Exploring Beliefs about Aging and Faith: Development of the Judeo-Christian Religious Beliefs and Aging Scale.

Heidi H Ewen,Kara B Dassel,Katherina Nikzad-Terhune

doi:10.3390/bs10090139

Abstract

This paper reports on the development of a novel 10-item scale that measures beliefs about aging as well as religious-based beliefs about aging. The Religious Beliefs and Aging Scale (RBAS) shows acceptable internal consistency (α = 0.74) and is bolstered by a strong correlation (r = 0.70) with the Brief Multidimensional Measure of Religiousness/Spirituality. Exploratory factor analysis elucidated two belief subscales: Afterlife (i.e., how age is experienced in the afterlife; α = 0.897) and Punishment (i.e., aging and dementia as a punishment for sin; α = 0.868). This scale can be used in research regarding end-of-life planning, ageism, and self-care practices.

Highlights

The sample was not representative of the general population, yet it was comparable to the majority of research on religion and spirituality in that it was mainly a middle-aged, Western population who were primarily Christian [47]
This study provides a new psychometric scale for assessing religious beliefs and beliefs about aging in a relatively homogeneous sample for gender, race, and religious faith, but a diverse sample for religious beliefs, attendance, views on the afterlife, education levels and age
31% of participants reported an ideal lifespan that fell within the average lifespan of Americans [49]

Summary

Introduction

Scholars consider ‘old age’ as a socially constructed and culturally based stage of life [1]. There are common perceptions of persons’ physical, psychological, and social qualities, which can result in age-based stereotypes known as ageism (i.e., discriminating against individuals based on their age) [2]. Changes in sociological norms in industrialized societies over the past several decades have resulted in a pathologization of the aging process. These changes have resulted in societal and personal limitations placed upon individuals as they age, thereby compromising potential productivity—a characteristic that is often considered to be more valuable than wisdom, traditions, and oral history [4,5]

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