Journal
JOURNAL OF RELIGION & HEALTH
Volume 61, Issue 4, Pages 3076-3097Publisher
SPRINGER
DOI: 10.1007/s10943-021-01297-4
Keywords
Spirituality; Health; Mechanisms; Black gay and bisexual men; Black psychology
Funding
- Muhlenberg College
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Through 10 individual in-depth interviews, this study found that the level of spiritual consciousness among Black sexual minority men influences their engagement in psychological and behavioral processes, which in turn affects their mental and physical health.
Despite health inequities, many Black sexual minority men are resilient and often utilize spirituality as a culturally distinct self-protective and self-enhancing resource to maintain their health. However, little is known about how spirituality impacts health within a cultural framework that is specific to Black sexual minority men. We conducted 10 individual in-depth interviews, reaching code saturation, with Black sexual minority men across the USA. Our study was guided by grounded theory and a Black psychology theoretical framework. Seven themes were discovered and revealed that participants' level of spiritual consciousness influenced their engagement in psychological and behavioral processes that were related to mental and physical health. These themes were: (a) suboptimal worldview, (b) emotional revelation, (c) emotional emancipation, (d) emotional regulation, (e) health motivations, (f) health behaviors, and (g) links between spiritual consciousness, mental health, and physical health. Implications of these findings for clinicians and researchers are discussed.
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