Black Churches as Therapeutic Groups

McRae, Mary; Thompson, Delores A.; Cooper, Sharon O.

doi:10.1002/j.2161-1912.1999.tb00336.x

Cited by 33 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 18 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Church membership provides various kinds of formal and informal social support (Ellison and Levin, 1998), and the church plays a unique role in the African American community. Although some Black churches directly foster mental health by providing mental-health support groups (Pickett-Schenk, 2002), and even mental health services (Queener and Martin, 2001;Taylor et al, 2000), some psychologists view the Black churches themselves as therapeutic groups that enhance mental health (McRae et al, 1998(McRae et al, , 1999. Moreover, various studies have shown that Black churches provide a sense of history and community, group identity, and self-esteem (Barnes, 2005;McAdoo and Crawford, 1990;Moore, 1991Moore, , 2003 that may promote mental health among African Americans.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Religious Involvement and Risk of Major Depression in a Prospective Nationwide Study of African American Adults

Ellison

Flannelly²

2009

Journal of Nervous &Amp; Mental Disease

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This study investigated the association between religious involvement and major depression in 607 African American adults, using longitudinal data from the National Survey of Black Americans. Logistic regression found that survey participants who reported receiving "a great deal" of guidance from religion in their day-to-day lives at Time 1 (1988-1989) were roughly half as likely (OR = 0.47, p < 0.01) to have major depression at Time 2 (1992), controlling for sociodemographic and psychological factors, and major depression at baseline. The odds of major depression were also lower for persons with high self-esteem (OR = 0.41, p < 0.01) and those who reported having satisfying relationships with friends and family members (OR = 0.51, p < 0.05) at baseline. No association was found between religious attendance or church support and major depression. The possible mechanisms through which religious involvement may protect against depression, especially among African Americans, are discussed.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Religious Involvement and Risk of Major Depression in a Prospective Nationwide Study of African American Adults

Ellison

Flannelly²

2009

Journal of Nervous &Amp; Mental Disease

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The sample was solicited using procedures provided in McRae et al (1999). All the focus groups met directly after Sunday services, with the exception of one that was conducted on Wednesdays before church club meetings.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…McRae et al (1999) noted the positive affective, cognitive, and behavioral dimensions of the Black church tradition as a group process. This study examined patterns of underlying themes that explain this positive effect.…”

Section: Theory Of the Need To Belongmentioning

confidence: 98%

The Need to Belong: A Theory of the Therapeutic Function of the Black Church Tradition

Thompson¹,

McRae

2001

Counseling and Values

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

A theory of belonging is used as a framework for analyzing and interpreting focus group data from 7 congregations in the Black church tradition. Findings suggest that church membership may reflect the need to belong with a group rather than to a group. Within this context multiple dimensions of the self as interdependent and independent, as well as same and different, find opportunities for expression. Positive therapeutic outcomes in affect, cognition, and behavior result. Implications for research, practice, and training are given.

show abstract

“…VMT asks patients to become active participants in creating the music. Interestingly, active music making maps onto several of the healing mechanisms hypothesized to be active in many African American Churches (McRae, Thompson, & Cooper, 1999): group singing to give voice to the suffering, singing to express joy, use of inspirational music, and active music making to build social supports. Furthermore, community music making is an important source of strength and inspiration for African- Americans as it has played a crucial role in their dealing with oppression and suffering throughout history (Maultsby, 2000).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Vocal Music Therapy for Chronic Pain Management in Inner-City African Americans: A Mixed Methods Feasibility Study

Bradt¹,

Norris²,

Shim³

et al. 2016

JMTHER

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background To date, research on music for pain management has focused primarily on listening to pre-recorded music for acute pain. Research is needed on the impact of active music therapy interventions on chronic pain management. Objective The aim of this mixed methods research study was to determine feasibility and estimates of effect of vocal music therapy for chronic pain management. Methods Fifty-five inner city adults, predominantly African-Americans, with chronic pain were randomized to an 8-week vocal music therapy treatment group or waitlist control group. Consent and attrition rates, treatment compliance, and instrument appropriateness/burden were tracked. Physical functioning (pain interference and general activities), self-efficacy, emotional functioning, pain intensity, pain coping, and participant perception of change were measured at baseline, 4, 8, and 12 weeks. Focus groups were conducted at the 12-week follow-up. Results The consent rate was 77%. The attrition rate was 27% at follow-up. We established acceptability of the intervention. Large effect sizes were obtained for self-efficacy at weeks 8 and 12; a moderate effect size was found for pain interference at week 8; no improvements were found for general activities and emotional functioning. Moderate effect sizes were obtained for pain intensity and small effect sizes for coping, albeit not statistically significant. Qualitative findings suggested that the treatment resulted in enhanced self-management, motivation, empowerment, a sense of belonging, and reduced isolation. Conclusions This study suggests that vocal music therapy may be effective in building essential stepping stones for effective chronic pain management namely enhanced self-efficacy, motivation, empowerment, and social engagement.

show abstract

Black Churches as Therapeutic Groups

Cited by 33 publications

References 18 publications

Religious Involvement and Risk of Major Depression in a Prospective Nationwide Study of African American Adults

Religious Involvement and Risk of Major Depression in a Prospective Nationwide Study of African American Adults

The Need to Belong: A Theory of the Therapeutic Function of the Black Church Tradition

Vocal Music Therapy for Chronic Pain Management in Inner-City African Americans: A Mixed Methods Feasibility Study

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About