Is depressed affect a function of one's relationship with God?: Findings from a study of primary care patients

OBJECTIVE

This study examines the association between a self-reported loving relationship with God and the presence of depressed affect. Building on prior clinical and epidemiologic research on religious factors in mental health, it seeks to extend consideration to internal religious resources.

METHOD

Data are from 205 primary care outpatients who completed a self-administered survey inquiring about their relationship with God, their mental and physical health, and various religious and psychosocial issues. The principal dependent construct is the depressed affect subscale of the General Well-Being Scale. The principal independent construct is a validated eight-item self-report measure of loving and being loved by God based on a theoretical taxonomy developed by Sorokin.

RESULTS

Hierarchical ordinary least squares regression was used to investigate the association between this construct, which Sorokin termed "religious love," and the measure of depressed affect. After controlling for sets of hypothesized mediating factors (multi-item measures of religious involvement, social resources, psychological resources, and physical health status) in five successive models, as well as several key sociodemographic variables, the statistically significant inverse association between these two constructs in the baseline model (beta = -.29, p < .01) remained strong and statistically significant (beta = -.21, p < .05).

CONCLUSIONS

These findings raise the possibility that a loving relationship with God may exert a protective effect on psychological distress. One's relationship with God thus may represent an important personal resource for mitigating the emotional consequences of poor health and other deleterious life circumstances, as well as marker for successful religious coping.

The effect of religious coping on caregiving appraisals of mothers of adults with developmental disabilities

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.

Religion, health, and psychological well-being in older adults: findings from three national surveys

This study examines the impact of religious involvement on health status and psychological well-being using data on older adults from three national probability surveys: the Myth and Reality of Aging (N = 2,797), the Quality of American Life (N = 1,209), and Americans' Changing Lives (N = 1,669) studies. Constructs are measured by single items and indices that vary across data sets. A proposed theoretical model specifies direct effects of religiosity on health and well-being and indirect effects on well-being through health. Analyses consist of structural-equation modeling of confirmed measurement models using weighted least squares estimation in LISREL 8.03. The model is analyzed first as specified and is then rerun controlling for the effects of six exogenous constructs: age, gender, race, marital status, education, and geographical region. Findings reveal excellent overall fit in all three samples and the presence of statistically significant religious effects, notably positive net effects of organizational religiosity, in all three samples. These results build on those of prior studies based mostly on samples limited regionally or methodologically or to particular racial or ethnic groups. This study also underscores the value of replicated secondary data analysis as a strategy for gerontologists seeking to confirm or examine a given structural model. Finally, an agenda is proposed for future research in this area.