Exploring religiosity, perceived mental health, and coping behaviors of undergraduate African American college students in the South

<b>Objective</b>: The current study explored the relationships of religiosity and coping behaviors on the perceived mental health of undergraduate African American (AA) college students enrolled at a large public university in the Southern United States. <b>Methods:</b> We used a cross-sectional survey design. AA and/or African descent adult college participants (<i>n</i> = 131) were recruited from an online chat group (ie, GroupMe) and completed the Brief-COPE, a demographic questionnaire, and a single-item mental health tool. Data analyses employing descriptive statistics and correlational analyses examined relationships between variables. <b>Results:</b> There was a positive correlation between increased religious activity and overall mental health. Those who specified their religion as "other" had a lower total mental health score than those with an identified religion. <b>Conclusions:</b> Findings underscore the importance of supportive interventions that account for religious beliefs and activities on overall mental health outcomes for undergraduate AA college students in the South.