Religious Involvement and Social Resources: Evidence from the Data Set "Americans' Changing Lives"

Psychosocial Factors in Outcomes of Heart Surgery: The Impact of Religious Involvement and Depressive Symptoms.

“…It accords with previous research showing that religious involvement can predict health outcomes following adjustments for factors such as social support (McCullough et al, 2000). The independent effect for depressive symptoms is consistent with accumulating evidence linking depression to a variety of negative physical health outcomes, including several related to cardiovascular disease (Barefoot & Schroll, 1996) and adaptation following health crises, such as acute myocardial infarction (Frasure-Smith et al, 1993, 1995 or heart surgery (Jenkins et al, 1996;Scheier et al, 1999). However, on the basis of previous research involving cardiovascular outcomes, dispositional optimism (Scheier et al, 1989;Scheier et al, 1999), trait hostility (Barefoot, Larsen, von der Lieth & Schroll, 1995), and perceived social support (Kulik & Mahler, 1993) also were expected to predict the course of surgical recovery.…”

“…There is evidence that depressive symptoms identify patients at risk for negative outcomes at various stages in the development and course of cardiovascular disease (Barefoot & Schroll, 1996;FrasureSmith, Lesperance, & Talajic, 1993, 1995, including recovery and adaptation following heart surgery (Jenkins et al, 1996). In the present study, patients' BDI scores ranged from 0 to 28 (M ϭ 7.5, SD ϭ 6.19; ␣ ϭ .83).…”

“…For many, religious affiliation creates social ties to clergy, fellow congregation members, and religious groups and programs, all of which may facilitate adaptation to stressors. Ellison and George (1994) and Bradley (1995) found that frequent attendance at religious services is associated with significantly larger social networks, more in-person and phone contacts, and greater perceived quality of support. Siegel and Schrimshaw (2002) reported that older HIV/AIDS patients derived a sense of meaning and community from their religious and spiritual beliefs.…”

Religious Beliefs, Religious Participation, and Cooperation

“…These predictions …nds support in the empirical studies of Iannaccone (1992Iannaccone ( , 1994Iannaccone ( , 1998 between religious participation and social ties in a survey of 2,956 households in the southeastern United States. 9 For results on the link between religious participation and multi-denomination societies, see Barros and Garoupa (2002).…”

Relational processes in prayer : a reflection of the effects of culture on religious experience.

“…Being a good neighbor, a good citizen, and building strong families are all hallmarks of principles preached from the pulpit, and they also serve as foundations of strong social networks (Koenig, McCullough, & Larson, 2001). Individuals who attend religious services regularly are less likely to get divorced (Cohen et al, 1997;Strawbridge, Shema, Cohen, & Kaplan, 2001), and have larger support networks, more social contacts and greater satisfaction with support (Bradley, 1995;Ellison & George, 1994;Idler & Kasl, 1997;Koenig et al, 1997).…”