An Examination of Spirituality among African American Women in Recovery from Substance Abuse

Abstract

Spirituality and its relationship to mental health outcomes (self-concept and coping style), familial attitudes (family climate and attitudes toward parenting), and satisfaction with social support was examined among African American women in recovery from substance abuse. Using the Spiritual Well-Being Scale as a measure of spirituality, the median split method was used to divide a sample of 146 African American women in recovery from substance abuse into high and low spirituality groups. It was found that women in the high spirituality group expressed a more positive self-concept, active coping style, perceptions of family climate, and attitudes toward parenting than women in the low spirituality group. In addition, the high spirituality group expressed greater satisfaction with their