Synonyms
Definition
Religious social support can be described as the social support individuals receive as a result of their religious beliefs and participation in religious activities. Social support refers to the size of one’s social network and the perception of belonging to one or more groups. It also includes perceptions of received, provided, and expected emotional and tangible support from one’s social network (Cohen, Underwood, & Gottlieb, 2000). Thus, religious social support refers to the emotional and tangible support that one receives, provides, and expects from one’s religious community. It may also refer to the size of one’s social network as a result of participation in religious and spiritual activities (Debnam, Holt, Clark, Roth, & Southward, 2011; Krause, Ellison, Shaw, Marcum, & Boardman, 2001). Religious support is a multidimensional construct that has sometimes been operationalized differently across various studies. Most definitions of...
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsReferences and Readings
Cohen, S., Underwood, L., & Gottlieb, B. H. (2000). Social support measurement and intervention: A guide for health and social scientists. New York: Oxford University Press.
Debnam, K., Holt, C. L., Clark, E. M., Roth, D. L., & Southward, P. (2011). Relationship between religious social support and general social support with health behaviours in a national sample of African Americans. Journal of Behavioural Medicine. Retrieved December 1, 2011, from http://0-www.springerlink.com.skyline.ucdenver.edu/content/243t686161407262/
Ellison, C. G., & George, L. K. (1994). Religious involvement, social ties, and social support in a southeastern community. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 33, 46–61.
Ellison, C., Hummer, R., Burdette, A., & Benjamins, M. (2010). Race, religious involvement, and health: The case of African Americans. In C. G. Ellison & R. A. Hummer (Eds.), Religion, families, and health: Population-based research in the United States (pp. 321–348). New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press.
Exline, J. J., & Rose, E. (2005). Religious and spiritual struggles. In R. F. Paloutzian & C. L. Park (Eds.), Handbook of the psychology of religion and spirituality (pp. 435–459). New York: Guilford.
Fetzer Institute, National Institute on Aging Working Group. (1999). Multidimensional measurement of religiousness/spirituality for use in health research. Kalamazoo, MI: John E. Fetzer Institute.
George, L. K., Ellison, C. G., & Larson, D. B. (2002). Explaining the relationships between religious involvement and health. Psychological Inquiry, 13, 190–200.
Koenig, H. G. (2009). Research on religion, spirituality, and mental health: A review. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 54, 283–291.
Koenig, H. G., McCullough, M. E., & Larson, D. B. (2001). Handbook of religion and health. New York: Oxford University Press.
Krause, N., Ellison, C., Shaw, B. A., Marcum, J. P., & Boardman, J. D. (2001). Church-based social support and religious coping. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 40, 637–656.
McCullough, M. E., Hoyt, W. T., Larson, D. B., Koenig, H. G., & Thoresen, C. (2000). Religious involvement and mortality: A meta-analytic review. Health Psychology, 19, 211–222.
Miller, L., & Kelley, B. S. (2005). Relationships of religiosity and spirituality with mental health and psychopathology. In R. F. Paloutzian & C. L. Park (Eds.), Handbook of the psychology of religion and spirituality (pp. 435–459). New York: Guilford.
Oman, D., & Thoresen, C. E. (2005). Do religion and spirituality influence health? In R. F. Paloutzian & C. L. Park (Eds.), Handbook of the psychology of religion and spirituality (pp. 435–459). New York: Guilford.
Powell, L. H., Shahabi, L., & Thorensen, C. E. (2003). Religion and spirituality: Linkages to physical health. American Psychologist, 58, 36–52.
Strawbridge, W. J., Shema, S. J., Cohen, R. D., & Kaplan, G. A. (2001). Religious attendance increases survival by improving and maintaining good health practices, mental health, and stable marriages. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 23, 68–74.
Taylor, S. E. (2011). Social support: A Review. In M. S. Friedman (Ed.), The handbook of health psychology (pp. 189–214). New York: Oxford University Press.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2013 Springer Science+Business Media, New York
About this entry
Cite this entry
Barrett, C. (2013). Religious Social Support. In: Gellman, M.D., Turner, J.R. (eds) Encyclopedia of Behavioral Medicine. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-1005-9_1593
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-1005-9_1593
Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY
Print ISBN: 978-1-4419-1004-2
Online ISBN: 978-1-4419-1005-9
eBook Packages: MedicineReference Module Medicine