Religion and Mental Health: The Role of The Korean Church and Faith in the Mental Health Perceptions of Korean American Undergraduate Population Público

Abstract

Abstract
Religion and Mental Health: The Role of The Korean Church and Faith in the Mental Health
Perceptions of Korean American Undergraduate Population
I explored how young adults perceive mental health issues-how do university students
think about mental health issues? How do they perceive their own mental health? What coping strategies and mechanisms do they utilize? Are
certain individuals more likely to seek out mental health services than others? What barriers, if
any, keep individuals from seeking professional help? I focused on the Korean American
community and examined how individuals brought up in protestant churches perceive mental
health compared to those who were brought up in a non-religious environment. I explored the
perceptions about mental health and the utilization of mental health services among Korean
American undergraduate students who are religious in comparison to those who are not religious.
For mental health, I focused on three major concepts: how individuals perceived mental
health in general (including mental illness and the stigma associated with it), how they perceived
their own mental health and well being, and finally the types of coping mechanisms individuals
utilized. For religion, I focused on the dimensions of religious affiliation, religious beliefs and views, religiosity, and religious
attendance and participation.
Among the Christian students mental health seems to be an entity that is closely tied to
one's spirituality and belief in a higher being. Both groups reported various coping mechanisms,
and although overlapping occurred, there were distinct coping mechanisms reported by members
within each group. Non-Christian students reported risky-type behaviors including drinking,
smoking, and partying that was not reported by the Christian students as a form of coping
mechanisms. Almost all respondents attributed stigma as a cultural phenomenon that was the
main deterring factor keeping individuals from speaking publicly about mental illness and seeking professional mental health services. Among Christian
respondents none reported utilizing mental health services and only one non-Christian student
reported seeking counseling. It was surprising that all respondents believed that the accessibility
of mental health services on campus was extremely important for the general student body, yet
not personally beneficial for themselves.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents
Introduction...3
Background & Literature Review...5
Methodology...16
Results...20
Discussion...35
References...41
Appendices...45

About this Honors Thesis

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School	Emory College
Department	Sociology
Degree	BA
Submission	Honors Thesis
Language	English
Research Field	Religion, General Health Sciences, Mental Health Sociology, Ethnic and Racial Studies
Palavra-chave	Korean American Coping Mechanisms Religiosity Korean American Undergraduate Mental Health Mental Health Stigma
Committee Chair / Thesis Advisor	Scott, Tracy L, Emory University Banerjee, Shomu, Economics
Committee Members	Keyes, Corey, Emory University

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