Negative interaction in the church: Insights from focus groups with older adults

The purpose of this paper is to present findings from a series of focus gro ups that were designed to explore the content domain of negative interactio n in the church. Altogether, eight focus groups consisting of sixty-three o lder adults were conducted. The results suggest that unpleasant encounters in church settings ave a significant source of concern and distress for eld erly people. A three-part scheme is devised to classify types of negative i nteraction in the church. Also, data are provided on the coping responses u sed by older adults when negative interaction arises in their place of wors hip. The implications of these results for research on negative interaction and health-related outcomes are discussed.