The African American Minister as a Source of Help for Serious Personal Crises: Bridge or Barrier to Mental Health Care?

Using data from the National Survey of Black Americans, this article explores the role of African American ministers in the help seeking of African Americans for serious emotional problems. The authors explore which demographic characteristics and psychosocial factors are related to contacting Black...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Health education & behavior 1998-12, Vol.25 (6), p.759-777
Main Authors: Neighbors, Harold W., Musick, Marc A., Williams, David R.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
African Americans - statistics & numerical data
Aged
Black Community
Female
Health Professions
Help Seeking Behavior
Humans
Logistic Models
Male
Mental Health Services
Ministers (Clergy)
Odds Ratio
Pastoral Care
Psychological Factors
Sociodemographic Characteristics
Socioeconomic Factors
United States
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Using data from the National Survey of Black Americans, this article explores the role of African American ministers in the help seeking of African Americans for serious emotional problems. The authors explore which demographic characteristics and psychosocial factors are related to contacting Black clergy for help, whether certain types of personal problems increase the likelihood of clergy contact, and whether those who go to ministers are also likely to seek help from other professional help sources. Results indicate that women are more likely than men to seek help from ministers. People with economic problems are less likely to contact clergy, while those with death or bereavement problems are more likely to seek help from the clergy. Regardless of the type or severity of the problem, those who contact clergy first are less likely to seek help from other professionals. It is recommended that African American clergy and mental health professionals engage in a mutual exchange of information to increase access to professional care among African Americans with serious personal problems.
ISSN:1090-1981
1552-6127
DOI:10.1177/109019819802500606