Keywords

African Americans, clergy, depression, faith community nursing, mental health

Authors

1. Anthony, Jean Spann
2. Morris, Edith
3. Collins, Charles W.
4. Watson, Albert
5. Williams, Jennifer E.
6. Ferguson, B'nai
7. Ruhlman, Deborah L.

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Many African Americans (AAs) use clergy as their primary source of help for depression, with few being referred to mental health providers. This study used face-to-face workshops to train AA clergy to recognize the symptoms and levels of severity of depression. A pretest/posttest format was used to test knowledge (N = 42) about depression symptoms. Results showed that the participation improved the clergy's ability to recognize depression symptoms. Faith community nurses can develop workshops for clergy to improve recognition and treatment of depression.