Recent Findings...
Effects of Hurricane Katrina on Spiritual Outcomes (Aten, J., Hill, P., & Bennett, P.) This study explored effects of Hurricane Katrina on attachment to God, God concept, God control, and spiritual beliefs and practices six months after the disaster. Three hundred and two participants completed the survey six months after Hurricane Katrina, including 142 community participants from Mississippi Gulf Coast Region and 160 college participants from University of Southern Mississippi (main campus). A series of hierrachical multiple regressions was utilized to predict spiritual outcomes based on demographics, hurricane experiences, and resource loss. This study examined the way participants view God, relate to God, and experience God (e.g., spiritual beliefs and practices) and gives insight into predictive factors that effect various areas of spirituality following a natural disaster. Identifying predictive factors may lead to more targeted therapeutic and pastoral interventions following a disaster.
Effects of Hurricane Katrina on God Images (Aten, J. D., Deney, R., Moore, M., Bayne, T., Stagg, A., Owens, S., Adams, J., Daniel, S., Boswell, S., Schenck, J., & Jones, C.) The purpose of this qualitative investigation was to explore God images of Hurricane Katrina survivors. Semi-structured face-to-face interviews were conducted two months after Hurricane Katrina with 21 participants living in highly impacted areas (e.g., Biloxi, Gulfport, and Ocean Springs). Hurricane Katrina caused participants to explore or reexamine the way they view God. Findings would suggest after a period of questioning, the disaster experience appeared to reaffirm of their pre-disaster conceptualizations of God. Overall, participants reported a multifaceted view of God following Hurricane Katrina, from a loving father figure to judge, which helped them explain and make meaning of their hurricane experience.
Collaborating with African American Churches to Overcome Disaster Mental Health Disparities: What Mental Health Professionals Can Learn from Hurricane Katrina (Aten, J., Topping, S., Denney, R., & Bayne, T.) Forty-one individual interviews and two focus groups were conducted with African American pastors and church leaders in areas affected by Hurricane Katrina (Hancock, Harrison, and Forrest Counties one year after Hurricane Katrina. Overall, four primary areas for potential collaboration with mental health professionals were identified to address disaster disparities: (a) outreach and educational opportunities, (b) individual, group, and congregational assessments, (c) consultation activities (e.g., pre-and-post disaster planning), and (d) clinically-focused activities.
Alcohol Use and Meaning in Life Among Survivors of Hurricane Katrina (Johnson, T., Aten, J., Madson, M., & Bennett, P) The current study examines how exposure to the hurricane is associated with a variety of outcomes, including not only PTSD and alcohol use, but also engaging in altruistic behavior and finding meaning and inner peace in the midst of disaster. The sample consisted of 632 students from two campuses of the University of Southern Mississippi four months after Hurricane Katrina. Hierarchical regression was used to examine the effect of various predictors on responses to the hurricane, while controlling for self-reported functioning prior to the hurricane. Loss of home or health predicted increased alcohol use following the hurricane. Receiving help predicted greater alcohol use following the hurricane, while helping others predicted lower levels of alcohol use. Greater severity of hurricane exposure and loss from the hurricane predicted lower levels of Meaning and Peace following the hurricane, while greater religious involvement before the hurricane and greater seeking of social support after the hurricane predicted greater Meaning and Peace. Potential Moderators of the relationship between hurricane exposure and outcomes were also examined. Finding meaning in experiences surrounding the hurricane and positive religious coping reduced some effects of hurricane exposure on PTSD symptoms and alcohol use. Positive Religious Coping reduced the degree to which hurricane exposure reduced Inner Meaning and Peace.
Understanding Sources of Mental Health Stigma in African American Churches (Aten, J., Topping, S., Denney, R., & Bayne, T.) Individual qualitative interviews were conducted with African American pastors in south Mississippi. Underpinning the majority of interviews was the issue and impact of mental health stigma among African American churches. Participants reported that mental health stigma created a significant obstacle to church members’ perceptions and utilization of mental health services. Following is an overview of several sources of mental health stigma identified in participant narratives: (a) lack of information and awareness, (b) negative personal experiences with mental health services, (c) perceived and experienced racism, (d) interpreting mental health problems as solely spiritual problems, (e) viewing mental health organizations as being more concerned with finances than client care, (f) fear of being institutionalized, and (g) negative perceptions of older congregation members leads to stigma among African American churches.
Resource Loss, Religiousness, Health, & Posttraumatic Growth Following Hurricane Katrina (Cook, S., Aten, J., & Leach, M.) This study examined the associations between various types of loss experienced as a result of Hurricane Katrina and how the experience of loss would be associated with religious strain as well as indicators or health and adjustment. The sample consisted of 191 students from the University of Southern Mississippi main campus four months following Hurricane Katrina. Notably, greater amounts of all four types of resource loss were associated with reports of worse general health as well as more role limitations due to emotional problems. Greater loss of condition social support resources was associated with worse health on six of seven areas assessed by the SF-36. Finally, most resource losses were not associated with reports of pain by participants. As hypothesized, the more participants reported preoccupations with sin and guilt, the more health problems they reported in six of the eight health areas assessed by the SF-36. Having negative emotions toward God was inversely associated with social functioning but had no other significant associations with areas of health assessed by the SF-36. More preoccupation with sin and guilt and more negative emotions toward God were associated with increased loss in the areas of personal characteristics and conditions. Loss in the more basic areas of energy resources and basic objects was not significantly associated with the two religious strain variables.