not the central, tasks of all Christian churches. It is a difficult enough task anywhere, but for African Americans, beset by racial conflict, personal crises, generational separation, and other concerns, it is especially so. African American churches must work particularly hard to counter the messages their members receive from the dominant and often unfriendly culture. This book employs the biblical text and African tradition to draw on the idea of the search for wisdom as a potent way to help African Americans in their pursuit of genuine Christian discipleship. Wisdom in African American tradition is not simply knowledge; rather, it is those insights, attitudes, beliefs, behaviors,and practices that create and sustain a life of hope and that produce an inherent sense of the worth of one's self. If their members are to engage in the search for wisdom, African American churches must build an intentional ministry of faith formation. Wisdom can be gained, the authors argue, when African Americans listen to the black oral tradition with its proverbial sayings, revered Bible stories, songs, and narratives from the lives of exemplary individuals. The book offers several similar avenues for the search for wisdom, including helpful models of black males mentoring younger black males, as a remedy to the destructive effects that contemporary culture has on this segment of the African American community.

Download or read book An Analysis of the Perceptions of African American Church Pastors in Their Delivery of Health and Human Services in Southeast Washington DC written by Dennis C. Parker and published by . This book was released on 2012 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: President Bush's Executive Order 13279 (December 12, 2002) encouraged the government to work with faith-based organizations to provide human services (i.e., Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, employment, homelessness services, and health care) to serve America's low-income populations. Faith-Based Initiatives, and now President Obama's Faith and Neighborhood Partnerships Initiative have created the foundation for further partnerships between faith-based organizations and local, state, and federal governments. Limited information exists regarding the overall effectiveness of the programs in encouraging churches, specifically African American churches, to engage in services delivery. This study explores the perceptions of church leaders that influence faith-based organizations, specifically African American churches in the southeast region of Washington, DC, to provide human services. The District of Columbia has eight local wards: southeast Washington encompasses Wards 7 and 8, and has a high concentration of poverty and African Americans. The District of Columbia Department of Human Services (2010) reports that in the year 2009, 97% of Ward 7 residents were African American with 26% residing in poverty; 94% of Ward 8 residents were African American with 35% residing in poverty. The work of early sociologists, W.E.B. Dubois and Franklin Frazier is utilized to frame the theoretical background (Ethnic Identity Model) for this study. Additionally, this study relies on an African American church analysis by Lincoln and Mamiya (1990) to highlight the historical and current role of the African American church. The purpose of this study was to examine the churches of southeast Washington, DC and the level of human services provided between 2000 and 2010, during both the Bush and Obama Administrations, to understand the perceptions of the factors that influenced the level of human services during the same time frame. The study utilized a qualitative design with descriptive statistics to shed light on human service delivery of faith-based organizations in the African American community. A semistructured interview was performed on a convenience sample of 20 pastors/church leaders of churches in southeast Washington, DC. These 20 churches were identified through the District of Columbia's yellow pages and, additionally, other data sets including advocacy organizations and community groups. This study found that neither President's Bush's or Obama Faith Based Initiative significantly influenced the level of provision of human services by African American Churches located in Wards 7 and 8 of southeast Washington DC. Also this study found that the majority of African American churches in wards 7 & 8 in Washington DC are more flexible and able to determine the types of services they provide by the presenting community needs. The study results will inform policymakers about whether, and how, the churches' role in service delivery changed after the implementation of President Bush's Faith-Based Initiative. Presidents Bush and Obama view churches and community-based organizations as strong frontline resources to address desperate challenges related to poverty, but little is known about the effectiveness of their initiatives. The results of this analysis will assist churches, community organizations, and policy formulators in providing information that will help policymakers to make more informed decisions about the potential impact of churches for service delivery in the African American community. It will also provide information about barriers to participating as partners with the government.

Download or read book Black Churches and Local Politics written by R. Drew Smith and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2005 with total page 244 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book on black churches and urban politics uses case studies from various cities to examine the strategies and tactics of activist clergy and congregations. These case studies illustrate how black activist clergy and congregations negotiate the political terrains of their respective cities. The cases show that the political culture of a city--whether that culture is shaped by machine politics, a legacy of political protest, racial and ethnic factionalism, or a city whose power resides in the mayor's office rather than the city council chamber--can influence the tactics of activist clergy and congregations. These cases also show how strategies and tactics vary across congregations as well as within and across cities. Not only do activist churches emphasize political empowerment or economic development, their tactics to pursue their goals may take different forms. They can form coalitions with other churches and/or political organizations, lobby public officials, use personal appeals to persuade politicians, or mobilize voters for candidates who support the congregation's agenda. By taking stock of the strategies that activist black clergy and congregations adopt and the tactics they use to research their goals, the cases in this book highlight nuances in black clergy and church activism that are captured beyond a single case or a focus on national politics. The three sections of Black Churches and Local Politics examine the many ways that black activist clergy and congregations voice their concerns in urban politics. The tactics explored are the use of personal influence by activist ministers, the formation of coalitions with churches and community organizations, and pressure groups that lobby government institutions and leaders on behalf of minority communities.

Download or read book Determinants of Minority Mental Health and Wellness written by Sana Loue and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2008-12-19 with total page 400 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The United States is experiencing a dramatic shift in demographics, with minorities comprising a rapidly growing proportion of the population. It is anticipated that this will likely lead to substantial changes in previously established values, needs, and priorities of the population, including health and mental health for individuals, families, and society at large. This volume focuses on determinants of minority mental health and wellness. This emphasis necessarily raises the question of just who is a minority and how is minority to be defined. The term has been defined in any number of ways. Wirth (1945, p. 347) offered one of the earliest definitions of minority: We may define a minority as a group of people who, because of their physical or cultural characteristics, are singled out from the others in the society in which they live for differential and unequal treatment, and who therefore regard themselves as objects of collective discrimination. The existence of a minority in a society implies the existence of a corresponding dominant group enjoying higher social status and greater privileges.

Download or read book What Then Shall We Say to These Things written by Janeé Avent and published by . This book was released on 2013 with total page 259 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "African Americans are often disproportionately represented in vulnerable populations that could likely cause them to be at a greater risk for struggling with anxiety and depression (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2001), however, they tend to seek professional counseling at a much lower rate than other racial and ethnic populations and instead turn their spiritual leaders as a resource (Ayalon & Young, 2005). Because of under-utilization of mental health services within the African-American community (Avalon & Young, 2005), more research attention should be directed toward factors that affect the help-seeking behaviors of African Americans (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2001). Generally, the Black Church is considered a less stigmatized method of getting help in the Black community (Andrews, Stefurak, & Mehta, 2010), a solution for many mental health problems (Newhill & Harris, 2007) and pastors are valued as credible sources for assistance with social and psychological problems because of their status as pastor, often regardless of the pastor's educational background, knowledge of mental health issues, and previous experience (Kane & Greene, 2009). There remains much that is unknown about pastoral motivations, beliefs, attitudes, and influence related to mental health needs of their parishioners. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the pastors' response to parishioners dealing with anxiety, depression, unemployment, bereavement, and familial concerns; their motivations to encourage or discourage help-seeking outside of the Black Church; their perspectives on secular counseling services in their community; their perspective on spiritual, biological, psychological, and social coping methods; and their beliefs about identifying and responding to maladaptive religious coping strategies. Consensual Qualitative Research was used as the research protocol to collect and analyze the data. Findings from this study suggest that African Americans frequently seek help from their pastors regarding anxiety, depression, bereavement, unemployment, and relationship issues. Further, results from this study also suggest that African American pastors attribute anxiety and depression to social and spiritual spheres of influence and endorse spiritual, social, and integrative coping strategies. Moreover, African American pastors seem to differentiate between adaptive and maladaptive forms of religious coping."--Abstract from author supplied metadata.

Download or read book The Black Church Where Women Pray and Men Prey written by Deborrah Cooper and published by Lulu.com. This book was released on 2012 with total page 254 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book continues an uncomfortable examination of Prosperity Gospel, the con game of religion and slick preachers. The truth is revealed about the many ways Black women are set up in churches by unscrupulous men out to control, demean, sexually abuse and rob them and their children. (Back cover)

Download or read book Spirituality and the Black Helping Tradition in Social Work written by Elmer P. Martin and published by N A S W Press. This book was released on 2002 with total page 328 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the black helping tradition, spirituality is the sense of the sacred and divine. It is a critical value deeply rooted in the African worldview and used by African Americans as a tool for survival. Provocative and well-written, this is the first book to draw a relationship between social work, spirituality, and the helping tradition among African Americans. Offering a wealth of historical detail and narrative, Elmer and Joanne Martin explore spirituality as a foundation for understanding people of African descent and as a skill to evoke self-help. This ground-breaking book raises compelling questions about the limitations and strengths of mainstream social work in issues of black spirituality and its role in strengthening the black community today.

Download or read book An Exploratory Analysis of Attitudes Toward Religious Help seeking Among African American Christians written by Kimberly Michelle Hardy and published by . This book was released on 2011 with total page 244 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This dissertation used an exploratory, cross-sectional research design to: (1) understand African-American Christians attitudes toward religious and professional help-seeking; (2) understand whether or not African-American Christians are seeking help from their church leaders to assist in the amelioration of serious personal and/or mental health issues in lieu of mental health professionals; and (3) understand the dynamics of the religious help-seeking relationship. Using an electronic survey, a sample of 146 self-identified African-American Christians participated in the study. The findings revealed that the sample had favorable attitudes toward professional help-seeking, which contradicts previous literature indicating resistance to seek professional care. Also, the sample held favorable attitudes toward religious help-seeking albeit slightly. Correlation analysis revealed a weak, positive correlation between the religious and professional help-seeking. The Attitude Toward Religious Help-Seeking Scale (ATRHSS) was designed for use in the study as no other instrument was available to measure the attitudes of African-Americans regarding religious help-seeking. The ATRHSS had good internal consistency with a Cronbach alpha of .720. Specifically designed to reveal the attitudes of African-American Christian members of the Black Church, a principle components factor analysis revealed the latent components of Significance of Faith and Pastoral Disapproval as factors associated with an unexpected reservation toward religious help-seeking. This is content not discussed previously in the social work literature. Additionally, the concepts of mistrust (related to the confidential nature of pastoral counseling) and skepticism (related to the pastoral counselors professional ability to render such services) were prevalent among those surveyed. Lastly, when presented with 22 issues which could be the focus of clinical intervention and the choice of professional resource to address them (social worker, counselor, psychologist/psychiatrist, pastoral counselor), social workers were never chosen as the preferred provider. Ultimately the findings suggest two things: (1) that social works wholesale abdication of clinical responsibility for African-Americans in favor of a perceived preference for informal, indigenous sources of support may be inaccurate and (2) that the lack of preference for social work practitioners among respondents necessitates an examination of the professional shortcomings that keep potential clients from seeking out social work services. -- Abstract.

Download or read book Another Day s Journey written by Robert Michael Franklin and published by Fortress Press. This book was released on with total page 152 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Franklin's book urges direct engagement by African American and other churches with America's mounting social problems and details programs for children, elders, and economic action.

Download or read book The Color of HOPE written by Pamela Robinson and published by . This book was released on 2020-09-30 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: According to the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, a demographic study of the religious landscape in the United States reported that African Americans have the greatest degree of religious belief among all the racial-ethic groups (Pew Research Center 2015). Specifically, 97% of all African Americans reported belief in God, with 83% reporting belief in God with absolute certainty, and 75% of African Americans reported religion was very important in their lives, compared with 53% of people in the general population. While African American families may assist family members faced with psychiatric problems, this data suggests that Black churches are valuable places to implement mental health interventions for their population. Despite high rates of religious attendance and importance, African Americans fail to fully utilize professional mental health services relative to their White counterparts (Hankerson et al. 2011). Factors that contribute to these racial treatment disparities include distrust of providers, limited access to care, financial constraints, high attrition rates, and stigma of mental illness (Hankerson et al., 2015). African Americans who do seek professional treatment are more likely to receive lower-quality care and significantly less likely to receive guideline-concordant care (Gonzalez et al., 2010). Given the enormous individual and societal cost associated with mental disorders (Murray and Lopez 1997), exploring the role of African American faith-based organizations is an essential component of Black mental health.

Download or read book Empowering Black Youth of Promise written by Sandra L. Barnes and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2016-06-10 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Informed by the experiences of 772 Black churches, this book relies on a multidisciplinary, mixed-methodological lens to examine how today’s Black churches address the religious and non-religious educational and broader socialization needs of youth. Drawing from a cultural and ecological framework of village-mindedness, Barnes and Wimberly examine the intersected nature of place, space, and race to propel a conversation about whether and how the Black Church can become a more relevant and empowering presence for youth and the Black community.