The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

Abstract #62457

David Marc Klieger, JD;PhD Candidate, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2503 West Springfield Avenue, H-3, Champaign, IL 61821 and James Walkup, PhD, Institute for Health, Health Care Policy, and Aging Research, Rutgers University, 30 College Ave, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, 732-932-6635, jaywalks@aol.com.

Some evidence suggests that religious involvement and spiritual beliefs may have an impact on mental and/or physical health status, but little is know about the influence of official religious publication on the illness behavior and care-seeking of members. Member of churches that have strong boundaries and require high levels or involvement with co-religionists may distrust secular sources of information and advice. Jehovah’s Witnesses doctrine teaches that a member is free to make his own treatment choices, so long as they are not inconsistent with scriptural principles. Official publications provide guidance on these principles. When church members who distrust the secular media, and so limit exposure to it, the influence of officially sanctioned publications is further amplified. The framing of information on psychological and psychiatric difficulties can influence a range of outcomes, including prevention strategies, illness behavior, symptom labeling and attributions, attitudes toward professionals, and expectations regarding the prevalence, course, outcome, and need for treatment. Using Watch Tower Publications Indexes, a range of articles appearing in Awake! and The Watchtower magazines were reviewed. Information found there is largely consistent with prevailing professional opinion at the time of publication. While written to appeal to the general reader, articles cite and discuss mainstream research findings. Psychoanalytic ideas are eschewed, but pharmacological and psychotherapeutic therapies are credited with utility under some circumstances. Scriptural passages are quoted that are matched to the problems discussed. Religiously-based cognitive and behavioral coping strategies are emphasized. The importance of faith is consistently stressed.

Learning Objectives:

At the conclusion of the session, the participant (learner) in this session will:
• Identify how readers of major publications (Awake! and The Watchtower) are advised to understand psychological/psychiatric conditions.
• Recognize the scientific, scriptural, and popular cultural elements of these representations.
• Discuss how mental health concerns are framed in a subgroup of the population who may be distrustful of mainstream information sources on public health and medical care.

Keywords: Faith Community, Mental Health

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.