"The prayers of others helped": Intercessory prayer as a source of coping and resilience in Christian African American families

Keywords

prayer, intercessory prayer, marriage, African American, religion, coping

Abstract

Married African American families are perceived as highly religious; however, they are often underrepresented in research studies involving prayer. This study used qualitative interviews to examine intercessory prayer as a perceived source of strength and resilience for 33 heterosexual, highly religious African American families identifying as Christian. Data were analyzed using open coding and Numeric Content Analysis. The following themes were identified: (a) Interceding Prayers Build Personal Strength, (b) Interceding Prayers Strengthen Marital Bonds, and (c) Interceding Prayers Unite Communities. Narratives are offered to support each theme and social work implications are discussed.

Original Publication Citation

*Skipper, A. D.,*Moore, T. J., & Marks, L. D. (2018/2019). “The prayers of others helped”: Intercessory prayer as a source of coping and resilience in Christian African American families. Journal of Religion and Spirituality in Social Work: Social Thought, 4, 373–394.

Document Type

Peer-Reviewed Article

Publication Date

2018-08-20

Permanent URL

http://hdl.lib.byu.edu/1877/7638

Publisher

Journal of Religion & Spirituality in Social Work: Social Thought

Language

English

College

Family, Home, and Social Sciences

Department

Family Life

University Standing at Time of Publication

Full Professor

Link to Full Text

Share

COinS