Gender Differences in the Roles of Religion and Locus of Control on Alcohol Use and Smoking Among African Americans

Overview

Journal J Stud Alcohol Drugs

Specialty Psychiatry

Date 2015 May 16

PMID 25978836

Citations 19

Authors

Cheryl L Holt

David L Roth

Jin Huang

Eddie M Clark

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Objective: Spiritual health locus of control reflects a person's beliefs about the role of a higher power in one's health and can take an active or a passive perspective. The purpose of this study was to examine the moderating role of active and passive spiritual health locus of control beliefs on select health risk behaviors--alcohol use and smoking--in a national sample of African Americans.

Method: A national U.S. probability sample of study participants (N = 2,370; 906 men; 1,464 women) completed a telephone survey assessing religious involvement, active and passive spiritual health locus of control beliefs, and alcohol consumption and smoking status. Because of previous research suggesting gender-specific associations among these variables, moderation analyses were conducted separately for men and women.

Results: For women, higher religious behaviors were associated with less alcohol use, and this effect was more pronounced among those high in active spiritual health locus of control. For men, the combination of lower religious beliefs and higher passive spiritual health locus of control was associated with more alcohol consumption and more days of consuming five or more alcoholic drinks. No moderation effects were found for smoking.

Conclusions: This study identified unique patterns of religious involvement and spiritual health locus of control beliefs that are associated with alcohol use, including heavy drinking, among African Americans. These findings have implications for pastoral counseling and other faith-based approaches for addressing heavy drinking in African Americans.

Citing Articles

God Knows Best: Exploring the God Locus of Health Control, Race-Ethnicity, and Risk-Taking and Protective Behaviors Interrelationship in the USA.

Daniels C, Ellison C, Shattuck E, Sunil T, Xu X J Relig Health. 2025; .

PMID: 39753995 DOI: 10.1007/s10943-024-02227-w.

Intersectionality and the Association Between State-Level Structural Racism, Binge Alcohol Consumption, and Smoking Status Among Black Americans.

Woodard N, Butler 3rd J, Ghosh D, Green K, Knott C J Racial Ethn Health Disparities. 2024; .

PMID: 39302566 DOI: 10.1007/s40615-024-02180-0.

The Association between State-Level Structural Racism and Alcohol and Tobacco Use Behaviors among a National Probability Sample of Black Americans.

Woodard N, Butler J, Ghosh D, Green K, Knott C Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2023; 33(2):261-269.

PMID: 38032218 PMC: 10872984. DOI: 10.1158/1055-9965.EPI-23-0873.

(Un)holy Smokes? Religion and Traditional and E-Cigarette Use in the United States.

Hill T, Bostean G, Upenieks L, Bartkowski J, Ellison C, Burdette A J Relig Health. 2022; 63(2):1334-1359.

PMID: 36520262 PMC: 9753896. DOI: 10.1007/s10943-022-01721-3.

Disability and Health in African Americans: Population Research and Implications for Occupational Therapy Community-Based Practice.

Schulz E, Ghosh D, Clark E, Williams B, Williams R, Ma L Open J Occup Ther. 2022; 10(1).

PMID: 35510196 PMC: 9059791. DOI: 10.15453/2168-6408.1806.

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