Edward C. Polson

Social Diversity and Civic Engagement: The Effects of Ethnic and Social Heterogeneity on the Community Involvement of American Congregations

A growing body of research has been devoted to examining the community service activities of congregations. Yet there is much we still do not know about factors that affect variation in levels of congregational community service. One area that deserves attention is the relationship between congregational services and increasing levels of diversity in the United States. Are homogeneous or diverse congregations more or less likely to provide services to their communities? Does the makeup of a congregation’s surrounding community affect the likelihood that it will become involved in the provision of services? Utilizing data from the U.S. Congregational Life Survey (USCLS), I explore the effects that diversity has on the community service activities of congregations. Results from multivariate analyses suggest that some types of diversity may increase the number of service programs provided by congregations.

Religious Environments and the Distribution of Anti-Poverty Nonprofit Organizations

Previous scholarship highlights the effect that religious environments have on community-level outcomes such as neighborhood stability, economic development, and crime. In the present study, I extend work on the contextual effects of religion by examining how the religious composition of U.S. counties is related to the distribution of anti-poverty nonprofit organizations. Anti-poverty nonprofits represent an important source of support for communities across the United States, and history suggests that religious people and groups have played a significant role in their development. Still, it is unclear whether some religious environments may be more nurturing of these organizations than others. Utilizing spatial regression models and county-level data, I seek to address this question. I find that the geographic concentration of some religious traditions is related to a more robust presence of anti-poverty nonprofit organizations than others.

Structured Voluntary Youth Activities and Positive Outcomes in Adulthood: An Exploratory Study of Involvement in Scouting and Subjective Well-Being

This study explores whether youth involvement in Scouting has positive consequences later in life. We examine whether the number of years of participation in Scouting is positively associated with human and social capital and recreational lifestyles in adulthood, and whether these are linked to subjective well-being: relational, emotional, and physical health. To explore this potential relationship, we estimated a structural equation model, analyzing data from a national sample of adult males. We found that youth involvement in Scouting is positively related to subjective well-being indirectly via the positive adult outcomes.

Worshiping across the Color Line: The Influence of Congregational Composition on Whites’ Friendship Networks and Racial Attitudes:

Religious participation has reinforced the color line in American society for generations. Despite rising racial and ethnic diversity across U.S. communities, most Americans continue to belong to congregations composed primarily of others from their own racial/ethnic groups. Yet recent scholarship suggests that the presence of multiple racial or ethnic groups in the same congregation is increasing. The authors examine how the racial/ethnic composition of U.S. congregations is related to white attenders’ friendship networks and comfort with other racial/ethnic groups (i.e., blacks, Hispanics, and Asians). Using national survey data, the authors find that whites in multiracial congregations report more diverse friendship networks and higher levels of comfort with nonwhites than do whites in nonmultiracial congregations. However, the influence of worshipping with another race/ethnicity seems to be most pronounced for whites in congregations with Hispanics. Moreover, neighbors and friends of other races have more impact on whites’ friendship networks and attitudes than do congregations. The authors discuss implications of these findings for understanding U.S. intergroup relations and the potential of congregations to address the color line.

ADHD and Grief: Diagnosis and Differentiation at One Federally Qualified Health Center

ABSTRACT Family physicians provide medical care including diagnosis for children experiencing loss and grief. The cognitive impact of loss includes poor attention and concentration, suggestive of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Our study examined this phenomenon in a community health center (CHC) utilizing physicians’ surveys and a medical record audit of 378 children diagnosed with ADHD during a three-year period. Results identified ambiguous loss and trauma resulting from family instability, absent parent, domestic violence, abuse, and foster care, often unrecognized by physicians as producing grief accompanied by attention and concentration problems. Findings suggest exploration of repeated ambiguous losses in children with ADHD.