The effect of socially supportive church ministry on children's prosocial behavior: An experimental study of Latin American Protestant Congregations
| Autor: | Robert G. Crosby, Erin I. Smith |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2021 |
| Předmět: |
030505 public health
Latin Americans Social Psychology education 05 social sciences Community change 050109 social psychology Individual development humanities Developmental psychology 03 medical and health sciences Social support Protestantism Prosocial behavior Intervention (counseling) 0501 psychology and cognitive sciences Christian ministry 0305 other medical science Psychology |
| Zdroj: | Journal of preventionintervention in the community. |
| ISSN: | 1540-7330 |
| Popis: | The church is commonly assumed to scaffold individuals' socially supportive relationships and prosocial behavior. If true, that would make the church an important support for individual development and community change, facilitating and fostering healthy relationships and positive interactions with others. In this study, we analyzed experimental data collected from 30 churches in three Latin American countries to assess the impact of an intervention targeting relational ministry practices on 6- to 14-year-old children's perceived support and prosocial behavior. Data were collected from children before (n = 710) and after (n = 612) the intervention in treatment (n = 25 churches) and control (n = 5 churches) conditions. Results indicated that the introduction of socially supportive practices in church children's ministries increased children's prosocial behavior, an effect mediated by changes in perceived support. Implications for children's development and the church as a means of community change are discussed. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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