Religious behavior, health, and well-being among Israeli Jews: Findings from the European Social Survey.

Abstract

This study investigates the relationship between religious behavior and health status and psychological well-being in a population sample of Israeli Jewish adults (N ϭ 1,849). Using data from the Israeli sample of the European Social Survey, measures of synagogue attendance and private prayer were examined in relation to single-item indicators of subjective and functional health, happiness, and life satisfaction and to a three-item scale tapping into the somatic dimension of well-being. Bivariately, the religious, health, and well-being measures are mostly related, and in a salutary direction, but multivariable analyses revealed that these associations are more nuanced. Specifically, after age-adjustment and controls for effects of various sociodemographic characteristics, including Israeli nativity, synagogue attendance is associated with greater happiness only, whereas prayer is associated with greater happiness and life satisfaction and higher scores on the well-being scale. Additionally, prayer is significantly associated with functional health, but in an inverse direction, suggesting its use as a coping resource in response to physical or functional challenges or impairments. These latter results are supported by supplemental analyses of the well-being indicators, which also adjust for possible exogenous or moderating effects of functional health. These findings contribute to current streams of empirical research on the putative influence of Jewish religious observance on physical and mental health and psychological well-being in Israel and the Jewish diaspora.

The Inverse U-Shaped Religion–Health Connection Among Israeli Jews

“…The research presented adds to the literature on the connection between religion and health. In addition to providing additional evidence that bears on differing results from prior studies (Shmueli, 2006;Levin, 2013), this paper is among the few to study the relationship between religious "degree" and health status. Use of five categories 11 representing a continuum of religiosity from secular to very devoutly religious and analyzing them across a range of subjective and physical and mental health measures is, to our knowledge uncommon and an important contribution to research about Israeli Jews and their health.…”

“…A study using some measures of self-reported health and quality of life found increased religiosity to be associated with poorer health (Shmueli 2006; another study found that religious Israeli Jews also generally have better results than less religious Israeli Jews in terms of health behaviors and preventive screenings performed (Shmueli and Tamir 2007). A more recent study of Israeli Jews found generally, but not always, salutary results between measures of religious behaviors and health and well-being outcomes (Levin 2013). Studies of U.S. Jews have revealed a positive health impact of religious identity and participation (Levin 2011;Levin 2015); Using American denominational categories, Orthodox Jews who attend synagogue typically were found to have better self-rated health status than Conservative, Reform and Reconstructionist Jews , even among those who attended synagogue.…”

Religiosity and well-being among older Jewish Israelis: Findings from SHARE

“…Moreover, using religion and trust in God for coping with difficult events were related to lower depression and anxiety (Krumrei, Pirutinsky, & Rosmarin, 2013; Rosmarin, Pargament, & Mahoney, 2009). Research on the Jewish-Israeli population found that religiosity, measured with different indicators, is linked to better life satisfaction (Levin, 2012b, 2013c), less stress and a healthier life style (Shmueli & Tamir, 2007), better well-being (Levin, 2011, 2013b) and happiness (Levin, 2013b, 2014). …”

Religious Observance and Well-Being among Israeli Jewish Adults: Findings from the Israel Social Survey

“…Adjusting for effects of this variable is thus valuable in ruling out that any putative significant findings may be due in part to the nativity of respondents. Controlling for effects of such a variable has proven useful in previous studies in this literature (e.g., [37,39,40]). …”

“…So far, this project has identified significant effects of Jewish religious observance on self-rated health and presence of an activity-limiting health condition in the U.S. [34], on happiness and life satisfaction in Israel and in the diaspora [35], and on psychological well-being and psychological distress [36], health and well-being [37], happiness [38], and numerous measures of physical and mental health [39,40] in Israel. For the most part, though not exclusively, greater religiousness is associated on average with better health and well-being and less psychological distress.…”