Correlates of Religious Coping for African American and Black Caribbean Emerging Adults

Religious involvement has often been harnessed by Black adults to navigate stressful life events. Although substantial evidence documents the use of religious coping for Black adults, less work highlights the role of religious coping for Black Caribbeans in general and specifically for Black emerging adults (both Black Caribbean and African American). Data from the National Survey of American Life were used to assess demographic correlates of two religious coping types (i.e. importance of prayer during stressful times, looking to God for help). For African Americans, being a woman and having greater formal educational attainment were associated with higher levels of prayer importance. For Black Caribbeans, only married emerging adults reported looking to God for strength. African Americans living in the South had higher levels of looking to God for strength than counterparts in the Northeast and North Central regions. Black Caribbean emerging adults in the Northeast viewed prayer as less important during stressful times than counterparts in other regions. This is the first study to examine this religious coping among a national sample of emerging adults. These results may be of interest to clinicians, clergy, and other professionals who work with and alongside Black emerging adults in the United States.