The Association of Religious Clusters and Geographic Region With Depressive Symptoms, Daily Hassles, and Daily Uplifts in African American Men

Religiosity is central in the lives of many African Americans, with notable geographic variation in religious involvement throughout the United States (US). Using cluster analyses, we examined associations of religious clusters and geographic region with mental health in a sample of African American men. Participants from a national survey of religion and health completed six measures of religiosity and measures of depressive symptoms, daily hassles, and uplifts. Participants (N = 902) were from the South, Northeast, and Midwest regions of the US. The cluster analysis revealed three religious clusters: Positive Religious, Negative Religious, and Low Religious. The Positive Religious tended to have better mental health outcomes. There was also evidence that the Low Religious group had better mental health than the Negative Religious group. Further, we found more religious cluster differences on mental health in the South than the Northeast and Midwest. Implications for theory and interventions to support mental health in African American men are discussed.