A Multidimensional Look at Religious Involvement and Psychological Well-Being Among Urban Elderly African Americans Charlotte Frazier, Laurie B. Mintz, and Michael Mobley University of Missouri—Columbia Although the importance of religion in the lives of older African Americans is well documented, this is the 1st study to examine the relations between religious involvement and psychological well-being among a sample comprised exclusively of older African Americans. Eighty-six participants completed multidimensional measures of religious involvement (J. S. Levin, R. J. Taylor & L. M. Chatters, 1995) and well-being (C. D. Ryff & M. J. Essex, 1992). Results indicated that several dimensions of religious involvement (Organizational, Nonorganizational, and Subjective) were associated with several dimen- sions of psychological well-being (Positive Relations with Others, Self-Acceptance, Environmental Mastery, Purpose in Life, and Personal Growth). Recommendations for future research and implications for counseling are presented. Keywords: religiosity, psychological well-being, African American Numerous scholars agree that religion has played a long- standing key role in the lives of African Americans (Billingsley & Caldwell, 1991; Taylor, 1993). Billingsley and Caldwell (1991) described the Black church as “a preserver of the African Amer- ican heritage and an agent for reform” (p. 350). Similarly, Taylor (1993) documented the salutary impact of Black churches on the lives of African American individuals, revealing that African Americans (AAs) perceive their churches to provide sustenance, strength, assistance, and moral guidelines for conduct as well as to be a source of unity, a community gathering place, and a help in attaining social, economic, and educational goals. Clearly, the Black church is a powerful force for many AAs (Coke, 1992). Given the import of Black churches for their members, it is not surprising that strong relations have been found between religios- ity and various indicators of mental health and well-being among AAs. As examples, research reveals that religious variables are linked with less tobacco use (Ahmed, Brown, Gary, & Saadat- mand, 1994; Brown & Gary, 1994), decreased use or abstention from alcohol consumption (Brown & Gary, 1994; Darrow, Russell, Cooper, Mudar, & Frone, 1992), and rates of incarceration versus nonincarceration (Parson & Mikawa, 1991). Clearly, religious involvement is a critical component in understanding the well- being of AAs. Religion is especially critical to consider when studying older AAs. Research reports that older AAs engage in religious activities more often and perceive themselves as more religious than their younger counterparts (Chatters & Taylor, 1989; Levin & Taylor, 1993; Levin, Taylor, & Chatters, 1994; Taylor, 1988a, 1988b). In addition, older AAs report deriving psychological and tangible support from their churches (Carter, 1982; Hines & Boyd- Franklin, 1982; Taylor & Chatters, 1986; Walls, 1992; Walls & Zarit, 1991). Indeed, empirical evidence indicates that religious involvement can even offset some negative outcomes for older AAs. As an illustration, Krause and Van Tran (1989) found that although life stress among older AAs eroded perceptions of self- worth, religious involvement offset some of these negative effects. Similarly, Krause (1992) reported that religiosity offset the dele- terious effects of physical health problems and family deaths by bolstering feelings of self-worth. Although these studies provide valuable information about the importance of religiosity in the lives of older AAs, including the ability for religion to counteract difficulties, particularly absent are empirical investigations of the relations between religiosity and positive well-being or positive functioning, and this is the focus of the present study. Studies of positive well-being or functioning are generally con- ceptualized as falling into two distinct traditions of research: subjective well-being (SWB) and psychological well-being (PWB) (Keyes, Shmotkin, & Ryff, 2002). The former examines “more global evaluations of affect and life quality,” and the latter exam- ines “perceived thriving vis-a `-vis the existential challenges of life (e.g., pursuing meaningful goals . . . establishing quality ties to others)” (Keyes et al., 2002, p. 1007). In reviewing research that either took into account age effects within a general AA sample or specifically focused on older AAs, we found only three studies (Coke, 1992; Ellison & Gay, 1990; Levin, Chatters, & Taylor, 1995) on SWB (specifically, life satisfaction) and only one study on PWB (Ellison, 1993). Although one study (Walls & Zarit, 1991) purported to examine the relation between PWB and religi- osity among older AAs, closer examination revealed that it focused on relations between religiosity and negative functioning (e.g., depression) rather than between religiosity and the positive- functioning dimensions that compose the PWB construct. Ellison (1993), however, examined relations between religiosity, self- Charlotte Frazier, Laurie B. Mintz, and Michael Mobley, Department of Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology, University of Missouri—Columbia. Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Laurie B. Mintz, Department of Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology, University of Missouri—Columbia, 16 Hill Hall, Columbia, MO 65211. E-mail: mintzl@missouri.edu Journal of Counseling Psychology Copyright 2005 by the American Psychological Association 2005, Vol. 52, No. 4, 583–590 0022-0167/05/$12.00 DOI: 10.1037/0022-0167.52.4.583 583 This document is copyrighted by the American Psychological Association or one of its allied publishers. This article is intended solely for the personal use of the individual user and is not to be disseminated broadly.