Spirituality, religion and health: evidence and research directions

Williams, David R.; Sternthal, Michelle J.

doi:10.5694/j.1326-5377.2007.tb01040.x

Cited by 113 publications

(83 citation statements)

References 51 publications

(77 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…As such, the primary aim of this study was to combine, in a single model, several competing explanations for the long-recognized religiosity-to-mortality association. The model confirms a direct association between church activity and mortality that is consistent with other literature with age controlled (Hummer, Ellison, Rogers, Moulton, & Romero, 2004; Lee, Stacey, & Fraser, 2003; Strawbridge et al, 1997; Williams & Sternthal, 2007). The model adds to the existing literature by identifying the indirect paths between religious engagement and mortality as church activity, positive social support, negative emotionality, diet, and exercise (i.e., lifestyle) in that order.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

Pathways from religion to health: Mediation by psychosocial and lifestyle mechanisms.

Morton¹,

Lee²,

Martin³

2017

Psychology of Religion and Spirituality

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Religiosity, often measured as attendance at religious services, is linked to better physical health and longevity though the mechanisms linking the two are debated. Potential explanations include: a healthier lifestyle, increased social support from congregational members, and/or more positive emotions. Thus far, these mechanisms have not been tested simultaneously in a single model though they likely operate synergistically. We test this model predicting all-cause mortality in Seventh-day Adventists, a denomination that explicitly promotes a healthy lifestyle. This allows the more explicit health behaviors linked to the religious doctrine (e.g., healthy diet) to be compared with other mechanisms not specific to religious doctrine (e.g., social support and positive emotions). Finally, this study examines both Church Activity (including worship attendance and church responsibilities) and Religious Engagement (coping, importance, and intrinsic beliefs). Religious Engagement is more is more inner-process focused (vs. activity-based) and less likely to be confounded with age and its associated functional status limitations, although it should be noted that age is controlled in the present study. The findings suggest that Religious Engagement and Church Activity operate through the mediators of health behavior, emotion, and social support to decrease mortality risk. All links between Religious Engagement and mortality are positive but indirect through positive Religious Support, Emotionality, and lifestyle mediators. However, Church Activity has a direct positive effect on mortality as well as indirect effects through, Religious Support, Emotionality, and lifestyle mediators (diet and exercise). The models were invariant by gender and for both Blacks and Whites.

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

Pathways from religion to health: Mediation by psychosocial and lifestyle mechanisms.

Morton¹,

Lee²,

Martin³

2017

Psychology of Religion and Spirituality

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The association between perceived benefits and the two outcome measures were then tested in multiple variable models adjusted for age, gender, marital status, parkrun region by ARIA (major urban area, inner regional area, outer regional area) [31], and satisfaction with spirituality. The latter has been considered as a covariate due to the positive association between spirituality/religion and multiple indicators of health, in particular reduce risk of mortality [32]. The effect of spirituality has been attributed to the many “ingredients” it can provide that impact on wellbeing, including changes in life purpose, social support, coping mechanisms and resilience to stress [33].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Running on a high: parkrun and personal well-being

2017

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

BackgroundSporting or physical recreation event participation can affect different domains of mental and social well-being if sufficiently frequent, yet previous research has focused mainly on the physical health benefits of single-location or infrequent mass-participation events. We examined overall and domain specific subjective well-being of adult participants of “parkrun”, a weekly, community-based, highly accessible and widespread running event.MethodsData were from a national online survey of 865 adult Australian parkrunners. Scores on nine individual measures and the global Personal Well-being Index (PWI) were compared to national, normative data. Regression models tested associations between personal well-being and perceived benefits of parkrun (mental health and connection to community).ResultsOf 100 scores, 28% of means for parkrunners fell outside overall and age and gender subgroups normative ranges. Satisfaction with health was higher for male, those aged over 45 and overall parkrunners; only parkrunners aged 18–24 fell below their age group norm. Satisfaction with life as a whole was positively associated with perceived mental health benefits of parkrun, but not perceived community connection for women, and neither measure for men. PWI was positively associated with perceived community connection for men and with mental health benefit for women.ConclusionsAustralian parkrunners mostly reflect the general population on personal well-being, except report superior satisfaction with physical health. Women’s personal well-being may benefit from parkrun through improved mental health and men’s from community connectedness. parkrun may facilitate positive expression of identity and continuation of healthy habits among athletes, and non-demanding, health enhancing activity and social interaction for non-athletes.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12889-017-4620-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

show abstract

“…For the purposes of this article, we have concentrated on two particular aspects of the religious experience: importance placed on religion and frequency of participation in religious events. These two issues have been identified by researchers studying religion as vital aspects of religious understanding in social research (Greenfield and Marks 2007, Williams and Sternthal 2007). …”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Religion and HIV/AIDS stigma: Implications for health professionals in Puerto Rico

Varas-Díaz

Neilands

Rivera

et al. 2010

Global Public Health

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

HIV/AIDS stigma continues to be a barrier for prevention efforts. Its detrimental effects have been documented among people living with HIV/AIDS and encompass loss of social support and depression. When it is manifested by health professionals, it can lead to suboptimal services. Although strides have been made to document the effects of HIV/AIDS stigma, much needs to be done in order to understand the structural factors that can foster it. Such is the case of religion’s role on HIV/AIDS stigma in Puerto Rico. The Caribbean Island has a Judeo-Christian based culture due to years of Spanish colonisation. This religious influence continued under Protestantism as part of the Island’s integration as a non-incorporated territory of the USA. The main objective of this study was to explore the role of religion in HIV/AIDS stigma manifested by Puerto Rican health professionals in practice and in training. Through a mixed method approach, 501 health professionals completed qualitative interviews (n=80) and self-administered questionnaires (n=421). Results show that religion plays some role in conceptualisations of health and illness among participants in the study. Furthermore, the importance placed on religion and participation in such activities was related to higher levels of HIV/AIDS stigma.

show abstract

Spirituality, religion and health: evidence and research directions

Cited by 113 publications

References 51 publications

Pathways from religion to health: Mediation by psychosocial and lifestyle mechanisms.

Pathways from religion to health: Mediation by psychosocial and lifestyle mechanisms.

Running on a high: parkrun and personal well-being

Religion and HIV/AIDS stigma: Implications for health professionals in Puerto Rico

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About