Acceptability of the Fetzer/NIA Multidimensional Measure of Religiousness and Spirituality in a sample of community-dwelling Black adults.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the acceptability of the National Institute on Aging/Fetzer Multidimensional Measure of Religiousness and Spirituality in a sample of Black, community-dwelling, older adults using focus group inquiry (N =15).


METHODS
Focus group methodology was used for data collection and analysis. Three focus groups (N = 15) were conducted in two different urban settings in the northeastern part of the United States.


RESULTS
Key findings were that (a) self-rating on religiousness was uncomfortable for many participants, (b) selfless was a word many participants confused with selfish, and (c) spirituality was an important concept.


CONCLUSIONS
Overall, the Measure was found to be culturally acceptable and required little modification.


CONCLUSIONS
Religious health beliefs such as "rebuking" or "not claiming" medical diagnoses are important considerations to bear in mind in seeking to understand the impact of religiousness on health in this population.
University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA.
Melissa J
MJ
Mokel
Juliette M
JM
Shellman
D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology*; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012067:Religion; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012649:Self Concept; D029181:Spirituality; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
Fetzer Multidimensional Measure; community-dwelling; focus groups; older Black adults; older Blacks; psychometric evaluation; religiousness and spirituality