The role of the church as a supportive network: The relationship between psycho-social climate, church involvement and psychological well-being. The aim of the present study was to determine whether mere involvement in church activities is enough to perceive the church as supportive, or whether the church should possess certain qualities before it is experienced as being supportive. The concept of psycho-social climate was used as a conceptual frame of reference to study the characteristics of the church. Two hundred and fourteen members of 10 different congregations completed a battery of questionnaires designed to measure their involvement in the church, their perception of the psycho-social climate of the church and their level of psychological well-being. No relationship between church involvement and psychological well-being could be found. On the other hand the analysis of the relationship between the dimensions of church climate and psychological well-being produced a number of significant correlations. Step-wise multiple regression analysis confirmed that the psycho-social dimensions of order/clarity, social concern, stability and activity were significant predictors of level of psychological well-being. The obtained relationship was interpreted as confirmation of the impact that the psycho-social environment has on individual functioning.
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