“God Did for Me What I Couldn’t Do for Myself”: Understanding Religiosity, Spirituality, and Locus of Control Among Black Americans Who Use Opioids

Jasmine K. Jester; Valerie P.A. Verty; Candice Hargons; Shemeka Thorpe; Danelle Stevens-Watkins

doi:10.1007/s10943-025-02260-3

“God Did for Me What I Couldn’t Do for Myself”: Understanding Religiosity, Spirituality, and Locus of Control Among Black Americans Who Use Opioids

Jasmine K. Jester, Valerie P.A. Verty, Candice Hargons, Shemeka Thorpe, Danelle Stevens-Watkins

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

The present study explored how Black Americans who misuse opioids frame their views of spirituality/religion and locus of control (LOC). The current sample consisted of 39 Black adults residing in two urban cities in Kentucky and reported prescription opioid misuse. Using a locus of control theory as a framework, we qualitatively explored participants’ views of spirituality, religion, and opioid misuse. Structural-tabular thematic analysis (ST-TA) was used to analyze 39 interviews for three components of LOC: (1) external locus of control, (2) internal locus of control (ILC), and (3) mixed locus of control. Results indicated that participants’ religious/spiritual views shaped their beliefs related to LOC, opioid misuse, and drug recovery. Directions for future research and implications for clinicians are discussed.

Original language	English
Journal	Journal of Religion and Health
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-025-02260-3
State	Accepted/In press - 2025

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2025.

Funding

This research was supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA; R01DA049333; PI: Danelle Stevens-Watkins). The content of this manuscript is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

Funders

Funder number

Author National Institute on Drug Abuse DA031791 Mark J Ferris National Institute on Drug Abuse DA006634 Mark J Ferris National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism AA026117 Mark J Ferris National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism AA028162 Elizabeth G Pitts National Institute of General Medical Sciences GM102773 Elizabeth G Pitts Peter McManus Charitable Trust Mark J Ferris National Institute on Drug Abuse

R01DA049333

Author National Institute on Drug Abuse DA031791 Mark J Ferris National Institute on Drug Abuse DA006634 Mark J Ferris National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism AA026117 Mark J Ferris National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism AA028162 Elizabeth G Pitts National Institute of General Medical Sciences GM102773 Elizabeth G Pitts Peter McManus Charitable Trust Mark J Ferris National Institute on Drug Abuse

Keywords

Black Americans
Locus of control
Opioid use
Religion
Spirituality

ASJC Scopus subject areas

General Nursing
Religious studies

Access to Document

10.1007/s10943-025-02260-3

Cite this

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title = "“God Did for Me What I Couldn{\textquoteright}t Do for Myself”: Understanding Religiosity, Spirituality, and Locus of Control Among Black Americans Who Use Opioids",

abstract = "The present study explored how Black Americans who misuse opioids frame their views of spirituality/religion and locus of control (LOC). The current sample consisted of 39 Black adults residing in two urban cities in Kentucky and reported prescription opioid misuse. Using a locus of control theory as a framework, we qualitatively explored participants{\textquoteright} views of spirituality, religion, and opioid misuse. Structural-tabular thematic analysis (ST-TA) was used to analyze 39 interviews for three components of LOC: (1) external locus of control, (2) internal locus of control (ILC), and (3) mixed locus of control. Results indicated that participants{\textquoteright} religious/spiritual views shaped their beliefs related to LOC, opioid misuse, and drug recovery. Directions for future research and implications for clinicians are discussed.",

keywords = "Black Americans, Locus of control, Opioid use, Religion, Spirituality",

author = "Jester, \{Jasmine K.\} and Verty, \{Valerie P.A.\} and Candice Hargons and Shemeka Thorpe and Danelle Stevens-Watkins",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2025.",

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doi = "10.1007/s10943-025-02260-3",

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AU - Jester, Jasmine K.

AU - Verty, Valerie P.A.

AU - Hargons, Candice

AU - Thorpe, Shemeka

AU - Stevens-Watkins, Danelle

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2025.

PY - 2025

Y1 - 2025

N2 - The present study explored how Black Americans who misuse opioids frame their views of spirituality/religion and locus of control (LOC). The current sample consisted of 39 Black adults residing in two urban cities in Kentucky and reported prescription opioid misuse. Using a locus of control theory as a framework, we qualitatively explored participants’ views of spirituality, religion, and opioid misuse. Structural-tabular thematic analysis (ST-TA) was used to analyze 39 interviews for three components of LOC: (1) external locus of control, (2) internal locus of control (ILC), and (3) mixed locus of control. Results indicated that participants’ religious/spiritual views shaped their beliefs related to LOC, opioid misuse, and drug recovery. Directions for future research and implications for clinicians are discussed.

AB - The present study explored how Black Americans who misuse opioids frame their views of spirituality/religion and locus of control (LOC). The current sample consisted of 39 Black adults residing in two urban cities in Kentucky and reported prescription opioid misuse. Using a locus of control theory as a framework, we qualitatively explored participants’ views of spirituality, religion, and opioid misuse. Structural-tabular thematic analysis (ST-TA) was used to analyze 39 interviews for three components of LOC: (1) external locus of control, (2) internal locus of control (ILC), and (3) mixed locus of control. Results indicated that participants’ religious/spiritual views shaped their beliefs related to LOC, opioid misuse, and drug recovery. Directions for future research and implications for clinicians are discussed.

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KW - Religion

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“God Did for Me What I Couldn’t Do for Myself”: Understanding Religiosity, Spirituality, and Locus of Control Among Black Americans Who Use Opioids

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Funding

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Access to Document

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