Date of Award

2000

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Program

Educational Leadership PhD

First Advisor

James A. Tucker

Second Advisor

Wilfred G. A. Futcher

Third Advisor

Leona G. Running

Abstract

Problem. The subject of social support and its role in health and well-being ofindividuals has become an important topic to many researchers. This study was designed to discover to what extent female members of Seventh-day Adventist churches perceive their church as providing them with social support.

Method. The instrument used was the Social Provision Scale which measures six aspects of social support--attachment, guidance, nurture, reliable alliance, social integration, and worth. Scores from the 99 White and 48 African American women were compared for each of the six aspects on the basis of ethnicity, age, and marital status using Analysis of Variance.

Results. In comparing the women on the basis of ethnicity, the Black women had a higher perception of their church as a provider of social support. Among the different age groups, older women scored higher than the young or middle aged. Married women also had a greater perception of receiving social support than single women.

Conclusions. The women surveyed appeared to have a rather high perception of their church as a provider of social support. However, there may be other factors in their lives which are responsible for their feelings of well-being.

Subject Area

Church work with women--Seventh-day Adventists, Women--Religious life

DOI

https://dx.doi.org/10.32597/dissertations/406/

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