Research Proposal: Complex Relationship of Religious Community, Psychological Health, and Socioeconomic Status of Spanish Speaking Residents Ages 18-50 in Lynchburg, VA

Previous research has shown a clear quantitative correlation between socioeconomic status and religious gatherings as well as psychological health and religious gatherings. However, there have been few studies on the interconnectedness of mental health, socioeconomic stability, and religious identity and gathering. Research thus has not addressed the personal implications and the benefits of individual perspectives that can be offered through a qualitative methodology. Thus, this research proposes an ethnographic methodology which may provide insights that do not limit the subjectivity of mental health, religious experiences, and socioeconomic struggles.Through an integration of psychology, anthropology, and sociology, the proposed research hopes to answer the question, "How is the complex relationship between religious community, psychological health, and socioeconomic status viewed by Spanish speaking residents ages 18-50 in Lynchburg,VA?"