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Emerging research suggests that, among trauma therapists, religiousness and spirituality may (a) buffer against compassion fatigue, secondary traumatic stress, and burnout and (b) bolster spiritual growth and compassion satisfaction (Newmeyer [...]

CHARTING THE PARADIGM SHIFTS IN HIV RESEARCH: THE CONTRIBUTION OF GENDER AND RELIGION STUDIES Sarojini Nadar and Isabel Phiri Our central aim in this lead-in piece is to chart the [...]

Abstract Mercury (Hg) occurs naturally in the environment and has been used in numerous medicinal, commercial, and industrial applications over many centuries. Also, it has played significant historical, as well [...]

It has been suggested that nearly universal beliefs in God, spirit, and paranormal phenomena evolved because such beliefs alleviate death anxiety. The terror management theory of religion is reviewed. Evidence for an association between lowered death anxiety and religious/paranormal beliefs is extensive, though perhaps somewhat inconsistent, and limited to particular facets of death anxiety, particular aspects of religiosity, and restricted ranges of belief conviction. There is no evidence to support the prediction that death anxiety should be associated with lowered fecundity. Paranormal beliefs are associated with religious beliefs, and the relationship between paranormal beliefs and death anxiety is similarly inconsistent. Ritual healing theory proposes that anomalous experiences occurring in the context of altered states of consciousness during shamanic rituals were the experiential source of beliefs in God, spirit, and the paranormal. Individuals high in hypnotizability were more susceptible to the beneficial health effects of shamanic healing rituals, resulting in selection for this heritable trait, facilitating the evolution of religious and paranormal experiences and beliefs. Keywords: terror management, ritual healing, evolution, paranormal belief Es wurde die Vermutung geaufssert, der beinahe universell verbreitete Glaube an Gott, Geist und paranormale Phanomene hatte sich entwickelt, weil ein solcher Glaube die Angst vor dem Tod verringem wurde. Die Theorie von der Religion als Angstbewaltigung wird dargestellt. Das Beweismaterial fur den Zusammenhang zwischen verringerter Todesangst und religios/paranormalen Einstellungen ist betrachtlich, wenn auch vielleicht etwas inkonsistent und auf vereinzelte Facetten der Todesangst, vereinzelte Aspekte der Religiositat und begrenzte Bereiche der Glaubensuberzeugung beschrankt. Es gibt keinen Hinweis, der die Vorhersage unterstutzen wurde, daiss Todesangst mit verringerter Fruchtbarkeit einhergeht. Paranormale Einstellungen sind mit religiosen Einstellungen assoziiert, und der Zusammenhang zwischen paranormalen Einstellungen und Todesangst ist in ahnlicher Weise inkonsistent. Die Theorie der rituellen Heilung nimmt an, dass anomale Erfahrungen, die ira Kontext veranderter Bewusstseinszustande wahrend schamanistischer Rituale auftreten, die Erfahrungsquelle fur den Glauben an Gott, Geist und das Paranormale darstellen. Personen mit hoher Hypnotisierbarkeit sind mehr fur die positiven Heileffekte schamanistischer Heilungsrituale empfanglich, was die Selektion fur dieses vererbbare Merkmal begunstigt und die Evolution religioser und paranormaler Erfahrungen und Einstellungen erleichtert. Il a ete suggere que presque toutes les croyances universelles en Dieu, l'esprit, et les phenome]nes paranormaux ont evolue car de telles croyances apaisent l'angoisse de la mort. La theorie de religion comme gestion de la terreur est analysee. Les preuves pour une association entre une angoisse de la mort diminuee et des croyances religieuses / paranormales sont vastes, bien que quelque peu inconsistantes et limitees a des facettes particulie]res de l'angoisse de la mort, a des aspects particuliers de la religiosite, et a des zones restreintes de la conviction croyante. Il n'y a pas de preuves supportant la prediction que l'angoisse de la mort devrait etre associee avec une fecondite diminuee. Les croyances paranormales sont associees avec des croyances religieuses, et la relation entre les croyances paranormales et l'angoisse pour la mort est, de la meme manie]re, inconsistante. La theorie de la guerison rituelle propose que les experiences anomales se produisant dans le contexte des etats modifies de conscience durant les rituels chamaniques etaient les sources experientielles des theories de Dieu, de l'esprit et du paranormal. Les individus ayant une hypnotisabilite elevee etaient plus susceptibles de beneficier des effets curatifs des rituels de guerison chamanique, ce qui resulta dans la selection de ce trait hereditaire, facilitant l'evolution des experiences et croyances religieuses et paranormales. Se ba sugerido que las casi universales creencias en Dios, el espiritu, y fenomenos paranormales evolucionaron porque tales creencias calman la ansiedad a la muerte. La teoria de manejo del terror de la religion es discutida. Existe una extensa evidencia de una asociacion entre baja ansiedad a la muerte y creencias religioso/paranormales, aunque quizas un poco inconsistente y limitada a aspectos especificos de la ansiedad a la muerte, aspectos particulares de religiosidad, y un rango limitado de conviccion de creencias. No hay evidencia que apoye que la ansiedad a la muerte debe estar asociada con baja fecundidad. Las creencias paranormales estan sociadas con creencias religiosas, y la relacion entre creencias paranormales y la ansiedad a la muerte tambien es inconsistente. La teoria ritual de la curacion propone que las experiencias anomalas ocurren en el contexto de estados de conciencia alterada durante rituales chamanicos que son el origen experiencial de creencias en Dios, el espiritu y lo paranormal. Individuos que son altos en susceptibilidad hipnotica son mas susceptibles a los beneficios de salud de los rituales chamanicos, lo cual resulta en la seleccion de este rasgo heredable, y facilita la evolucion de experiencias y creencias religiosas y paranormales., Belief in God (or a spiritual dimension to existence) is extremely widespread and persistent throughout human history (Armstrong, 1995; Comings, 2007; Jordon, 2002; Zuckerman, 2005). Beliefs in the paranormal and [...]

Questions of conscience have bubbled to the surface over the last year, exposing what may be a gaping hole in the shield that federal law is supposed to have erected [...]

Previous research has devoted significant attention to understanding the link between health and personal religious beliefs and practices, typically finding that more religious people tend to have better health. However, almost no attention has been given to how switching religious groups or leaving religion altogether is related to self-reported health. Due to selection and causation mechanisms, switching from high-cost groups that are theologically and culturally exclusive could be associated with poor health more than switching from other religious groups. Using data from the 1972 through 2006 General Social Surveys, we examine the relationship between health and religious switching as moderated by the religious tradition of origin. We find that people who are raised and stay in high-cost sectarian groups, such as the Latter-day Saints and Jehovah's Witnesses, have better self-reported health than those raised and staying in other religious traditions. However, people who leave such groups are more likely to report worse health than those who leave other groups. Keywords religion, reaffiliation, switching, denominations, health DOI: 10.117710022146510378236

Although a variety of research projects have been conducted on the benefits of religious coping in older adults, no direct comparison between atheism and religious faith has been published. The study reported in this paper tackled this issue by interviewing two matched groups of people aged over 60 years living in southern England, one of II informants with strong atheistic beliefs, and the other of eight informants with strong religious beliefs. Five paired comparisons were undertaken to examine the role of the content of the belief system itself in coping with different negative stresses and losses commonly associated with ageing and old age. The pairs were matched for the nature of the loss or stress that the two people had experienced, but the two individuals had opposed atheistic and religious beliefs. The analyses showed that all the study participants--regardless of their beliefs--were coping well, and suggested that a strong atheistic belief system can fulfil the same role as a strong religious belief system in providing support, explanation, consolation and inspiration. It is postulated that the strength of people's beliefs and how those beliefs are used might have more influence on the efficacy of coping than the specific nature of the beliefs. Further research into the strength of belief systems, including atheism, is required to test and elaborate this hypothesis. KEY WORDS--belief systems, mental health, coping, atheism, religious belief, finitude. doi:10.1017/S0144686X09990353

Purpose: This article challenges popular conceptions of the nature of ethnicity and religiousness in the gerontological literature. Using the example of older Jewish Americans, the authors argue for more nuanced definitions and usage of terms such as 'religion' and 'ethnicity' in order to begin to understand the complex interweaving of these two dimensions in the lives of older persons. Design and Methods: The analyses used data from the 2000-2001 National Jewish Population Survey (NJPS) as well as comparisons with the 1990 NJPS. There were 1,099 respondents aged 65 years and older in the 2000-2001 NJPS who reported themselves to be Jewish. This sample was then split into three groups: those who reported observing only Judaism and were affiliated with a denomination within Judaism (n = 776) or were not affiliated (n = 277) and those who reported observing another faith in addition to Judaism (n = 46). Results: Respondents to the 2000-2001 NJPS were older, wealthier, and less likely to be members of a religious denomination than those in the 1990 NJPS. Denominational affiliates were more likely than the other two groups to have a strong ethnic identity but less likely to indicate that religion was important in their lives. Denomination members were also more likely to be children or grandchildren 7of immigrants. Implications: Several key assumptions in the study of ethnicity and religiousness in much of current gerontological research need reassessment especially assumptions about the links between religious identification, beliefs, practices, and communal solidarity. Key Words: Cohort, Culture, Denomination, Judaism doi: 10.1093/geront/gnp070

Objective: Religious affiliation is inversely associated with alcohol dependence (AD). Our previous findings indicated that when a religious affiliation differentiated itself from cultural norms, then high-risk adolescents (those having parents with alcoholism history) raised with these affiliations exhibited fewer AD symptoms compared with adolescents of other religious affiliations and nonreligious adolescents. The first of two studies reported here provides a needed replication of our previous findings for childhood religious affiliation using a different sample, and the second study extends examination to current religious affiliation. Method: A national sample of male and female adolescents/young adults (N = 1,329; mean age = 19.6 years) was selected who were the offspring of members of the Vietnam Era Twin Registry. Parental alcoholism, religious affiliation types, and their interactions were examined as predictors of offspring AD symptoms. Results: (1) Offspring reared with a differentiating religious affiliation during child hood exhibited significantly fewer AD symptoms as young adults; (2) offspring with current differentiating religious affiliation also exhibited fewer AD symptoms; this main effect was not weakened by adding other measures of religiousness to the model; (3) differentiating religious affiliation was correlated with both family alcoholism risk and offspring outcome, and removed the association between family alcoholism risk and offspring outcome, thus indicating that differentiating religious affiliation was at least a partial mediator of the association between family AD history risk and offspring AD outcome. Conclusions: Current results indicate that religious differentiation is an inverse mediator of alcoholism risk for offspring with or without parental AD history and regardless of the influence of other religion variables. Results replicated our previous report on religious upbringing between ages 6 and 13 years and indicated an even stronger effect when current differentiating affiliation was examined., ALCOHOLISM RISK IS ASSOCIATED WITH specific family lineages (Cotton, 1979), and thus family studies have become an important component of alcoholism research (Hartman et al., 2006). These studies have shown [...]

Decisions to rely on religious faith over medical treatment for health conditions represent an important but understudied phenomenon. In an effort to understand some of the psychological underpinnings of such decisions, the present research builds from terror management theory to examine whether reminders of death motivate individuals strongly invested in a religious worldview (i.e., fundamentalists) to rely on religious beliefs when making medical decisions. The results showed that heightened concerns about mortality led those high in religious fundamentalism to express greater endorsement of prayer as a medical substitute (Study 1) and to perceive prayer as a more effective medical treatment (Study 2). Similarly, high fundamentalists were more supportive of religiously motivated medical refusals (Study 3) and reported an increased willingness to rely on faith alone for medical treatment (Study 4) following reminders of death. Finally, affirmations of the legitimacy of divine intervention in health contexts functioned to solidify a sense of existential meaning among fundamentalists who were reminded of personal mortality (Study 5). The existential importance of religious faith and the health-relevant implications of these findings are discussed. Keywords: terror management theory, religious fundamentalism, faith-based medical refusals, search for meaning in life

This study examined the relative contributions of (a) gender, (b) perceived stress, (c) social support from family and significant other, and (d) positive and negative dimensions of religious coping to the prediction of the psychological health and meaning in life among 179 Central American immigrants from E1 Salvador and Guatemala. Findings reveal that greater perceived stress by Latinas/Latinos was predictive of psychological health and meaning in life, while social support from a significant other also explained variance in meaning in one's life. Negative religious coping, specifically reappraisal of God's powers, was predictive of search for meaning in one's life. Keywords: religious coping; perceived stress; social support; Central American immigrants; psychological health

The purpose of this investigation was to explore how friendship and attachment to God provide protective benefits against stress and depression. Participants included 235 men and women, age 64 and older, residing in religious monasteries affiliated with the Order of St. Benedict. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses were completed to assess main and moderating effects of friendship and attachment to God relative to the influence of stress on depressive symptomology. Lower degree of friendship closeness ([beta] = -.12, p < .10) and greater insecurity with God ([beta] = -.15, p < .01) were directly associated with greater depressive symptoms. A significant three-way interaction (Stress x Friendship x Attachment to God) also existed relative to depressive symptoms ([beta] = .14, p < .05). Three 'stress-buffering' mechanisms emerged relative to the influence of stress on depressive symptomology. First, a greater degree of friendship closeness in combination with less secure attachment to God represented a greater risk for depressive symptoms. Second, greater friendship closeness in combination with greater secure attachment to God reduced the risk for depressive symptoms. Third, lower degree of friendship closeness combined with less secure attachment to God diminished the noxious effects of stress on depressive symptoms. This has implications relative to how social and spiritual resources can be used to reduce stress and improve quality of life for older adults residing in religious communities.

This study employs a social capital perspective to examine determinants and content of informal communication about HIV/AIDS among members of different Christian congregations in Mozambique. First, we use data from a survey conducted in both rural and urban congregations to analyze factors that shape such communication, and detect that it is more likely to occur in gender-homophilous networks, in more ideologically flexible and socially diverse congregations, and in congregations located in rural areas. We then use the survey data to examine the main themes of congregation-based communication about HIV/AIDS and find denominational and location patterns that correspond to those detected in the first stage of analysis. Finally, we use qualitative data, collected in parallel with the survey, to explore how informal communication is used to reconcile the often conflicting secular and church messages. We interpret our findings in light of structural dynamics within religious congregations and the social construction of HIV/AIDS risks and prevention in that sub-Saharan setting. Keywords: religion, HIV/AIDS, Mozambique, informal communication, sub-Saharan Africa.

Byline: Maureen R. Benjamins (1) Keywords: prevention; health care; religion; women's health Abstract: Despite the many benefits of preventive services, they are often underutilized. Social factors, such as religion, can figure prominently in these discrepancies by either creating barriers or facilitating use. Using data from the Health and Retirement Survey (HRS, 1992--1996), the current study examines the relationship between religious attendance, religious salience, and denomination and three types of female preventive services in a sample of middle-age women (N=4253). Findings indicate that women who attend religious services more frequently use more mammograms, Pap smears, and self-breast exams. In addition, women belonging to Mainline Protestant or Jewish denominations use certain preventive services more than Evangelical Protestants. Finally, women with higher levels of religious salience are more likely to conduct self-breast exams. These findings add important information to the public health literature concerning factors that influence preventive service use. They also add to the growing field of religion and health research where preventive health care use is emerging as a possible mechanism linking religion to a wide variety of physical health outcomes. Author Affiliation: (1) Urban Health Institute, Mt. Sinai Hospital, 1500 South California Avenue, Room K 438, Chicago, Illinois, 60608-1797, USA Article History: Registration Date: 29/09/2005 Accepted Date: 06/05/2005 Online Date: 06/01/2006

Background: Socio-cultural explanatory factors for mental health problems determine help seeking behaviors. The study aimed to understand the reasons mentally ill patients and their families in India choose to seek help from a religious site. Materials and methods: Persons with mental illness and their families were interviewed at religious sites using a guideline questionnaire. Issues such as significant life events, explanations for perceived abnormal behavior and reasons for choosing a specific religious site for 'treatment' were explored. Discussion: Seeking religious help for mental disorders is often a first step in the management of mental disorders as a result of cultural explanations for the illness. This behavior also has social sanctions. Key words: chronic mental illness, religious sites, qualitative study, ritualistic practices

Shareen Joshi explains that faith-based organizations around the world are working with governments and secular institutions to promote birth control. Shareen Joshi explains that faith-based organizations around the world are working with governments and secular institutions to promote birth control., Author(s): Shareen Joshi Author Affiliations: Religion is not a barrier to family planning Public policy debates in the United States might suggest that faith and family planning are fundamentally incompatible. [...]

Research and theory increasingly suggest that attendance at religious services is protective against premature mortality. However, prior studies are limited and do not extensively explore potential explanations for the relationship, especially in terms of religious beliefs and behaviors associated with service attendance. This study estimates the impact of service attendance on mortality in a national probability sample and provides the most extensive empirical examination of potential explanations. Individuals who report attending religious services once a month or more (just over 50 percent of the population) have a 30-35 percent reduced risk of death over a 7.5 year follow-up period after adjusting for potential confounding factors. Consistent with prior research, 20-30 percent of this effect may be explained by better health behaviors (especially physical activity) among regular service attendees. Surprisingly, other religious beliefs and behaviors do not explain, and often tend to suppress, the association between service attendance and mortality.

This study tested a theoretical model concerning religious, passive, and active coping; pain; and psychological adjustment among a sample of 200 Latinos with arthritis. Respondents reported using high levels of religious coping. A path analysis indicated that religious coping was correlated with active but not with passive coping. Religious coping was directly related to psychological well-being. Passive coping was associated with greater pain and worse adjustment. The effects of active coping on pain, depression, and psychological well-being were entirely indirect, mediated by acceptance of illness and self-efficacy. These findings warrant more research on the mechanisms that mediate the relationship between coping and health. This study contributes to a growing literature on religious coping among people with chronic illness, as well as contributing to a historically under-studied ethnic group.

Evidence supporting a relationship between religion and physical health has increased substantially in the recent past. One possible explanation for this relationship that has not received much attention in the literature is that health care utilization may differ by religious involvement or religious denomination. A nationally representative sample of older adults was used to estimate the effects of religious salience and denomination on six different types of preventative health care (i.e. flu shots, cholesterol screening, breast self-exams, mammograms, pap smears, and prostrate screening). Findings show that both men and women who report high levels of religiosity are more likely to use preventative services. Denominational differences show that affiliated individuals, especially those who are Jewish, are significantly more likely to use each type of preventative care than non-affiliated individuals. The results of this study open the door to further exploration of this potentially important, but relatively neglected, link between religion and health. Keywords: Religion; Health care use; Elderly

Spirituality and religion are valued constructs for a large population in America. Each person carries a set of values and beliefs that may aid in their well-being. Spiritual and religious discussions within therapy can be essential for treatment. As therapists, we are expected to provide a safe therapeutic atmosphere for our clients. Therefore the therapist has the responsibility to be aware of personal issues and to integrate spiritual/ religious discussions. In addition, levels of differentiation are important in understanding the self of the therapist. The authors propose that therapists must be aware of their personal level of differentiation in order to effectively integrate spiritual/religious discussions in therapy.

Empirical studies have identified significant links between religion and spirituality and health. The reasons for these associations, however, are unclear. Typically, religion and spirituality have been measured by global indices (e.g., frequency of church attendance, self-rated religiousness and spirituality) that do not specify how or why religion and spirituality affect health. The authors highlight recent advances in the delineation of religion and spirituality concepts and measures theoretically and functionally connected to health. They also point to areas for growth in religion and spirituality conceptualization and measurement. Through measures of religion and spirituality more conceptually related to physical and mental health (e.g., closeness to God, religious orientation and motivation, religious support, religious struggle), psychologists are discovering more about the distinctive contributions of religiousness and spirituality to health and well-being.

The investigation of spiritual/religious factors in health is clearly warranted and clinically relevant. This special section explores the persistent predictive relationship between religious variables and health, and its implications for future research and practice. The section reviews epidemiological evidence linking religiousness to morbidity and mortality, possible biological pathways linking spirituality/ religiousness to health, and advances in the assessment of spiritual/religious variables in research and practice. This introduction provides an overview of this field of research and addresses 3 related methodological issues: definitions of terms, approaches to statistical control, and criteria used to judge the level of supporting evidence for specific hypotheses. The study of spirituality and health is a true frontier for psychology and one with high public interest.

The present investigation is one of the first theoretical studies of young persons entering boot camp. The sample in the present study consists of 326 males, aged 15 to 24 years, in the only boot camp in Arkansas. The purpose of the study is to examine the effects of religiosity within a hypothesized theoretical model with reciprocal relationships of drug use among boot camp inmates. This model is tested with two-stage least squares regression, and all hypothesized relationships, with two exceptions, are supported. The findings show that attachment to caregivers is inversely related to associations with peers who engage in illicit behavior, whereas being abused by an adult is positively related to these associations. These associations have inverse reciprocal relationships with religiosity and secular beliefs, and are positively related to use of excuses for illicit acts, which are positively related to drug use. Drug use increases with advances in age and among white persons (versus persons of color), and use of drugs has positive reciprocal relationships with selling illicit substances and carrying a gun. Conceptual and practice implications of the study are discussed. KEYWORDS Boot camp, religion, drugs, delinquency, juvenile

The author of Handbook of Religion and Health and Spirituality in Patient Care reviews the research on how religion helps people cope with illness. Religion can help many patients but may harm others because they may not understand why God makes them suffer. Patients may also refuse medical treatment for religious reasons.

UNTIL RECENTLY IN human experience, religion and medical science occupied distinct and separate spheres. Religion dealt with problems of the inner life, including spiritual and emotional trouble, while medical science […]

Purpose: This article explores the association between race and religious coping on caregiving appraisals for mothers who coreside with an adult child with mental retardation. Design and Methods: 71 Black and 71 White women (aged 50 or older) were matched on demographic characteristics to control for the association between race and socioeconomic status. Structural equation analysis was used to examine the relationship between race, religious coping, and caregiving appraisals. Results: Black women were more likely to use religious coping. Religious coping was associated with higher levels of caregiving satisfaction, but not with burden. Blacks experienced higher levels of caregiving satisfaction. Blacks also experienced higher levels of caregiving burden due to their poor health. Implications: The needs of Blacks should be considered when developing 'best practices' in service provision. Culturally sensitive outreach approaches should not ignore the importance of faith and faith-based organizations in the lives of Blacks. Key Words: Race, Caregiving burden, Caregiving satisfaction

This investigation examined the relationship between religious wellbeing and eight psychosocial and health-related characteristics. This study assessed the hypothesis that religious well-being is related to overall health. Participants were 462 college students at two separate colleges in the Pacific Northwest. Analysis showed those subjects scoring higher on the measure of religious well-being scored lower on indices like loneliness and hopelessness and higher on self-esteem. Alcohol and drug use also differed significantly between the high and the low religious well-being groups.

Faith healing practices of the Native American Church and the Pentecostal Church are commonly utilized for the treatment of alcohol and substance abuse among the Navajo; far more than traditional faith healing. The author examines the methods applied, such as personal meetings and the reliance on social networks, in response to the crisis of alcoholism and substance abuse among Navajos.

It may be inappropriate for doctors to encourage their patients to become involved in religious activities. Several studies have claimed that religious people have better health outcomes than non-religious people. However, some of these studies only assessed church attendance. Others surveyed hospital patients with chronic diseases. These studies may not provide proof that religion can improve people's health. Religion is a very private matter for most people and many may not want religion prescribed for its alleged therapeutic value.

This article examines the effect of active involvement in religious activities on mortality rates. Results indicate that religious people have lower overall mortality rates and that religion may play a role in physical health and coping with stress.

Students who profess religious beliefs and socialize within a religious community are less likely to initiate sexual activity in late adolescence. However, religious identification may not stop sexual risk taking among those who have already started sexual activity.

Background. The purpose of the study was to examine religious attendance as a predictor of survival in older adults. Methods. A probability sample of 3,968 community-dwelling adults aged 64-101 years residing in the Piedmont of North Carolina was surveyed in 1986 as part of the Established Populations for the Epidemiologic Studies of the Elderly (EPESE) program of the National Institutes of Health. Attendance at religious services and a wide variety of sociodemographic and health variables were assessed at baseline. Vital status of members was then determined prospectively over the next 6 years (1986-1992). Time (days) to death or censoring in days was analyzed using a Cox proportional hazards regression model. Results. During a median 6.3-year follow-up period, 1,777 subjects (29.7%) died. Of the subjects who attended religious services once a week or more in 1986 (frequent attenders), 22.9% died compared to 37.4% of those attending services less than once a week (infrequent attenders). The relative hazard (RH) of dying for frequent attenders was 46% less than for infrequent attenders (RH: 0.54, 95% CI 0.48-.0.61), an effect that was strongest in women (RH 0.51, CI 0.43-0.59) but also present in men (RH 0.63, 95% CI 0.52-0.75). When demographics, health conditions, social connections, and health practices were controlled, this effect remained significant for the entire sample (RH 0.72, 95% CI 0.64-.81), and for both women (RH 0.65, 95% CI 0.55-0.76, p < .0001) and men (RH 0.83, 95% CI 0.69-1.00, p = .05). Conclusions. Older adults, particularly women, who attend religious services at least once a week appear to have a survival advantage over those attending services less frequently.

Objectives. This study analyzed the long-term association between religious attendance and mortality to determine whether the association is explained by improvements in health practices and social connections for frequent attenders. Methods. The association between frequent attendance and mortality over 28 years for 5286 Alameda County Study respondents was examined. Logistic regression models analyzed associations between attendance and subsequent improvements in health practices and social connections. Results. Frequent attenders had lower mortality rates than infrequent attenders (relative hazard [RH] = 0.64; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.53, 0.77). Results were stronger for females. Health adjustments had little impact, but adjustments for social connections and health practices reduced the relationship (RH = 0.77; 95% CI = 0.64, 0.93). During follow-up, frequent attenders were more likely to stop smoking, increase exercising, increase social contacts, and stay married. Conclusions. Lower mortality rates for frequent religious attenders are partly explained by improved health practices, increased social contacts, and more stable marriages occurring in conjunction with attendance. The mechanisms by which these changes occur have broad intervention implications.

This study examines the effect of religion on subjective health in a sample of Black and White elderly adults living in a southern community of the United States. The analyses lead to several conclusions. First, the findings indicate that future analyses examining the link between religion and subjective health should incorporate measures of functional health. Second, the differences found between Blacks and Whites warrant separation by race in future studies of religion and health. Third, the effects of religion on subjective health seem to be greatest for those suffering from physical health problems. This last finding emphasizes the comfort role of religion suggested by other researchers.

Research on the relation between religion and health has tended to focus on group identity and specific religious behaviors that are directly linked to improved health. This paper proposes a new model, which incorporates religious beliefs into a system of cognition (illusions and meaning for events) and psychoneuroimmunologic functioning. It is hypothesized that cognition within religious belief systems may be associated with bodily changes in the immune system and lead to particular health outcomes. The discussion highlights the need for psychological process models to study the way life events are interpreted in the context of religious beliefs. Limitations and challenges of such a global model are identified and several directions for future research are discussed.

This paper reviews evidence for a relationship between religion and health. Hundreds of epidemiologic studies have reported statistically significant, salutary effects of religious indicat morbidity and mortality. However, this does not necessarily imply that religion influences health; t questions must first be answered: 'Is there an association?', 'Is it valid?', and, 'Is it causal?' E presented in this paper suggests that the answers to these respective questions are ,yes,' 'probably 'maybe.' In answering these questions, several issues are addressed. First, key reviews and studies discussed. Second, the problems of chance, bias, and confounding are examined. Third, alternative explanations for observed associations between religion and health are described. Fourth, these issu carefully explored in the context of Hill's well-known features of a causal relationship. Despite th inconclusiveness of empirical evidence and the controversial and epistemologically complex nature of religion as an epidemiologic construct, this area is worthy of additional investigation. Further res can help to clarify these provocative findings.

Clinical impressions and data from a limited number of studies suggest that membership in certain groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous may promote well-being and abstinence from alcohol and drugs. The present study examines measures of religiosity and drug/alcohol consumption in an inpatient psychiatric population in order to test the possible association between these variables. One hundred sixty-eight adult admissions to a private psychiatric hospital were asked to complete the Religious Involvement Questionnaire (RIQ), a self-report instrument containing validated measures of intrinsic and extrinsic religiosity. Responses of general adult psychiatric patients (N = 103) were compared with those of patients admitted to a chemical dependence unit (N = 65). Correlations between alcohol/drug use and RIQ responses were measured for the entire sample. Patients admitted for chemical dependence were significantly less likely than general adult psychiatry patients to avoid certain food/music/drink because of their religion, and were less likely to help with the running of their church. Measures of alcohol, hallucinogen, and prescription drug consumption had significant negative correlations with religiosity scores. Chemically dependent patients differ from psychiatric patients with other diagnoses on measures of religiosity. Religious belief and involvement may be clinically relevant variables in the treatment outcome of chemically dependent patients., INTRODUCTION More than 90% of the general public in this country believe in God[1]. There is some evidence to suggest that religiosity is positively correlated with both mental health[2, 3] [...]