Organizational Religious Involvement and Mental Wellbeing Among Black Adolescent Girls: The Role of Religious Support

• In Event: Poster Session 11
  In Poster Session: PS 11 Topic - Moral Development

Abstract

Religion plays a significant role in the lives of Black adolescents. A growing body of literature maintains that religion-related factors often serve as cultural assets that buffer against adverse outcomes and foster a range of positive adjustment outcomes (e.g., Gooden & McMahon, 2016; Hope, Taylor, Nguyen, & Chatters, 2019). However, the aspects of religious life most salient for Black adolescent mental wellbeing need further examination (Butler-Barnes, Martin, & Boyd, 2017; Taggart et al., 2018). Beyond organizational religious involvement (ORI), Black adolescents’ religious involvement spans both intrapersonal and interpersonal dimensions, which include emotional support from religious community members (Hope et al., 2019). Additionally, religious support, compared to service attendance, may more strongly associate with better wellbeing (Pearce, Little, & Perez, 2003). Although researchers do address the links between ORI and mental wellbeing for Black youth, fewer studies a) address mediating factors that help explain associations between ORI and mental wellbeing, or b) explore the religion-mental well-being association for Black adolescent girls (Butler-Barnes et al., 2019).

Accordingly, our study explored the influence of ORI and religious emotional support on mental wellbeing and the indirect influence of religious support for Black adolescent girls. We hypothesized that 1) higher levels of ORI and greater support would be related to better mental wellbeing; 2) greater ORI would be associated with higher support; and 3) ORI would be indirectly related to mental wellbeing through support. Data came from 607 African American and Caribbean Black adolescent girls who participated in the National Survey of American Life-Adolescent Supplement (Jackson et al., 2004). ORI was a latent construct reflected by service attendance, participation during religious services, and non-service religious activities (e.g., youth groups). Religious support was assessed by three items representing emotional support from church members (e.g., “feel loved and cared for”). Mental wellbeing was assessed using scales of self-esteem, mastery, life satisfaction, and depressive symptoms.

Structural equation modeling (SEM) tested direct and indirect effects of ORI on mental wellbeing. Findings showed that the SEM model had a satisfactory fit to the data: 2(df=24) = 37.038, p < .05, CFI = .96, RMSEA = .030, 90% CI [0.005, 0.048], SRMR = .032. ORI was not directly related to any mental wellbeing outcomes, but was positively related to religious emotional support. Black girls who reported greater religious support tended to experience higher levels of self-esteem, mastery, and life satisfaction. However, religious support was not related to depressive symptoms. ORI was indirectly related to self-esteem, mastery, and life satisfaction through religious support.

Results suggest that, for Black girls, the wellbeing benefits of ORI only remain significant in the presence of religious emotional support. More work regarding the ways in which various forms of religious support contribute to mental wellbeing outcomes may further strengthen the salience and effectiveness of interventions and programs supporting Black girls.

Authors

• Theda Rose, University of Maryland Baltimore
  Presenting Author

• Meredith Hope, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
  Non-Presenting Author

• Terri Powell, Johns Hopkins University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Victoria Wei Lo Chan, University of Maryland, Baltimore
  Non-Presenting Author