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Wickrama KAS, Ralston PA. Religiosity and Physical Health of Middle–Old Aged African Americans: The Linking Role of Self-Control. J Aging Health 2022; 35:311-324. [PMID: 36154500 DOI: 10.1177/08982643221128653] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Objective: This study examined a psychological process (i.e., sense of control) that links religiosity to self-reported physical health in older African Americans. Methods: Two waves of data from 231 middle–old aged African Americans (AAs) were used to test two specific hypotheses: (a) religiosity influences changes in sense of control middle–old aged AAs, and (b) sense of control influences changes in global physical health in middle–old aged AAs. The analysis used two modeling approaches: (a) an autoregressive cross-lagged modeland (b) a parallel growth/change model. Results: The results of both types of models showed that religiosity positively influenced changes in sense of control and that sense of control positively influenced changes in physical health in middle–old aged AAs over time. Discussion: These findings provide evidence that sense of control links religiosity to physical health in older African Americans. The theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Penny A. Ralston
- Center on Better Health and Life for Underserved Populations, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA
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Upenieks L, Liu Y. Does Religious Participation Predict Future Expectations About Health? Using a Life Course Framework to Test Multiple Mechanisms. JOURNAL OF RELIGION AND HEALTH 2022; 61:2539-2568. [PMID: 34655398 DOI: 10.1007/s10943-021-01441-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/04/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Though an impressive array of health outcomes has been studied, research within the field of religion and health has not yet considered how religious involvement may affect future expectations about health. This is a significant shortcoming because the teachings of many religions direct adherent's focus to the distant future, and future self-ratings of health are a known predictor of subjective life expectancy and eventual mortality risk. Recognizing the need for a life course approach to conceptualizing patterns of religious involvement, we assess how stability or change in religious attendance from childhood to adulthood structures individual expectations of future health. Drawing on data from the 2017 Values and Beliefs of the American Public Study (Baylor Religion Survey Wave 5), we find that stable high (weekly) attendance between childhood and adulthood is associated with higher future health expectations. Parametric mediation analyses conducted in the counterfactual framework suggest that this association is explained by the tendency of frequent stable attenders to have (a) higher levels of beliefs in the sense of divine control and (b) a lower likelihood of engaging in harmful health behaviors (smoking).
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Upenieks
- Department of Sociology, Baylor University, One Bear Place, Waco, TX, 76798, USA.
| | - Yingling Liu
- Department of Sociology, Baylor University, One Bear Place, Waco, TX, 76798, USA
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Lee DB, Peckins MK, Miller AL, Hope MO, Neblett EW, Assari S, Muñoz-Velázquez J, Zimmerman MA. Pathways from racial discrimination to cortisol/DHEA imbalance: protective role of religious involvement. ETHNICITY & HEALTH 2021; 26:413-430. [PMID: 30198761 PMCID: PMC6409100 DOI: 10.1080/13557858.2018.1520815] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2018] [Accepted: 08/30/2018] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Objective: Racial discrimination (RD) is hypothesized to dysregulate the production of stress reactive hormones among African Americans. Psychological processes that may mediate the association between RD and such dysregulation (e.g. cortisol/DHEA ratio) are not well articulated. Organizational religious involvement (ORI) has been discussed as a psychological protective factor within the context of RD, but our understanding of ORI as a physiological protective factor remains limited. We evaluated whether RD was directly and indirectly (through depressive symptoms) associated with an imbalance of cortisol and DHEA hormones, and whether ORI buffered these direct and/or indirect pathways.Design: Data were drawn from the Flint Adolescent Study, an ongoing interview study of youth that began in 1994. Participants were 188 African American emerging adults (47.3% Female, ages 20-22). We used mediation and moderated-mediation analyses, as outlined by Hayes [2012. PROCESS SPSS Macro. [Computer Software and Manual]. http://www.afhayes.com/public/process.pdf], to evaluate the study aims.Results: We found that depressive symptoms mediated the association between RD and the cortisol/DHEA ratio. We also found that depressive symptoms mediated the association between RD and the cortisol/DHEA ratio for individuals reporting low and moderate levels of ORI, but not at high levels.Conclusions: Our findings support the socio-psychobiological model of racism and health [Chae et al. 2011. "Conceptualizing Racial Disparities in Health: Advancement of a Socio-Psychobiological Approach." Du Bois Review: Social Science Research on Race 8 (1): 63-77. doi:10.1017/S1742058X11000166] and suggest that the psychological toll of RD can confer physiological consequences. Moreover, ORI may disrupt pathways from RD to cortisol/DHEA ratio by buffering the psychological toll of RD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel B. Lee
- Center for Human Growth and Development, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
| | | | - Alison L. Miller
- Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann
Arbor, Michigan
| | - Meredith O. Hope
- Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann
Arbor, Michigan
| | - Enrique W. Neblett
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
| | - Shervin Assari
- Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann
Arbor, Michigan
| | | | - Marc A. Zimmerman
- Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann
Arbor, Michigan
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Suh H, Hill TD, Koenig HG. Religious Attendance and Biological Risk: A National Longitudinal Study of Older Adults. JOURNAL OF RELIGION AND HEALTH 2019; 58:1188-1202. [PMID: 30334184 DOI: 10.1007/s10943-018-0721-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Although several studies suggest that religious involvement is associated with healthier biological functioning in later life, most of this work is cross-sectional. We extend previous research by employing a longitudinal design. Our analysis of Health and Retirement Study (2006/2010) data suggests that older adults who attended religious services weekly or more in 2006 tend to exhibit fewer high-risk biomarkers in 2010 and greater reductions in allostatic load over the 4-year study period than respondents who attended yearly or not at all. These patterns persisted with adjustments for baseline allostatic load and a range of background variables.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hyungjun Suh
- School of Sociology, The University of Arizona, Social Sciences Building, Room 400, 1145 E. South Campus Drive, Tucson, AZ, 85721, USA
| | - Terrence D Hill
- School of Sociology, The University of Arizona, Social Sciences Building, Room 400, 1145 E. South Campus Drive, Tucson, AZ, 85721, USA.
| | - Harold G Koenig
- Departments of Psychiatry and Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
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Page RL, Peltzer JN, Burdette AM, Hill TD. Religiosity and Health: A Holistic Biopsychosocial Perspective. J Holist Nurs 2018; 38:89-101. [PMID: 29957093 DOI: 10.1177/0898010118783502] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
The resurgence of interest in the influence of religion and spirituality on health is examined within the context of the holistic paradigm and historical connection between nursing and spirituality. While nursing and spirituality often intersect with end-of-life considerations, this article presents findings from studies that demonstrate that religious involvement favors health and longevity across the life course. Examples include protective associations with stress, depression, self-rated health, and infant birth weight. Theoretical and empirical explanations for this relationship are offered, such as social and psychological resources and healthy behaviors. The effects of religion on biological functioning, including allostatic load and telomere length, are also discussed, although this area is understudied. Considerations for the "dark-side" of religious involvement are also offered. Suggestions for nurses wishing to protect and promote the health of their patients using a holistic approach include expanding knowledge of research on religion and health and advocating for patients' spiritual needs by conducting a comprehensive spiritual assessment in primary, secondary, and tertiary clinical settings.
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Bierman A, Lee Y, Schieman S. Chronic Discrimination and Sleep Problems in Late Life: Religious Involvement as Buffer. Res Aging 2018; 40:933-955. [DOI: 10.1177/0164027518766422] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The association between chronic discrimination and sleep problems is important to examine in older adults because sleep is highly reactive to stress and impaired sleep has diverse adverse health effects. The association between chronic discrimination and sleep problems may, however, be confounded by a number of time-stable influences, and this association may also vary by religious involvement. In three waves (2006, 2010, and 2014) of the Health and Retirement Study ( N = 7,130), the overall association between chronic discrimination and sleep problems is negated in econometric models that control for all time-stable sources of confounding. Religious involvement does not modify this association for men, but a significant association is found among women who do not attend religious services. These analyses suggest that the association between chronic discrimination and sleep quality in late life is substantially inflated due to unobserved time-stable confounders, although women who do not attend religious services may be at risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alex Bierman
- Department of Sociology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Yeonjung Lee
- Department of Sociology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Scott Schieman
- Faculty of Social Work, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
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Abstract
OBJECTIVE Although several studies suggest that religious involvement tends to favor healthy biological functioning, most of this work has been conducted in the United States. This study explores the association between religious participation and biological functioning in Mexico. METHOD The data are drawn from two waves of the Mexican Health and Aging Study (2003-2012) to assess continuous and categorical biomarker specifications. RESULTS Across specifications, religious participation in 2003 is associated with lower levels of waist-to-hip ratio, total cholesterol, pulse rate, and overall allostatic load in 2012. Respondents who increased their participation over the study period also exhibit a concurrent reduction in pulse rate. Depending on the specification, participation is also associated with lower levels of diastolic blood pressure and C-reactive protein. Participation is generally unrelated to body mass index, glycosylated hemoglobin, and systolic blood pressure. DISCUSSION Our results confirm that religious participation is associated with healthier biological functioning in Mexico.
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Hill TD, Vaghela P, Ellison CG, Rote S. Processes Linking Religious Involvement and Telomere Length. BIODEMOGRAPHY AND SOCIAL BIOLOGY 2017; 63:167-188. [PMID: 28521619 DOI: 10.1080/19485565.2017.1311204] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Although numerous studies suggest that religious involvement is associated with better health and longer life expectancies, it is unclear whether these general patterns extend to cellular aging. The mechanisms linking indicators of religious involvement with indicators of cellular aging are also undefined. We employed longitudinal data from the 2004 and 2008 Health and Retirement Study, a national probability sample of Americans aged 50 and older, to test whether average telomere length varied according to level of religious attendance. We also tested several potential mechanisms. Our results showed that respondents who attended religious services more frequently in 2004 also exhibited fewer stressful events, lower rates of smoking, fewer symptoms of depression, and lower levels of C-reactive protein in 2008. Respondents who increased their level of attendance from 2004 to 2008 also exhibited lower rates of smoking in 2008. Although religious attendance was not directly associated with telomere length, our mediation analyses revealed significant indirect effects through depression and smoking, but not stressful events or C-reactive protein. We conclude that religious attendance may promote telomere length indirectly by reducing symptoms of depression and the risk of smoking. There was no evidence to support stressful events or C-reactive protein as mechanisms of religious attendance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Terrence D Hill
- a School of Sociology , The University of Arizona , Tucson , Arizona , USA
| | - Preeti Vaghela
- b Department of Sociology , Florida State University , Tallahassee , Florida , USA
| | - Christopher G Ellison
- c Department of Sociology , University of Texas at San Antonio , San Antonio , Texas , USA
| | - Sunshine Rote
- d Kent School of Social Work , University of Louisville , Louisville , Kentucky , USA
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