Psychological and social characteristics associated with religiosity in women's health initiative participants

Eliezer Schnall, Solomon Kalkstein, George Fitchett, Elena Salmoirago-Blotcher, Judith Ockene, Hilary Aurora Tindle, Asha Thomas, Julie R. Hunt, Sylvia Wassertheil-Smoller

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

16 Scopus citations

Abstract

Measures of religiosity are linked to health outcomes, possibly indicating mediating effects of associated psychological and social factors. We examined cross-sectional data from 92,539 postmenopausal participants of the Women's Health Initiative Observational Study who responded to questions on religious service attendance, psychological characteristics, and social support domains. We present odds ratios from multiple logistic regressions controlling for covariates. Women attending services weekly during the past month, compared with those not attending at all in the past month, were less likely to be depressed [OR = 0.78; CI = 0.74-0.83] or characterized by cynical hostility [OR = 0.94; CI = 0.90-0.98], and more likely to be optimistic [OR = 1.22; CI = 1.17-1.26]. They were also more likely to report overall positive social support [OR = 1.28; CI = 1.24-1.33], as well as social support of four subtypes (emotional/informational support, affection support, tangible support, and positive social interaction), and were less likely to report social strain [OR = 0.91; CI = 0.88-0.94]. However, those attending more or less than weekly were not less likely to be characterized by cynical hostility, nor were they less likely to report social strain, compared to those not attending during the past month.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)20-31
Number of pages12
JournalJournal of Religion and Health
Volume51
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Mar 2012
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Religion and health
  • Religion and psychology
  • Religious attendance and health
  • Religious behavior and health
  • Religious behavior and psychological characteristics
  • Religious behavior and social strain
  • Religious behavior and social support

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Nursing
  • Religious studies

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