Causes, cures, and compliance : bible believers' causal attributions and preferred treatments for mental disorders

Author

Todd S. Stanfield, University of Tennessee

Date of Award

12-2002

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Major

Social Work

Major Professor

Catherine A. Faver

Committee Members

William R. Nugent, David A. Patternson, Kathleen A Lawler

Abstract

The importance of providing culturally-competent treatment is increasingly being emphasized in the mental health literature. However, the effect of religion as a cultural determinant of treatment utilization is largely understudied. Previous studies suggest that religious fundamentalists are more likely to endorse spiritual and demonic explanations for mental illness and are less willing to seek help from secular mental health professionals. However, these studies are based on small, regional, non-probability samples and have failed to adequately control for the effects of other sociodemographic variables such as education. This study utilized data from two nationally representative surveys, the 1996 and 1998 General Social Surveys (GSS), to examine the effect of beliefs about the authorship, inerrancy, and interpretation of the Bible on beliefs about the perceived causes and preferred treatments for mental disorders. Respondents to the 1996 MacArthur Mental Health Module were presented with a vignette that described someone experiencing one of four disorders: schizophrenia, major depression. alcoholism, or drug addiction.

Recommended Citation

Stanfield, Todd S., "Causes, cures, and compliance : bible believers' causal attributions and preferred treatments for mental disorders. " PhD diss., University of Tennessee, 2002.
https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss/6314