Turning to prayer: Social and situational antecedents of religious coping among African Americans

Although observers have long suggested that prayer is an important coping behavior for African Americans, there has been little research on the social and situational antecedents of such religious coping in this population. This study develops a series of theoretical arguments linking four sets of factors - religiosity, problem domain, social and psychological resources, and social location - with religions coping. Relevant hypotheses are then tested using data front a large national probability sample of African Americans. Findings confirm the general importance of religious coping among African Americans. Further, while multiple dimensions of religiosity are important predictors of the use of prayer in coping, this practice is also most likely among persons dealing with health problems or bereavement, persons with low general personal mastery, and females. A number of promising directions for further research on religious coping - among African Americans, and in the general population - are discussed.