TY - JOUR
T1 - The Use of Prayer During Life-Threatening Illness: A Connectedness to God, Inner-Self, and Others
AU - Hamilton, Jill B.
AU - Kweon, Leslie
AU - Brock, La-Urshalar B.
AU - Moore, Angelo D
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2019, Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.
PY - 2020/8/1
Y1 - 2020/8/1
N2 - To explore how prayers were used as expressions of spirituality among community-dwelling African Americans in response to life-threatening illness. Fifty-eight older African American adults residing in the Southeastern US participated in a qualitative descriptive study. Through prayers, participants requested the strength to endure, protection, healing and expressed gratitude. Prayers were expressions of spirituality through dimensions of connectedness: transpersonally to God or the unseen; intrapersonally to one’s inner-self; and, interpersonally to others. Prayers are an important aspect of spirituality and the mental health of older African Americans particularly during serious, life-threatening illness. An understanding of the ways in which prayers are used might enhance the cultural relevance of mental health interventions in this population.
AB - To explore how prayers were used as expressions of spirituality among community-dwelling African Americans in response to life-threatening illness. Fifty-eight older African American adults residing in the Southeastern US participated in a qualitative descriptive study. Through prayers, participants requested the strength to endure, protection, healing and expressed gratitude. Prayers were expressions of spirituality through dimensions of connectedness: transpersonally to God or the unseen; intrapersonally to one’s inner-self; and, interpersonally to others. Prayers are an important aspect of spirituality and the mental health of older African Americans particularly during serious, life-threatening illness. An understanding of the ways in which prayers are used might enhance the cultural relevance of mental health interventions in this population.
KW - African Americans
KW - Chronic illness
KW - Prayer
KW - Spirituality
UR - https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?partnerID=HzOxMe3b&scp=85064337635&origin=inward
UR - https://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.uri?partnerID=HzOxMe3b&scp=85064337635&origin=inward
U2 - 10.1007/s10943-019-00809-7
DO - 10.1007/s10943-019-00809-7
M3 - Article
C2 - 30949822
SN - 0022-4197
VL - 59
SP - 1687
EP - 1701
JO - Journal of Religion and Health
JF - Journal of Religion and Health
IS - 4
ER -
