The religiosity gap: preferences for seeking help from religious advisors

Crosby, James W.; Bossley, Natasha

doi:10.1080/13674676.2011.561485

Cited by 39 publications

(36 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…There has also been extensive research about the relationship between religion, well-being, and mental health, including how religious beliefs and practices help with coping, in providing support and promoting hope and optimism among people with mental health problems (7)(8)(9)(10). However, less is known about the specific role of religious and spiritual advisors, including church ministers, priests, or monks, in helping with psychological problems (11).…”

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confidence: 98%

Roles of Religious and Spiritual Advisors Among Adults in Singapore With Mental Illnesses

Subramaniam¹,

Abdin²,

Vaingankar³

et al. 2013

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OBJECTIVE Information is limited concerning the role of religious and spiritual advisors in providing help to people with mental illnesses in Singapore. This study examined that role, as well as the satisfaction with and the perceived effectiveness of the services provided, among people with mental health problems. METHODS Data were collected as part of a nationally representative household survey of residents 18 years and older in Singapore. The Composite International Diagnostic Interview, version 3.0, was used to diagnose mental illness as well as to collect information about the mental health services respondents had sought. RESULTS A total of 6,616 respondents completed the survey; in the overall sample, 1.5% reported seeking help from religious or spiritual advisors. This rate increased to 6.6% among those with at least one mental illness, with the prevalence being higher among respondents with lifetime dysthymia, generalized anxiety disorder, or bipolar disorder. Sociodemographic correlates associated with a lower likelihood of consultation with a religious or spiritual advisor included reporting "other" race-ethnicity as well as faith in Buddhism, Hinduism, or Islam. Most respondents who sought help from a religious or spiritual advisor in the last 12 months were satisfied with the help they received, and about half reported it to be very useful. CONCLUSIONS Religious and spiritual advisors are an important source of help for people with mental illness, and a majority of respondents with a mental illness were satisfied with the support they received from these sources.

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confidence: 98%

Roles of Religious and Spiritual Advisors Among Adults in Singapore With Mental Illnesses

Subramaniam¹,

Abdin²,

Vaingankar³

et al. 2013

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“…Previous research has demonstrated that those who identify with the Christian faith believe that treatment for mental health concerns should come from the church. Christian individuals have reported that they prefer to seek help from a religious advisor rather than a mental health care professional because they believe there is less stigma involved (Crosby & Bossley, ) and due to concerns that the professional may undermine their religious beliefs (Mayers, Leavey, Vallianatou, & Barker, ). Given these prior findings, it is fairly surprising that religious affiliation was nonsignificant in our sample; however, at least three possible explanations exist.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Help‐seeking Behavior in Socially Conservative and Christian Suicide Decedents

Waitz‐Kudla

Daruwala

Houtsma

et al. 2018

Suicide & Life Threat Behav

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Objective The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between religious affiliation, political beliefs, and lifetime mental health help‐seeking behavior in a sample of suicide decedents. We hypothesized that Christian decedents would be less likely to have sought help than non‐Christians, and socially conservative individuals would be less likely to have sought help than socially liberal or moderate individuals. Method Smaller samples (N = 147 for political analyses, N = 218 for religion analyses) were drawn from a larger sample of 267 suicide decedents, for whom data were collected from loss survivors. Results Logistic regression analyses showed that Christian and non‐Christian individuals did not differ significantly in help‐seeking behavior prior to death by suicide. Individuals who identified as socially liberal were significantly more likely to have sought mental health care than were individuals who identified as socially conservative. Conclusions This is the first study to examine the association between social conservatism and a lack of help‐seeking behavior. These findings show the importance of implementing interventions to increase help‐seeking behavior for suicidality within demographic groups that stigmatize help‐seeking behavior, specifically socially conservative individuals. They also stress the importance of suicide prevention tactics that do not require disclosing suicidal intent within these groups.

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“…For example, in a study of 126 adult Protestants in Australia, Hartog and Gow (2005) found a positive association between religiosity and religious causal attributions (e.g., demonic possession) of major depression and schizophrenia. With respect to help-seeking behaviors, in a U.S. Christian college student sample (N = 235), higher religiosity was related to a greater tendency to seek out religious figures rather than professionals (Crosby & Bossley, 2012). Similarly, Gass (1984), in a study involving 204 U.S. college students, found that Orthodox Christians (i.e., those adhering to traditional Christian beliefs, such as Christ's divinity) were more desirous that counselors be of the same religious background as themselves, compared to nonorthodox and nonChristian students.…”

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confidence: 99%

Religious Muslim American Mothers’ Perceptions of Child Behavior Problems

Chowdhury¹,

Glenwick²,

Mattson³

2015

Journal of Muslim Mental Health

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The present study investigated Muslim American mothers' perceptions of and reactive actions to child behavior problems, as well as factors (type of problem, severity of problem, religiosity, acculturation, and child gender) associated with their perceptions and reactive actions. Twenty Muslim American mothers having a child between the ages of 4 and 18 responded to four vignettes created by crossing the two dimensions of problem type (internalizing and externalizing) and problem severity (low and moderate), as well as to demographic, religiosity, and acculturation measures. Type and severity of behavior problem had significant relationships with mothers' perceptions of seriousness, level of worriedness, and unusualness. Religiosity and acculturation were not associated with mothers' perceptions but were associated with some reactive actions. Also, the participants tended to turn for help to nonprofessional (e.g., family and friends) sources more than to fellow community members and medical/mental health professionals. Implications of the results for community-based education and intervention programs are considered.

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The religiosity gap: preferences for seeking help from religious advisors

Cited by 39 publications

References 45 publications

Roles of Religious and Spiritual Advisors Among Adults in Singapore With Mental Illnesses

Roles of Religious and Spiritual Advisors Among Adults in Singapore With Mental Illnesses

Help‐seeking Behavior in Socially Conservative and Christian Suicide Decedents

Religious Muslim American Mothers’ Perceptions of Child Behavior Problems

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