Attribution models of helping and coping: A transgenerational theory of African-American traditional healing

Transgenerational belief systems theory is one way to organize and explain how the African-American family system functions as a conduit that communicates traditional folk healing beliefs and practices generation after generation. This dissertation study examines if traditional folk healing beliefs and practices still exist among African-Americans as helping and coping strategies. If so, what form they take. To moderate understanding of African-American traditional folk healing beliefs and practices, a helping and coping attribution measure and religious orientation measure were used.Data was obtained from a survey instrument that assessed beliefs and practices associated with folk healing among a sample population of African-Americans. Five empirically derived scales reflect elements of traditional folk healing. These five scales were used to assess belief and practice of spirituality, the use of rituals for protection, awareness of the relationship between organic symptoms and psychological distress, belief in the power of words to influence well-being, and the importance of dreams to finding solutions to problems.Results of the study show that among African-Americans traditional folk healing beliefs and practices do exist. Moreover, the family is a system through which knowledge is communicated. While there was no relationship between helping-coping attribution and folk healing beliefs and practices, religiosity was related to the folk healing element of spirituality. In addition, spirituality was significantly different between men and women. Results of multiple regression analyses show that religion was an important factor for identifying those who may use traditional folk healing beliefs and practices as helping and coping strategies.Findings of this study suggest that African-American traditional folk healing beliefs and practices provide valuable helping and coping strategies. Further research regarding beliefs and practices for healing among cultural groups is recommended. Besides gaining an understanding of what form culturally based constructs take, further research in counseling psychology should focus on the impact on training needs for the delivery of service.U of I OnlyETDs are only available to UIUC Users without author permissio