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Psychology

2016

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Full-Text Articles in Education

Alcohol Use And Strenuous Physical Activity In College Students: A Longitudinal Test Of 2 Explanatory Models Of Health Behavior, Heather A. Davis, Elizabeth N. Riley, Gregory T. Smith, Richard S. Milich, Jessica L. Burris Dec 2016

Alcohol Use And Strenuous Physical Activity In College Students: A Longitudinal Test Of 2 Explanatory Models Of Health Behavior, Heather A. Davis, Elizabeth N. Riley, Gregory T. Smith, Richard S. Milich, Jessica L. Burris

Psychology Faculty Publications

Objective: To help clarify the effect of gender on the bidirectional relationship between alcohol use and strenuous physical activity in college students. Participants: Five hundred twenty-four (52% female) college students recruited in August 2008 and 2009 and followed up in April 2009 and April 2011, respectively. Methods: Participants reported their alcohol use and strenuous physical activity on 2 occasions (baseline and follow-up) spaced approximately 1 or 2 years apart. Results: For females, alcohol use quantity at baseline was associated with increased strenuous physical activity at 1- and 2-year follow-ups, and alcohol use frequency at baseline was …


Perceived Effectiveness And Satisfaction Of A Community-Based Positive Youth Development Program: Findings Based On High School Students, Daniel T. L. Shek, Janet T. Y. Leung, Moon Y. M. Law, Kles S. Y. Chan Dec 2016

Perceived Effectiveness And Satisfaction Of A Community-Based Positive Youth Development Program: Findings Based On High School Students, Daniel T. L. Shek, Janet T. Y. Leung, Moon Y. M. Law, Kles S. Y. Chan

Pediatrics Faculty Publications

This study examined participants’ perceptions of a community-based positive youth development (PYD) program (the Project P.A.T.H.S.) based on the responses of 16,420 junior secondary students who joined the program in 2015. Subjective outcome evaluation approach was adopted to examine the students’ views of program content, program instructors, and program effectiveness. Consistent with previous studies, results showed that students generally perceived the program positively, and positive relationships were found amongst the three domains of evaluation. Multiple regression analyses showed that perceived program content and instructor qualities were significant predictors and could explain 35% of the variance in program effectiveness perceived by …


Psychological Needs, Self-Regulation, And Motivation Profiles Among A Sample Of Hong Kong Chinese University Students: A Person-Centered Approach, Cecilia M. S. Ma, Daniel T. L. Shek, Catie C. W. Lai Nov 2016

Psychological Needs, Self-Regulation, And Motivation Profiles Among A Sample Of Hong Kong Chinese University Students: A Person-Centered Approach, Cecilia M. S. Ma, Daniel T. L. Shek, Catie C. W. Lai

Pediatrics Faculty Publications

To better understand factors that influence individuals’ motivation to engage in physical activity, this study aimed to identify the motivational profiles among the Chinese university students, compare the motivational profiles between genders, and explore whether satisfaction of various psychological needs vary with different motivational profiles. Two thousand and twenty-two Chinese university students completed a battery of self-report questionnaires assessing motivation regulation and psychological needs satisfaction. Three motivational profiles were identified for both genders. The overall patterns of the motivational profiles for both genders were similar. However, males (44%) were more likely than their female counterparts (19%) in self-determined profile group. …


Repairing The Broken Mirror: Understanding Men's Muscularity-Focused Body Image Concerns Through The Lens Of Gender Role Conflict And Self-Compassion., Michael S. Butchko Oct 2016

Repairing The Broken Mirror: Understanding Men's Muscularity-Focused Body Image Concerns Through The Lens Of Gender Role Conflict And Self-Compassion., Michael S. Butchko

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Psychological research pertaining to the study of men and masculinity has discerned that men are increasingly becoming dissatisfied with their bodies. However, men’s body image research has been neglected as researchers originally concluded that only women were impacted. However, the last 20 years has begun to elucidate factors and consequences of muscularity-focused body image dissatisfaction among men. Particularly, some men engage in dangerous behaviors (e.g., excessive exercise, dieting, steroid use) in order to obtain a body with large biceps, chiseled chest, and defined abdominal muscles. Also, more men are experiencing characteristics of muscle dysmorphia (MD), a subtype of body dysmorphic …


A Qualitative Metasynthesis Of Consultation Process Research: What We Know And Where To Go, Daniel Newman, Elizabeth L.W. Mckenney, Arlene E. Silva, Mary Clare, Diane Salmon, Safiyah Jackson Oct 2016

A Qualitative Metasynthesis Of Consultation Process Research: What We Know And Where To Go, Daniel Newman, Elizabeth L.W. Mckenney, Arlene E. Silva, Mary Clare, Diane Salmon, Safiyah Jackson

SIUE Faculty Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity

Qualitative metasynthesis (QM) is a research methodology that permits the meaningful integration and interpretation of qualitative research. This study applies a QM approach combined with constructivist grounded theory methods, bolstered by several features of research credibility, to examine the state of consultee-centered consultation (CCC) and related relational, process-oriented school consultation research. A systematic search and retrieval process including two rounds of appraisal resulted in a final sample of 38 relevant studies from 1995 to 2014. Data analyses included two stages of coding/ theme development. Integrated themes suggest a number of considerations regarding consultation implementation including: system-level factors; consultation structure; consultee …


The Extent Of Implicit Bias In Gifted Students: Utilization Of The Iat To Inform Diversity Education, Adrienne Coleman, Kyle Thomas '15 Oct 2016

The Extent Of Implicit Bias In Gifted Students: Utilization Of The Iat To Inform Diversity Education, Adrienne Coleman, Kyle Thomas '15

Publications & Research

The National Association for Gifted Children position statement on “Identifying and Serving Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CLD) Gifted Students” suggests that educators need to change their view of CLD students from a “deficit to a strength perspective”. In addition, it states that “schools should create support programs to help gifted students from diverse backgrounds develop strong academic identities, learn coping strategies for dealing with negative peer pressure and discriminatory practices, and gain resiliency for responding to challenging life circumstances”. One approach to support and retain CLD students that can be utilized by both educators and gifted students is understanding one’s …


Commentary: School Psychologists As Advocates For Racial Justice And Social Justice: Some Proposed Steps, David L. Shriberg Oct 2016

Commentary: School Psychologists As Advocates For Racial Justice And Social Justice: Some Proposed Steps, David L. Shriberg

Education: School of Education Faculty Publications and Other Works

I am extremely honored to have this opportunity to comment on the articles in this special issue of School Psychology Forum (SPF). Social justice and racial justice are critical frameworks from which to view school psychology. Individually and collectively, the works in this issue of SPF are a tremendous service to the field.


Migrant Education In Morocco: Cross-Cultural Competence Favored Over Integrative Reform. An Analysis Of The Moroccan Government’S Migrant Integration Efforts Through Education., Ella Schoenen Oct 2016

Migrant Education In Morocco: Cross-Cultural Competence Favored Over Integrative Reform. An Analysis Of The Moroccan Government’S Migrant Integration Efforts Through Education., Ella Schoenen

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In 2014 the Ministry in Charge of Moroccans Abroad and Migration Affairs, adopted the National Policy of Immigration and Asylum detailing efforts to realize an adaptive education system, sensitive to migrant education and inclusive of teaching and learning strategies directed towards children of foreign heritage. As migrant networks grow more and more fortified, and people all over the world experience improved mobility, destination countries are finding multicultural and inclusive education systems integral to the wellbeing of its new residents, and the tolerance of its native citizens. Based on the national strategy for immigration and asylum put forth by the Ministry …


Fundamental Researcher Attributes: Reflections On Ways To Facilitate Participation In Community Psychology Doctoral Dissertation Research, Renato M. Liboro, Robb Travers Sep 2016

Fundamental Researcher Attributes: Reflections On Ways To Facilitate Participation In Community Psychology Doctoral Dissertation Research, Renato M. Liboro, Robb Travers

Psychology Faculty Research

As novice researchers, Community Psychology doctoral students encounter fresh challenges when they attempt to facilitate participation by members of the community in their dissertation projects. This article presents the merit in adopting fundamental researcher attributes, which have been described in published academic literature as personal characteristics that facilitate participation by members of the community in research studies. The value of these researcher attributes is exemplified in the discussion of one of the author’s experiences in the early stages of his dissertation research process. This article also presents new researcher attributes for facilitating participation by community members that the author recognised …


Development Of A Barriers Scale To Predict Early Treatment Success For Young Children In Poverty With Behavior Problems, Brittany Lynn Gresl, Robert A. Fox, Lauryn A. Besasie Sep 2016

Development Of A Barriers Scale To Predict Early Treatment Success For Young Children In Poverty With Behavior Problems, Brittany Lynn Gresl, Robert A. Fox, Lauryn A. Besasie

College of Education Faculty Research and Publications

Research has demonstrated that participation in parent and child therapy (PCT) programs significantly reduces problematic behaviors while increasing positive behaviors in the child. However, PCT programs report rates of early termination as high as 60% among families in poverty. Research to reduce these early termination rates has historically focused on barriers to treatment including logistical conflicts, socioeconomic status, child age, and symptom severity. Despite attempts to address these variables and reduce early termination rates, progress has been slow in advancing the research in this area. In addition, few measures have been designed to accurately assess how barriers to treatment impact …


Students' Perceptions Of Schooling: The Path To Alternate Education, Liane C. Pereira, Jennifer Lavoie Aug 2016

Students' Perceptions Of Schooling: The Path To Alternate Education, Liane C. Pereira, Jennifer Lavoie

All Faculty Scholarship for the College of the Sciences

Policies governing education in North America have given schools the responsibility of meeting the needs of a diverse student population, including those with emotional and behavioural difficulties (EBD). To balance their need for individualized programs with their right to inclusion in schools, students with EBD may be placed in alternate programs within a mainstream school setting. However, little is known about student experiences leading to this placement or their experiences in these programs. The purpose of this study was to explore youth’s perceptions of the factors that influenced their being placed in an alternate program for students with EBD. Six …


Are Prompts Provided By Electronic Books As Effective For Teaching Preschoolers A Biological Concept As Those Provided By Adults?, Gabrielle Strouse, Patricia Ganea Aug 2016

Are Prompts Provided By Electronic Books As Effective For Teaching Preschoolers A Biological Concept As Those Provided By Adults?, Gabrielle Strouse, Patricia Ganea

School of Education Faculty Publications

Research Findings: Prior research indicates that shared book reading is an effective method for teaching biological concepts to young children. Adult questioning during reading enhances children’s comprehension. We investigated whether adult prompting during the reading of an electronic book enhanced children’s understanding of a biological concept. Ninety-one 4-year-olds read about camouflage in 3 conditions. We varied how prompts were provided: (a) read by the book, (b) read by a researcher, or (c) given face to face by the researcher. There was an interaction between children’s initial vocabulary level and condition. Children with low vocabulary scores gave fewer camouflage responses …


Nurturing Compassion Development Among College Students: A Longitudinal Study, Thomas G. Plante, Katherine Halman Aug 2016

Nurturing Compassion Development Among College Students: A Longitudinal Study, Thomas G. Plante, Katherine Halman

Psychology

Little research exists on the development of compassion among college undergraduates. This study tracks changes in compassion and identifies factors associated with these changes over the course of undergraduate students’ college careers, from the time of admittance to the time of graduation. Compassion levels assessed at the point of college entrance accounted for 25% of the variance in compassion at the time of graduation. These findings provided evidence for the notion that compassion can continue to be cultivated once in college. Predictors such as diversity training, the frequency of religious service attendance, participation in community-based service-learning, political identification, and feeling …


Communication Intervention For Individuals With Down Syndrome: Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Nicole Neil, Emily A. Jones Aug 2016

Communication Intervention For Individuals With Down Syndrome: Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Nicole Neil, Emily A. Jones

Education Publications

A systematic review was conducted to identify effective intervention strategies for communication in individuals with Down syndrome. We updated and extended previous reviews by examining: (1) participant characteristics; (2) study characteristics; (3) characteristics of effective interventions (e.g., strategies and intensity); (4) whether interventions are tailored to the Down syndrome behavior phenotype; and (5) the effectiveness (i.e., percentage non-overlapping data and Cohen’s d) of interventions. Thirty-seven studies met inclusion criteria. The majority of studies used behaviour analytic strategies and produced moderate gains in communication targets. Few interventions were tailored to the needs of the Down syndrome behaviour phenotype. The results …


Emotional Intelligence And Graduates - Employers' Perspectives, Ailish Jameson, Aiden Carthy, Colm Mcguinness, Fiona Mcsweeney Jul 2016

Emotional Intelligence And Graduates - Employers' Perspectives, Ailish Jameson, Aiden Carthy, Colm Mcguinness, Fiona Mcsweeney

Articles

Research has demonstrated that employers favour graduates who possess higher levels of emotional intelligence. Many

initiatives to increase students’ levels of EI have involved ‘whole school’ approaches, whereby generic EI skills programmes are

delivered to all students in a third level institute. This paper details an initial survey of employers’ (n = 500) opinions on the

importance and current level of graduates’ social and emotional competencies. The survey was completed across five sectors:

engineering, IT/computing, professional services (including accounting, business, finance, HR, law, retail), science (including

pharmaceutical and life), and social science which are identified growth industries in Ireland. It …


Indian Doctoral Research In Social Sciences With Specific Reference To Library And Information Science, Jyotshna Sahoo, Santosini Mundhial, Basudev Mohanty Jul 2016

Indian Doctoral Research In Social Sciences With Specific Reference To Library And Information Science, Jyotshna Sahoo, Santosini Mundhial, Basudev Mohanty

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The very purpose of the paper is to focus on the output of doctoral research in different fields of Social Sciences in India. Attempts have been made to project various indicators of Social Science research and more comprehensively Library and Information Science research by analyzing doctoral research works carried out during the period 2010-2012. While presenting quantification of research output in the form doctoral theses for the period of study, the paper highlights distribution of research output by discipline, language, ranking pattern of Universities, States, and supervisors by their output. The paper also indicates the core areas of research activity …


What Can Parents Do? Examining The Role Of Parental Support On The Negative Relationship Between Racial Discrimination, Depression, And Drug Use Among African American Youth, Tamika C. B. Zapolski, Sycarah Fisher, Wei-Wen Hsu, Jessica Barnes Jul 2016

What Can Parents Do? Examining The Role Of Parental Support On The Negative Relationship Between Racial Discrimination, Depression, And Drug Use Among African American Youth, Tamika C. B. Zapolski, Sycarah Fisher, Wei-Wen Hsu, Jessica Barnes

Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology Faculty Publications

African American youth who experience racial discrimination are at heightened risk to use drugs as a coping response to distress. Based on the buffer-stress hypothesis, we proposed that parental support would attenuate this effect. Participants were 1,521 African American youth between 4th and 12th grade. As hypothesized, a mediation pathway was observed among racial discrimination, depression symptoms, and drug use. This effect was observed for both genders, although the pathway was partially mediated for males. In addition, as hypothesized, parental support buffered the negative effect of depression symptomatology on drug use as a consequence of discrimination. Our findings highlight the …


Understanding Posttraumatic Stress And Academic Achievement: Exploring Attentional Control, Self-Efficacy, And Coping Among College Students, Ashley M. Cantrell Jul 2016

Understanding Posttraumatic Stress And Academic Achievement: Exploring Attentional Control, Self-Efficacy, And Coping Among College Students, Ashley M. Cantrell

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The present study examined differences in attentional control, attentional control self-efficacy, and coping as self-regulatory mechanisms among students with varying grade point averages (GPA) who experience posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS). Subjects included 58 college students from one large comprehensive university in the Mid-South who met the criteria for diagnosis of PTSS based on the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R). Three groups were created based on college GPA and graduation requirements at the university (at-risk for graduation, on-track for graduation, and ontrack for graduating with honors). Participants completed a survey that included demographics and measures of PTSS, attentional control, attentional control …


Associations Between Perceived Teaching Behaviors And Affect In Upper Elementary School Students., Allison D. Barnard, Jill L. Adelson, Patrick Pössel Jun 2016

Associations Between Perceived Teaching Behaviors And Affect In Upper Elementary School Students., Allison D. Barnard, Jill L. Adelson, Patrick Pössel

Faculty Scholarship

We explored the associations between student-perceived teaching behaviors and negative affect (NA) and positive affect (PA) in upper elementary age students, both before and after controlling for perceived parenting behaviors. The Teaching Behavior Questionnaire (TBQ), the Alabama Parenting Questionnaire (APQ), and the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule for Children (PANAS-C) were completed by 777 third to fifth graders in nine elementary schools. Using two-level hierarchical linear model analyses, we found that (a) perceived instructional teaching behavior was negatively associated with NA and positively associated with PA; (b) perceived organizational behavior was not associated with either; (c) perceived socio-emotional teaching behavior …


Learning From Texts: Activation Of Information From Previous Texts During Reading, Katinka Beker, Dietsje Jolles, Robert F. Lorch Jr., Paul Van Den Broek Jun 2016

Learning From Texts: Activation Of Information From Previous Texts During Reading, Katinka Beker, Dietsje Jolles, Robert F. Lorch Jr., Paul Van Den Broek

Psychology Faculty Publications

Learning often involves integration of information from multiple texts. The aim of the current study was to determine whether relevant information from previously read texts is spontaneously activated during reading, allowing for integration between texts (experiment 1 and 2), and whether this process is related to the representation of the texts (experiment 2). In both experiments, texts with inconsistent target sentences were preceded by texts that either did or did not contain explanations that resolved the inconsistencies. In experiment 1, the reading times of the target sentences introducing inconsistencies were faster if the preceding text contained an explanation for the …


What Makes Professors Credible: The Effect Of Demographic Characteristics And Ideological Beliefs, Luke Zhu, Karl Aquino, Abhijeet K. Vadera Jun 2016

What Makes Professors Credible: The Effect Of Demographic Characteristics And Ideological Beliefs, Luke Zhu, Karl Aquino, Abhijeet K. Vadera

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Five studies are conducted to examine how ideology and perceptions regarding gender, race, caste, and affiliation status affect how individuals judge researchers' credibility. Support is found for predictions that individuals judge researcher credibility according to their egalitarian or elitist ideologies and according to status cues including race, gender, caste, and university affiliation. Egalitarians evaluate low-status researchers as more credible than high-status researchers. Elitists show the opposite pattern. Credibility judgments affect whether individuals will interpret subsequent ambiguous events in accordance with the researcher's findings. Effects of diffuse status cues and ideological beliefs may be mitigated when specific status cues are presented …


College-Going Experiences Of Male Foster Youth Alumni Who Have Stopped-Out Of College, Felipe D. Longoria May 2016

College-Going Experiences Of Male Foster Youth Alumni Who Have Stopped-Out Of College, Felipe D. Longoria

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This qualitative research study examined how foster care experiences and masculinities influenced male foster youth alumni’s decision to go to college. The study also sought to understand the in-and-out-of-college factors that led participants to exit college prematurely. Five participants were each interviewed twice for data collection purposes. Findings from data analysis indicated that establishing and maintaining relationships in college were challenging and affected an already vulnerable population in their help-seeking behavior. Recommendations are offered for higher education professionals and areas for future research are noted.

Advisor: Corey Rumann


Perceived School Style And Academic Outcomes Among Ethnically Diverse College Students, Rowan Hilty, Cari Gillen-O'Neel Apr 2016

Perceived School Style And Academic Outcomes Among Ethnically Diverse College Students, Rowan Hilty, Cari Gillen-O'Neel

Psychology Honors Projects

Students’ perceptions of their schools play an important role in achievement. One framework for measuring students’ perceptions is an adaptation of Baumrind’s parenting typology, which measures perceived “school style” (Pellerin, 2005) along two dimensions of responsiveness (warmth) and demandingness (high academic expectations). Although research suggests that perceptions of authoritative styles (both responsive and demanding) correlate with better student outcomes (Dornbusch et al., 1987), no existing research has considered whether these findings apply to ethnically diverse samples. We surveyed 301 students from five Midwestern colleges who completed measures of perceived school style, perceived discrimination, and several academic outcomes. Academically stigmatized students …


Successful Female Students In Undergraduate Computer Science And Computer Engineering: Motivation, Self-Regulation, And Qualitative Characteristics, Melissa Patterson Hazley Apr 2016

Successful Female Students In Undergraduate Computer Science And Computer Engineering: Motivation, Self-Regulation, And Qualitative Characteristics, Melissa Patterson Hazley

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Computer Science (CS) and Computer Engineering (CE) fields typically have not been successful at recruiting or retaining women students. Research indicates several reasons for this shortage but mainly from three perspectives: social issues, exposure/prior knowledge and curriculum issues in K-12 settings. This mixed-methods research addresses a gap in the literature by investigating the motivation and self-regulation behaviors of successful female students who are studying computer science and computer engineering. The findings in phase one of this study indicated that learning and performance approach goals predicted adaptive strategic self-regulation behaviors including strategy use, knowledge building and engagement. Learning avoidance goals predicted …


Is A Mediocre Female Professor Evaluated More Negatively Than A Mediocre Male Professor?, Stephanie M. Besst, Rebecca A. Humbert Apr 2016

Is A Mediocre Female Professor Evaluated More Negatively Than A Mediocre Male Professor?, Stephanie M. Besst, Rebecca A. Humbert

Celebrating Scholarship & Creativity Day (2011-2017)

Prior research has shown differences in student's evaluations of male and female professors. This study was designed to examine if these gender differences occurred in mediocre professors. Participants read a mediocre female or male candidate's teaching philosophy and an evaluation by a colleague. They were then asked to evaluate the candidate. The materials were identical except for the gender of the candidate. It was predicted that mediocre female candidates would be punished to a greater extent than mediocre male candidates. No significant results were found - possibly due to a floor effect.


Bullying In Elementary Schools, Matthew Earnhardt, Meline M. Kevorkian, Albert Rodriguez, Tom D. Kennedy, Robin D'Antona, Jia Borror Apr 2016

Bullying In Elementary Schools, Matthew Earnhardt, Meline M. Kevorkian, Albert Rodriguez, Tom D. Kennedy, Robin D'Antona, Jia Borror

Publications

The goal of this study was to report key descriptive data from 1,588 third through fifth graders who completed a survey regarding their perceptions of bullying in schools. Key findings were that 40 % of third through fifth graders reported being bullied, while girls reported being victims of bullying more often than boys. When bullying was reported to a school administrator or a parent/guardian, only about 19 % of those bullied reported that bullying stopped completely; 16 % reported that bullying had stopped for a while, and 11 % indicated that bullying never stopped and in some cases got worse. …


Annotated Bibliography: Altruism, Empathy, And Prosocial Behavior (2014-2015), Erich Yahner Apr 2016

Annotated Bibliography: Altruism, Empathy, And Prosocial Behavior (2014-2015), Erich Yahner

BIBLIOGRAPHIES

No abstract provided.


46th Annual Wku Student Research Conference, Student Research Council Apr 2016

46th Annual Wku Student Research Conference, Student Research Council

Student Research Conference Select Presentations

See document below for project abstracts


The Effects Of Scaling On Trends Of Development: Classical Test Theory And Item Response Theory, Weldon Z. Smith Apr 2016

The Effects Of Scaling On Trends Of Development: Classical Test Theory And Item Response Theory, Weldon Z. Smith

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The scale metrics used in educational testing are often arbitrary, and this can impact interpretation of scores on measurements. Both classical test theory sum scores and item response theory estimates measure the same underlying dimension, but differences in the two scales may lead one to be more preferential than the other in interpreting data. Mismatch between individual ability and test difficulty can further result in difficulties in correctly interpreting trends of development in longitudinal data. A previous limited simulation by Embretson (2007) demonstrated that classical test theory sum scores result in misinterpretation of linear trends of development, and that item …


A Grounded Theory Exploration Of Clergy's Counseling Referral Practices In Black Churches, Morgan R.C. Mccain Apr 2016

A Grounded Theory Exploration Of Clergy's Counseling Referral Practices In Black Churches, Morgan R.C. Mccain

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

According to the National Institute of Mental Health (2008) nearly one-third of American adults experience a diagnosable mental disorder in any given year. Of those who experience mental illness only one in three will actually seek professional help (Obasi & Leong, 2009). This number becomes even smaller for people of African descent. African Americans are less likely to seek professional help for their personal problems (Cramer, 1999) because of barriers like inadequate health insurance and stigma. However, there are fewer challenges associated with African Americans seeking help from religious leaders (Chiang, Hunter, & Yeh, 2004). By their involvement in different …