Exploring Religiosity, Perceived Mental Health, and Coping Behaviors of Undergraduate African American College Students in the South

Author(s)

Kennedy Golden, University of South Carolina
Phyllis Raynor PhD, APRN, PMHNP-BC, University of South CarolinaFollow
Karen Worthy PhD, MPH, RN, CNE, CNEcl, University of South CarolinaFollow
Lori Lynn Vick PhD, RN, University of South Carolina - ColumbiaFollow
Abbas S. Tavakoli DrPH, MPH, ME, University of South CarolinaFollow

Document Type

Article

Abstract

Objective: The current study explored the relationships of religiosity and coping behaviors on the perceived mental health of undergraduate African American (AA) college students enrolled at a large public university in the Southern United States. Methods: We used a cross-sectional survey design. AA and/or African descent adult college participants (n = 131) were recruited from an online chat group (ie, GroupMe) and completed the Brief-COPE, a demographic questionnaire, and a single-item mental health tool. Data analyses employing descriptive statistics and correlational analyses examined relationships between variables. Results: There was a positive correlation between increased religious activity and overall mental health. Those who specified their religion as “other” had a lower total mental health score than those with an identified religion. Conclusions: Findings underscore the importance of supportive interventions that account for religious beliefs and activities on overall mental health outcomes for undergraduate AA college students in the South.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2024.2427066

Publication Info

Published in Journal of American College Health, 2024.

APA Citation

Golden, K., & Raynor, P. (2024). Exploring religiosity, perceived mental health, and coping behaviors of undergraduate African American college students in the South. Journal of American College Health.https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2024.2427066

Rights

© 2024 taylor & francis group, llc