Rural African American clergy: are they literate on late-life depression?

This exploratory study examined rural African American clergy's knowledge of and experience in providing support to African American elders with late-life depression. Interviews were conducted with nine African American clergy who oversaw rural churches in central Kentucky. Jorm and colleagues provide a conceptual framework for mental health literacy to explore participants' knowledge of late-life depression. Although few clergy had direct experience with counseling a depressed older adult, all the clergy were considered literate regarding late-life depression and its treatment. These findings have implications for social workers building collaborative community treatment relationships.