Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Church Support among African American and Black Caribbean Adolescents

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Journal of Child and Family Studies Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Objectives

Church members are a significant but under-researched source of informal support particularly among adolescents. Church-based support networks are a long-standing and significant feature of religious involvement for Black Americans that provides tangible and psychosocial resources helpful for navigating life challenges. However, questions concerning the role of church support for Black adolescents in the United States are under-researched, especially potential ethnic group differences.

Methods

This study examines church-based support among Black adolescents, focusing on ethnic variation in receiving and providing church support among African American and Black Caribbean adolescents (13–17 years). We use data from the National Survey of American Life-Adolescent (NSAL-A) Supplement study.

Results

Both African American and Black Caribbean adolescents report receiving church support, with approximately half of both groups providing overall assistance to others on a frequent basis. There were no significant ethnic differences for receipt or provision of church support. In separate regression models for African American and Black Caribbean adolescents, significant differences emerged across age, family income, geographic region, frequency of service attendance and congregational activity. For Black Caribbeans, girls provide help during illness more frequently than boys. For both African American and Black Caribbean adolescents, religious engagement (i.e., frequency of service attendance and congregational activity) was associated with both receiving and providing church support.

Conclusions

Information about sociodemographic and religious differences in involvement with church support exchanges can be used to align Black adolescents’ participation in ways that are developmentally appropriate and consistent with their life experiences.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Berkman, L. F., & Glass, T. (2000). Social integration, social networks, social support, and health. Social Epidemiology, 1, 137–173.

    Google Scholar 

  • Butler-Barnes, S. T., Cook, S., Leath, S., & Caldwell, C. (2018a). Teacher-based racial discrimination: The role of racial pride and religiosity among African American and Caribbean Black adolescents. Race & Social Problems, 10(12), 1–12.

    Google Scholar 

  • Butler-Barnes, S. T., Martin, P. P., Copeland-Linder, N., Seaton, E. K., Matusko, N., Caldwell, C. H., & Jackson, J. S. (2018b). The protective role of religious involvement in African American and Caribbean Black adolescents’ experiences of racial discrimination. Youth & Society, 50(5), 659–687.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Calhoun-Brown, A. (2000). Upon this rock: The Black Church, nonviolence, and the Civil Rights movement. PS: Political Science & Politics, 33(2), 169–174.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chatters, L. M., Nguyen, A. W., Taylor, R. J., & Hope, M. O. (2018). Church and family support networks and depressive symptoms among African Americans: Findings from the National Survey of American Life. Journal of Community Psychology, 46(4), 403–417.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chatters, L. M., Taylor, R. J., Bullard, K. M., & Jackson, J. S. (2009). Race and ethnic differences in religious involvement: African Americans, Caribbean Blacks and non-Hispanic Whites. Ethnic & Racial Studies, 32(7), 1143–1163.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chatters, L. M., Taylor, R. J., Lincoln, K. D., & Schroepfer, T. (2002). Patterns of informal support from family and church members among African Americans. Journal of Black Studies, 33(1), 66–85.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chaze, F., Thomson, M. S., George, U., & Guruge, S. (2015). Role of cultural beliefs, religion, and spirituality in mental health and/or service utilization among immigrants in Canada: a scoping review. Canadian Journal of Community Mental Health, 34(3), 87–101.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Denton, K., & Zarbatany, L. (1996). Age differences in support processes in conversations between friends. Child Development, 67(4), 1360–1373.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Donahue, M. J., & Benson, P. L. (1995). Religion and the well‐being of adolescents. Journal of Social Issues, 51(2), 145–160.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ellison, C. G., & Levin, J. S. (1998). The religion-health connection: Evidence, theory, and future directions. Health Education & Behavior, 25(6), 700–720.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Emerson, M. O., Korver-Glenn, E., & Douds, K. W. (2015). Studying race and religion: A critical assessment. Sociology of Race & Ethnicity, 1(3), 349–359.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fetzer Institute. (2003). Multidimensional measure of religiousness/spirituality for use in health research: A report of the Fetzer Institute/National Institute on Aging Working Group. Kalamazoo, MI: John E. Fetzer Institute.

    Google Scholar 

  • Flaherty, J., & Richman, J. (1989). Gender differences in the perception and utilization of social support: Theoretical perspectives and an empirical test. Social Science & Medicine, 28(12), 1221–1228.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fowler, J. W. (1981). Stages of faith. New York, NY: HarperCollins.

    Google Scholar 

  • Good, M., & Willoughby, T. (2007). The identity formation experiences of church-attending rural adolescents. Journal of Adolescent Research, 22(4), 387–412.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gooden, A. S., & McMahon, S. D. (2016). Thriving among African‐American adolescents: Religiosity, religious support, and communalism. American Journal of Community Psychology, 57(1–2), 118–128.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Goosby, B. J., Caldwell, C. H., Bellatorre, A., & Jackson, J. S. (2012). Ethnic differences in family stress processes among African-Americans and Black Caribbeans. Journal of African American Studies, 16(3), 406–422.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hayward, R. D., & Krause, N. (2015). Religion and strategies for coping with racial discrimination among African Americans and Caribbean Blacks. International Journal of Stress Management, 22(1), 70–91.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hope, M. O., Assari, S., Cole-Lewis, Y. C., & Caldwell, C. H. (2017). Religious social support, discrimination, and psychiatric disorders among Black adolescents. Race & Social Problems, 9(2), 102–114.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jackson, J. S., Torres, M., Caldwell, C. H., Neighbors, H. W., Nesse, R. M., Taylor, R. J., & Williams, D. R. (2004). The National Survey of American Life: A study of racial, ethnic and cultural influences on mental disorders and mental health. International Journal of Methods in Psychiatric Research, 13(4), 196–207.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Koenig, H. G., King, D., & Carson, V. B. (2012). Handbook of religion and health. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Krause, N. (2006). Church-based social support and mortality. The Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 61(3), S140–S146.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Krause, N. (2008). Aging in the church: How social relationships affect health. West Conshohocken, PA: Templeton Foundation Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Levin, J., Chatters, L. M., & Taylor, R. J. (2005). Religion, health, and medicine in African Americans: Implications for physicians. Journal of the National Medical Association, 97, 237–249.

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Lincoln, C. E., & Mamiya, L. H. (1990). The black church in the African American experience. Durham, NC: Duke University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Logan, J. R. (2007). Who are the other African Americans? Contemporary African and Caribbean immigrants in the U.S. In Y. Shaw-Taylor & S. Tuch (Eds), Other African Americans: Contemporary African and Caribbean families in the United States (pp. 49–68). Boulder, CO: Rowman & Littlefield.

    Google Scholar 

  • Malecki, C. K., & Elliott, S. N. (1999). Adolescents’ ratings of perceived social support and its importance: validation of the student social support scale. Psychology in the Schools, 36(6), 473–483.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Maton, K. I., Teti, D. M., Corns, K. M., Vieira-Baker, C. C., Lavine, J. R., Gouze, K. R., & Keating, D. P. (1996). Cultural specificity of support sources, correlates and contexts: Three studies of African-American and Caucasian youth. American Journal of Community Psychology, 24(4), 551–587.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nguyen, A. W., Taylor, R. J., & Chatters, L. M. (2016). Church-based social support among Caribbean Blacks in the United States. Review of Religious Research, 58(3), 385–406.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rose, T., Finigan-Carr, N., & Joe, S. (2017). Organized religious involvement and mental health among Caribbean Black adolescents. Child & Adolescent Social Work Journal, 34(2), 147–157.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Seaton, E. K., Caldwell, C. H., Sellers, R. M., & Jackson, J. S. (2008). The prevalence of perceived discrimination among African American and Caribbean Black youth. Developmental Psychology, 44(5), 1288.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shumaker, S. A., & Hill, D. R. (1991). Gender differences in social support and physical health. Health Psychology, 10(2), 102–111.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shapiro, E. (2018). Places of habits and hearts: Church attendance and Latino immigrant health behaviors in the United States. Journal of Racial & Ethnic Health Disparities, 5(6), 1328–1336.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smith, C. (2003). Theorizing religious effects among American adolescents. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 42(1), 17–30.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smith, C., Denton, M. L., Faris, R., & Regnerus, M. (2002). Mapping American adolescent religious participation. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 41(4), 597–612.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stanton-Salazar, R. (1997). A social capital framework for understanding the socialization of racial minority children and youths. Harvard Educational Review, 67(1), 1–41.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Taggart, T., Gottfredson, N., Powell, W., Ennett, S., Chatters, L. M., Carter-Edwards, L., & Eng, E. (2018). The role of religious socialization and religiosity in African American and Caribbean black adolescents’ sexual initiation. Journal of Religion & Health, 57(5), 1889–1904.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Taylor, R. J., & Chatters, L. M. (1988). Church members as a source of informal social support. Review of Religious Research, 30(2), 193–203.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Taylor, R. J., & Chatters, L. M. (2011). Religious media use among African Americans, Black Caribbeans, and Non-Hispanic Whites. Journal of African American Studies, 15(4), 433–454.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Taylor, R. J., Chatters, L. M., & Levin, J. (2004). Religion in the Lives of African Americans: Social, Psychological and Health Perspectives. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Taylor, R. J., Chatters, L. M., Lincoln, K. D., & Woodward, A. T. (2017). Church-based exchanges of informal social support among African Americans. Race & Social Problems, 9(1), 53–62.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Taylor, R. J., Chatters, L. M., Woodward, A. T., & Brown, E. (2013). Racial and ethnic differences in extended family, friendship, fictive kin and congregational informal support networks. Family Relations, 62(4), 609–624.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Taylor, R. J., Lincoln, K. D., & Chatters, L. M. (2005). Supportive relationships with church members among African Americans. Family Relations, 54(4), 501–511.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Taylor, R. J., Mouzon, D. M., Nguyen, A. W., & Chatters, L. M. (2016). Reciprocal family, friendship and church support networks of African Americans: Findings from the National Survey of American Life. Race & Social Problems, 8(4), 326–339.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Van Horn, K. R., & Marques, J. C. (2000). Interpersonal relationships in Brazilian adolescents. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 24(2), 199–203.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vieno, A., Santinello, M., Pastore, M., & Perkins, D. D. (2007). Social support, sense of community in school, and self-efficacy as resources during early adolescence: An integrative model. American Journal of Community Psychology, 39, 177–190.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Waters, M. C. (1999). Black Identities: West Indian immigrant dreams and American realities. New York, NY: Russell Sage Foundation and Cambridge: Harvard University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zarrett, N., & Eccles, J. (2006). The passage to adulthood: challenges of late adolescence. New Directions for Youth Development, 2006(111), 13–28.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Research on Ethnicity, Culture and Health, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA

    Meredith O. Hope

  2. School of Social Work and Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA

    Robert Joseph Taylor

  3. Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA

    Ann W. Nguyen

  4. School of Social Work, School of Public Health and Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA

    Linda M. Chatters

Authors
  1. Meredith O. Hope
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Robert Joseph Taylor
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Ann W. Nguyen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Linda M. Chatters
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Meredith O. Hope.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Publisher’s note: Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Hope, M.O., Taylor, R.J., Nguyen, A.W. et al. Church Support among African American and Black Caribbean Adolescents. J Child Fam Stud 28, 3037–3050 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-019-01479-5

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-019-01479-5

Keywords

Search

Navigation