Term of Award
Fall 2025
Degree Name
Doctor of Public Health (Dr.P.H.)
Document Type and Release Option
Dissertation (open access)
Copyright Statement / License for Reuse
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Department
College of Public Health
Committee Chair
Bettye Apenteng
Committee Member 1
Jeffery Jones
Committee Member 2
James Thomas
Committee Member 3
Stacy Smallwood
Abstract
The emergence of COVID-19 in 2020 disrupted the social dynamics of communities in the United States. Furthermore, public health mandates led to closures that changed how populations access faith. Historically, African Americans have utilized the church to cope with societal stressors. This study will explore the history of church utilization in the African American community, assess how COVID-19 public health mandates led to church closures for the first time in recent history and impacted this marginalized population, and provide a qualitative perspective on the quality of life during the closures and what changed after the closures for African Americans in Douglas, Georgia, and its environs. In all, the research provides a firsthand account of how mandatory COVID-19 public health measures shaped religious influences on the mental well-being of churchgoing African Americans in the Douglas area of South Georgia.
OCLC Number
1560059855
Catalog Permalink
https://galileo-georgiasouthern.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/01GALI_GASOUTH/1r4bu70/alma9916641544702950
Recommended Citation
Lewis, Adrian D., "Exploring the Impact of COVID-19 and the Role of the Church on African Americans’ Mental Well-being in South Georgia" (2025). College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations. 3035.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/etd/3035
Research Data and Supplementary Material
No
Included in
COVID-19 Commons, Other Mental and Social Health Commons, Other Public Health Commons, Public Health Education and Promotion Commons
