https://doi.org/10.4081/qrmh.2018.6996

Our family portrait: the church as a model of social support

Vol. 2 No. 1 (2018)
Submitted: 15 August 2017
Accepted: 24 February 2018
Published: 30 May 2018
Church, Social support, Family, Health communication.
Abstract Views: 827
PDF: 407
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Authors

Liza Ngenye
lngenye@gmu.edu
Department of Communication, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, United States.
The church means many things to many people. Some would describe it as a culture, network, organization, or family. The purpose of this study is to understand of the role of the church in providing social support to individual church members and to uncover meanings prescribed by individuals about the nature of social support in the church. I analyze the context in which church practices are embedded, the processes of creating social support, and the meanings of church-related activities and gatherings that contribute to social support. The study examines how the health-related needs of church members are not only physiological but also accounted for in emotional, psychological and social terms. By using metaphor as a framework for interpretation of members’ meanings, my analysis of social support is broadened to include religious contexts. This study adds to growing literature on the connection between religion, communication and health.

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How to Cite

Ngenye, Liza. 2018. “Our Family Portrait: The Church As a Model of Social Support”. Qualitative Research in Medicine and Healthcare 2 (1). https://doi.org/10.4081/qrmh.2018.6996.

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