An Examination of Spirituality among African American Women in Recovery from Substance Abuse

Abstract

Spirituality and its relationship to mental health outcomes (self-concept and coping style), familial attitudes (family climate and attitudes toward parenting), and satisfaction with social support was examined among African American women in recovery from substance abuse. Using the Spiritual Well-Being Scale as a measure of spirituality, the median split method was used to divide a sample of 146 African American women in recovery from substance abuse into high and low spirituality groups. It was found that women in the high spirituality group expressed a more positive self-concept, active coping style, perceptions of family climate, and attitudes toward parenting than women in the low spirituality group. In addition, the high spirituality group expressed greater satisfaction with their

Reducing the effects of parental substance abuse on children: A spiritual recommendation

“…The results of the study were similar to other research findings related to recovery, which showed the importance of spirituality, or a belief in a sacred force, for women with a history of addiction (Washington & Moxley, 2001;Coleman & Holzemer, 1999;Roberts, 1999). Spirituality gives meaning to what is happening in the lives of addicts, provides a sense of purpose and well-being, and offers solace in coping with chemical dependency and other life challenges (Carson, Soeken, & Shanty, cited in Tangenberg, 2001;Brome, et al, 2000).…”

“…On the other hand, the common definition of spirituality implies that individuals hold a worldview that entails a belief in a divine force or the sense of connection to a higher power where there is unity of body, mind, and spirit (Spaniol, 2002). This divine force embraces love, strength, comfort, and peace, which encompass relationships with others, self, nature, the transcendent, and involves a sense of meaning and purpose in life (Anandarajah & Hight, 2001;Brome, Owens, Allen, & Vevaina, 2000). Spaniol (2002) writes, "Values, religious or philosophical beliefs, commitment to family, community, or humankind, or a trust in God are all ways for us to put our individual lives into perspective and discover a guide for living" (p. 321).…”

Religion, social support, fat intake and physical activity

“…Religion offers venues for people of like values, interests and activities to interact, enabling adherents to form larger social networks and receive greater social support 8 . In national 9 , elderly 6 , college student 10 and African American samples 11 , religion was related to greater emotional support, larger network size and better perceived support. Religion has also been proposed to promote health-related socialisation 12 , with the church serving as a context for promoting, developing and maintaining health behaviours such as diet and exercise 13 .…”

Understanding Identity Development and Spirituality in African American Female Adolescents through Their Foster Care Experience

“…African American women in recovery who were placed in the high spirituality category following a scaled assessment expressed a more positive concept of spirituality, had an active coping style, better perceptions of family climate, and better attitudes toward parenting than those placed in the low spirituality group (Brome et al 2000). The researchers note, however, that despite their use of a generally available scale on spiritual well-being, there may be essential differences in the way the construct of spirituality is understood in different cultures.…”