The prominent position of the church in the Black community coupled with high levels of religious involvement among elderly Blacks suggests that religiosity may be an important coping resource for members of this minority group. However, there has been little research on this topic. Findings from a recent nationwide survey of older Blacks indicate that religiosity tends to counterbalance or offset the deleterious effects of physical health problems and deaths among family members by bolstering feelings of self-worth among elderly Blacks. These findings were observed after the effects of informal emotional support had been controlled statistically.
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