Expanding the Boundary Conditions of the Communicative Ecology Model of Successful Aging to Include Communication About Religion

Abstract

This study expanded the communicative ecology model of successful aging (CEMSA) to include communication about religion. Older adults ( N = 272, MAge = 64.96 years) reported on the most important memorable message about religion that has shaped their lives, as well as on their own religious communication (i.e., religious helping and seeking religious support). Memorable messages with a theme of (a) developing a personal relationship with God and (b) eternal damnation were associated with higher and lower perceptions of memorable message motivational effect, respectively. Perceived memorable message motivational effect, religious helping, and seeking religious support were indirectly associated with successful aging, via aging efficacy. Communication about religion is a worthwhile theoretical addition to the CEMSA. The use of multiple sources of data—namely the memorable message themes (as coded by outside research assistants) and subjective aging experiences (as self-reported by older adults)—is also a noteworthy methodological contribution to CEMSA research.