Frequency Of Religious Attendance Research Articles

Diversity in the prevalence and correlates of extramarital sex in a probability sample of Latino adults.

Individuals from different Spanish-speaking countries are often combined into a single Latino group. However, this group is diverse, with immigrants and naturalized citizens coming from multiple countries. The present study was conducted to (a) examine potential differences in the annual prevalence of extramarital sex as a function of cultural group (Mexican, Cuban, Puerto Rican, or other Latino) and nativity (born inside or outside the United States) and (b) identify explanations for any observed differences in the prevalence of extramarital sex, drawing on known correlates of extramarital sex and other psychosocial constructs that may be associated with cultural group or nativity that could account for such associations. Results from the National Latino and Asian American Study, a probability sample of Latinos in the United States, indicated that the annual prevalence of extramarital sex was significantly higher among (a) Puerto Ricans relative to Mexicans and (b) foreign-born individuals relative to those born in the United States. Probability of extramarital sex was significantly associated with marital satisfaction and frequency of religious attendance, but these variables did not account for the subgroup differences in the prevalence of extramarital sex. Marital adjustment, acculturation (English proficiency and use), enculturation (ethnic identity), and family cohesion were not significantly associated with probability of extramarital sex. Results underscore the need for continued research on understanding subgroup differences in the prevalence of extramarital sex within the diverse Latino community and identifying characteristics that account for such differences. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

A feasibility study to assess social stress and social support in patients enrolled in a cannabidiol (CBD) compassionate access program

Cannabidiol (CBD) trials offer an opportunity to examine social factors that shape outcomes of patients with treatment-resistant epilepsy. Prior research of patients treated with CBD for epilepsy describes financial struggles of these patients/families and the association between socioeconomic status and patient-centered outcomes. However, social determinants of health in this population are still poorly understood, mainly due to data scarcity. This study aimed to establish feasibility of assessing social stress, social support, and religious participation and their associations with outcomes (perceived health, quality of life, and mood) in patients treated with CBD for epilepsy. Data were collected during 2015–2018 through structured face-to face interviews with patients/caregivers in a CBD compassionate access/research program in the southern United States. Adult (ages 19–63; n = 65) and pediatric (ages 8–19; n = 46) patients or their caregivers were interviewed at the time of enrollment in the study. Social stress was assessed with stressful life events, perceived stress, epilepsy-related discrimination, and economic stressors; social support with the Interpersonal Support Evaluation List [ISEL]-12; and religious participation with frequency of religious attendance. The results showed economic stressors to be associated with poor overall health, but no associations were noted between stress, support, and religious participation measures and quality of life or mood. Despite a robust data collection plan, completeness of the data was mixed. We discuss lessons learned and directions for future research and identify potential refinements to social data collection in people with treatment-resistant epilepsy during clinical trials.

Feeling skeptical: Worry, dread, and support for environmental policy among climate change skeptics

Emotions about climate change are the subject of a growing area of interdisciplinary scholarship. But so far scholars have not studied the emotions expressed by self-declared climate change skeptics; nor have social scientists turned to affect studies to develop nuanced understandings of the constellation of emotions related to fear. Our team conducted 33 interviews and 1000 surveys with self-identified skeptics living in the U.S. Pacific Northwest. The data demonstrates the variability in perspectives, ideologies, and behaviors among skeptics themselves in new and unique ways, including tracking skeptics’ emotions about climate change. This article focuses on worry and dread. We find that those who believe climate change is a hoax, and skeptics who are politically conservative, tend to express less of these two emotions, as do men who identify as skeptics. Religiosity, as measured by frequency of religious attendance, does not significantly correlate with worry and dread; however, specific religious beliefs related to climate change (e.g. “Climate change is punishment for our sins”) do seem to increase those two feelings. Negative firsthand environmental experiences are also associated with higher degrees of worry and dread. Perhaps most significantly, our data suggests that worry and dread correlate strongly with environmental concern and policy support.Our interdisciplinary approach has several methodological advantages. First, affect studies encourages more nuance in emotion language, including more detailed definitions of emotions like worry and dread, which simmer over time, as opposed to discrete emotions like fear, which are shorter-lived. Second, sociological approaches remind us that emotions function within particular political, historical, and cultural contexts, which are fundamentally shaped by power structures. Finally, humanities scholars can provide useful input both in research design and the interpretation of results by helping craft survey questions and data codes, and by providing close attention to the language of the survey and interview responses. Combined with quantitative data, this multi-pronged methodology brings together forms of knowledge from the humanities and social sciences. Our approach serves as a model for new work in the growing field of empirical ecocriticism and expands the boundaries of the environmental humanities.

Abstract 17418: Religious Attendance and Ideal Cardiovascular Health in Older Women

Introduction: Although religious attendance can act as a protective health factor likely through social support and inherent beliefs, little is known about the relationship between the frequency of religious attendance and ideal cardiovascular health (ICH), particularly in older women, many of whom attend religious activities. Methods: We utilized the Women’s Health Study (WHS) follow-up psychosocial stress cohort (n=24360; mean age=71.8, SD= 5.8 years) to evaluate the cross-sectional relationship between current religious service attendance and ICH, as defined by the American Heart Association 2020 ICH score. Frequency of religious attendance was classified as never, at least once a year, at least once a month, and at least once a week. Results: Compared to women who never attend religious services, women who participate in religious services at least once a week are more likely to be hypertensive and hypercholesterolemic, less likely to be smokers or to use alcohol, less physically active, had lower education levels and more likely to earn < $50,000 annually/household. In age-adjusted models, religious service attendance at least once a month and once a week was associated with a 17% and 36 % higher odds of ICH, respectively. This relationship persisted in models that additionally adjusted for race/ethnicity, education, income, psychological status and social support for women who attended religious services at least once a week [Table]. Conclusion: Among women in the Women’s Health Study, compared to non-attenders women who attended religious services weekly displayed a 30% higher odds of ideal cardiovascular health, despite adjustment for social support and other risk factors. These data suggest that religious attendance may be beneficial to the cardiovascular health of older women via additional mechanisms beyond social support.

Exploring potential interest in missed period pills in two US states

ObjectiveMissed period pills (MPP) are uterine evacuation medications used for treatment of delayed menses without prior pregnancy confirmation. This study explores potential interest in missed period pills in two US states. Study designWe enrolled people seeking pregnancy test services at nine health centers in two US states between June 2015 and October 2017. Participants completed an anonymous questionnaire containing closed- and open-ended questions about background characteristics, reproductive practices, pregnancy feelings and intentions, abortion attitudes, and MPP interest. We used ordered logistic regression to identify factors associated with MPP interest and inductive content analysis to identify recurring qualitative themes related to MPP interest or disinterest. ResultsIn all, 678 people completed the survey and 286/678 (42%) indicated interest in missed period pills. Interest was greatest (129/185 or 70%) among those who would be unhappy if pregnant. Variables associated with interest in the multivariate analyses were age ≥ 35, nulliparity, prior abortion and contraceptive use, recent use of emergency contraception, pregnancy feelings and intentions, and abortion attitudes (p < .05). Variables not associated with interest included state of residence, educational attainment, ethnicity, religious affiliation, and frequency of religious attendance. Key reasons for interest were to prevent, avoid or terminate pregnancy; and psychological or emotional benefits, including management of abortion stigma. Reasons for non-interest included concerns about safety or side effects, desire to be pregnant or have a baby, and not wanting to abort or hurt the fetus/baby. ConclusionIf missed period pills were available in the United States, demand might be substantial and wide-ranging across demographic groups. ImplicationsOur findings suggest that some people with missed periods do not desire pregnancy confirmation before taking medications that might disrupt a pregnancy. As a result, provision of missed period pills in the United States would expand reproductive service options and could improve the delivery of patient-centered care.

Perceptions and intentions toward medical assistance in dying among Canadian medical students

BackgroundMedical assistance in dying (MAID) was legalized in Canada in 2016. As of July 2017, approximately 2149 patients have accessed MAID. There remains no national-level data on the perspectives of future physicians about MAID or its changing legal status. We provide evidence from a national survey of Canadian medical students about their opinions, intentions, and concerns about MAID.MethodsFrom October 2016 to July 2017, we distributed an anonymous online survey to all students at 15 of Canada’s 17 medical schools. The survey collected data on respondent socio-demographic characteristics, features of their medical education, intentions for medical practice, and perspectives on MAID. We analyzed responses using univariate descriptive and stepwise multivariate logistic regression.ResultsIn 1210 completed surveys, 71% of respondents reported being willing to provide MAID under a legal framework that permits it. Non-religious respondents reported greater willingness to participate in MAID than respondents of any religious affiliation (p < 0.001). Frequency of religious attendance was inversely associated with willingness to provide MAID (p < 0.001). Medical students born in Québec were more willing to provide MAID than respondents from other provinces (OR 2.21; p < 0.001). Age, sex, socioeconomic status, year of medical study, previous academic major, and rural/urban city of birth were not associated with willingness to provide MAID.ConclusionAs the current class of medical students becomes the first cohort of new physicians to enter Canada’s changing medical and legal landscape around MAID, our findings inform the public debate by examining attributes associated with support or opposition to the practice.

Education and religious decline: evidence from the Canadian compulsory schooling laws

ABSTRACTThe present study assesses how education impacts religiosity. Education is instrumented using the changes in the Canadian school leaving age laws. The data are from the Canadian General Social Surveys collected between 1990 and 2011. The effects of education on both affiliation status and religious attendance are considered. Education is found to cause a higher likelihood of unaffiliation and a considerably lower frequency of religious attendance. The fall in the religious attendance rates is found to be stronger among Roman Catholics. Possible channels of impacts are explored.

Religious Attendance Moderates the Environmental Effect on Prosocial Behavior in Nigerian Adolescents.

There is a growing body of literature linking religious attendance to prosocial behavior (PB). The main purposes of the present study were to estimate genetic and environmental influences on the frequency of religious attendance (FRA) and to explore whether and how FRA moderates genetic and/or environmental influences on PB. As part of the Nigerian Twin and Sibling Study, 2860 (280 monozygotic male, 417 monozygotic female, 544 dizygotic male, 699 dizygotic female, and 920 opposite-sex dizygotic) twins (mean age = 14.2 years; SD = 1.7 years; age range = 12-18 years) completed a questionnaire regarding FRA and a PB scale. Similar to the findings from western twin samples, FRA showed substantial shared environmental influences of 74% (95% CI = 69%, 78%), with absence of genetic effects. The phenotypic correlation between FRA and PB was modest but positive and significant (r = .12; p &lt; .01), suggesting that PB is higher among more frequent attenders than among less frequent attenders. The results of gene-environment (G × E) interaction model-fitting analysis revealed that FRA changed individual environmental experiences rather than genetic effects on PB such that while genetic variance was stable, non-shared environmental variance declined, leading the total phenotypic variance of PB to decrease with increasing levels of religious attendance.

The evolution of the gender religiosity gap among the Canadian-born

ABSTRACTThe higher religiosity of women in the Western Christian societies is one of the best documented findings in the religious scholarship. In spite of the recent vibrancy of secular movements in North America, the higher religiosity of women appears persistent. As a result, the gender ratio is greatly skewed in the secular groups in favour of males. For instance, for every atheist female in North America, there are at least three males. Using the Canadian General Social Surveys of 1985–2014, this paper examines how the gender religiosity gap has evolved among the Canadian-born. Throughout the period, Canadian-born women are found less likely to be unaffiliated and show a greater frequency of religious attendance. The religious attendance gap is found to be closing. The unaffiliation gap, on the other hand, seems to have widened in the 21st century. Limiting the analyses to the gainfully employed respondents only reduces the religious attendance gap. For the high earners, the attendance gap effectively disappears, while a large unaffiliation gap persists into the 2010s. This pattern is best explained by the recent literature asserting that men and women are differentially socially sanctioned for the adoption of a secularized identity. The alleged sexism of the new secular movements is also noted as a potential explanation. The examination of the recent Canadian data on perceived religious and gender discrimination produces evidence congruent with both of these potential explanations.

Religion, Religious Heterogeneity, and Intimate Partner Violence Among Korean Immigrant Women.

This study examined the role of religious affiliations and frequency of religious service attendance-such as church, Bible studies, and temples-as well as religious heterogeneity between couples on intimate partner violence (IPV) among Korean immigrant women in the United States. Through a case-control design, this study compared 64 Korean immigrant IPV victims with 63 Korean immigrant non-IPV victims. This study's findings reveal that for Korean immigrant women, a high frequency of religious service attendance was associated with higher IPV victimization, while their partners' high religious service attendance was associated with lower IPV victimization. When women's partners were religious compared with when they were not religious, they were less likely to perpetrate IPV even when the partners' alcohol consumption frequency increased. Also, when there was a gap between couples regarding frequency of religious attendance, IPV victimization increased. This discussion concludes by suggesting some policy implications based on these findings.

Traditional God Images and Attitudes towards Voluntary Euthanasia

I use data from the General Social Survey (N = 8905) to evaluate whether imagining God in traditional ways is associated with attitudes towards voluntary euthanasia. Bivariate analysis reveals that individuals who imagine God as a father, a master, and a king have negative attitudes towards voluntary euthanasia. The associations between imagining God as a father and as a master and attitudes towards voluntary euthanasia hold after controlling for religious affiliation, frequency of religious attendance, views of the Bible, and other sociodemographic characteristics that predict attitudes towards voluntary euthanasia; however, the association between imagining God as a king do not. I also find that while there is no association between imagining God as a judge on voluntary euthanasia attitudes at the bivariate level, there is a significant and positive association with having favorable voluntary euthanasia attitudes in the full model, revealing a suppression effect. These findings highlight the importance of evaluating if different, distinct beliefs about the same religious object have differential associations with social attitudes and behaviors.

Examining the relationship between health locus of control and God Locus of Health Control: Is God an internal or external source?

For many people, the influence of believing in a higher power can elicit powerful effects. This study examined the relationship between God control, health locus of control, and frequency of religious attendance within 838 college students through online surveys. Regression analysis showed that chance and external locus of control and frequency of religious attendance were significant and positive predictors of God Locus of Health Control. The association of powerful others external locus of control and God Locus of Health Control differed by race (stronger in non-Whites than Whites) and somewhat by gender (stronger in women than men). For some people, the role of a supreme being, or God, should be considered when designing programs for improving health behaviors.

Examination of the Role of Religious and Psychosocial Factors in HIV Medication Adherence Rates.

Optimal adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) is associated with favorable HIV outcomes, including higher CD4 cell counts, HIV virus suppression and a lower risk of HIV transmission. However, only 25% of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWH) in the USA are virally suppressed. Sub-optimal adherence (<90-95%) contributes to antiretroviral resistance and worse medical outcomes, including more rapid progression to AIDS and death. Psychosocial factors and religion/spirituality (R/S) have a significant impact on ART adherence, but the findings are mixed. The purpose of this study was to examine religious and psychosocial correlates and predictors of ≥90% ART adherence in PLWH. A cross-sectional study was conducted with a sample of 292 outpatient PLWH in the Southeastern USA. Participants completed computerized surveys. The mean ART adherence percentage was 80.9% and only about half reported ≥90% adherence. There were statistically significant differences in ART adherence rates based on age, depressive symptom status and frequency of religious attendance and prayer. Praying at least once a day was significantly associated with ≥90% ART adherence (OR=2.26, 95% CI [1.06-4.79], p<0.05). Social support satisfaction was also significantly associated with ART adherence (OR=1.52, 95% CI [1.11-2.08], p<0.05) and energy/fatigue/vitality (OR=1.03, 95% CI[1.00-1.05], p<0.05).

Neuroanatomical correlates of familial risk-for-depression and religiosity/spirituality.

To examine potential neural substrates that underlie the interplay between religiosity/spirituality and risk-for-depression. A new wave of data from a longitudinal, three generation study of individuals at high risk for depression is presented. In addition to providing new longitudinal data, we extend previous findings by employing additional (surface-based) methods for examining cortical volume. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans were collected on 106 second and third generation family members at high or low risk for major depression defined by the presence or absence of depression in the first generation. Religiosity/spirituality measures were collected at the same time as the MRI scans and comprised self-report ratings of personal religious/spiritual (R/S) importance and frequency of religious attendance. Analyses were carried out with Freesurfer. Interactive effects of religiosity/spirituality and risk-for-depression were examined on measures of cortical thickness and cortical surface area. A high degree of belief in the importance of religion/spirituality was associated with both a thicker cortex and a larger pial surface area in persons at high risk for familial depression. No significant association was found between cortical regions and religious attendance in either risk group. The results support previous findings of an association between R/S importance and cortical thickness in individuals at high risk for depression, and extend the findings to include an association between R/S importance and greater pial surface area. Moreover, the findings suggest these cortical changes may confer protective benefits to religious/spiritual individuals at high risk for depression.

Belief in miracles and attitudes towards voluntary euthanasia

ABSTRACTResults of logistic regression analysis of data from the General Social Survey (N = 1,799) find that those who have a strong belief in miracles are more likely to say that a person with an incurable illness should not be allowed to accept medical treatments that painlessly hasten death than those who have a less strong belief in miracles or do not believe in miracles, net of respondents’ religious affiliations, frequency of religious attendance, views of the Bible, and other sociodemographic controls. Results highlight the need to consider specific religious beliefs when predicting individuals’ attitudes towards voluntary euthanasia.

Spiritual Factors Predict State and Trait Anxiety.

This research study was designed to examine the effect of spiritual well-being and spirituality on state and trait anxiety. Two hundred and thirty-eight adults in the USA were surveyed using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Duke University Religion Index, Spiritual Well-Being Scale, and Participant Questionnaire. Results indicate that spiritual well-being can predict 39.1% of an adult's state anxiety and 37.9% of trait anxiety. Furthermore, frequency of religious attendance, frequency of private religious activity, and intrinsic religiosity can predict 6.2% of an adult's state anxiety and 8.6% of trait anxiety. Recommendations for researchers and implications for clinicians are discussed.

Effect of religious attendance on years of schooling in the USA

ABSTRACTUsing data from the USA, the study demonstrates that an individual's completed years of schooling later in life is positively related to his/her frequency of religious attendance during youth. Using the propensity score matching technique, the study shows that this relationship is causal. This conclusion remains valid for youths of different religious and demographic groups considered in this study. This finding has important policy implications, and thus it calls for attention of researchers, educationists and policy-makers.

Religious Attendance, Health-Promoting Lifestyle Behaviors, and Depressive Symptoms Among Koreans in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Migrants, who comprise 80% of the population in the United Arab Emirates, are at risk of developing mental health disorders. To test associations among religious attendance, health-promoting lifestyle behaviors (HPLB), and depressive symptoms, we conducted a cross-sectional survey in Dubai. Measures included frequency of religious attendance, the Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile, and the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale. Multiple regression analyses were used to explore relationships among religious attendance, HPLB, and depressive symptoms. Religious attendance was significantly associated with self-actualization, stress management, and depressive symptoms. Self-actualization and stress management mediated the relationships between religious attendance and depressive symptoms for both males and females, and interpersonal support mediated the relationship for females, controlling for age and education. The facilitation of positive internal and external resources generated by participating in religious activities may have increased the likelihood that the Korean migrants would engage in psychosocial healthy lifestyle behaviors, and may have decreased depressive symptoms.

The Effects of Religious Attendance and Obesity on Health by Race/Ethnicity

ObjectivesThe objectives of this paper are to examine the effects of religion and obesity on health and determine how the relationship varies by racial/ethnic groups with data from the Panel Study of American Race and Ethnicity (PS-ARE). MethodsUsing ordinal logistic regression, the effects of religion and obesity on self-rated health and how the relationship varies by racial/ethnic groups are investigated. Additionally, to determine whether certain ethnic groups are more impacted by the frequency of religious attendance and obesity, whites, blacks, and Hispanics are analyzed separately with ordinal logistic regression. ResultsWhen obesity was added in focal relationship between religious services attendance and self-rated health strengthened this focal relationship which is a suppression effect between religious services attending and self-rated health adding obesity. For BMI is also significantly associated with decreased odds of reporting better health–normal weight (OR = 2.99; 95% CI = 2.43–3.67) and overweight (OR = 2.19; 95% CI = 1.79–2.68) compared to obese. Subjects who attend religious services 1–2 time a year (OR = 1.30; 95% CI = 1.04–1.62) and 1–3 times a month (OR = 1.28; 95% CI = 1.05–1.57) are associated with increased odds of reporting better health. In whites, attending religious services 1–2 times a year are associated with increased odds of reporting better health (OR = 1.48; 95% CI = 1.09–2.00) and 1–3 times a month are also associated with increased odds of reporting health (OR = 1.34; 95% CI = 1.02–1.78) compared to never attending religious attendance. The frequency of religious services attendance of blacks and Hispanics are not associated with self-rated health. For BMI, being white is more positively associated with increased odds of reporting better health than black and Hispanic subjects. Although white subjects are less likely to attend religious services more frequently than black and Hispanic subjects, the influence on self-rated health in white subjects is more evidenced than other racial/ethnic groups. ConclusionsAlthough it was not proven that the association between participation in religious services and self-rated health is mediated by obesity, the research shows the suppression effect of obesity between participation in religious services and self-rated health.

Parental Religious Transmission after Migration: The Case of Dutch Muslims

In a secular host society where Islam is not reinforced outside the family or ethnic community, little is known of the extent to which Muslim immigrants succeed in transmitting their religion to their second-generation children. Parents are generally found to be important religious socialisation agents for children, but this has rarely been studied in a migration context. In this article we study parental religious transmission, taking into account the child's educational attainment and social contacts with Dutch friends as possible inhibitors. On the basis of data from 641 parent–child dyads, we find the expected positive relation between the parents’ and the child's frequency of religious attendance and their respective attitudes toward religious homogamy and religious schools. Turkish-Dutch parents are more effective than Moroccan-Dutch in transmitting religious attendance, in line with higher levels of social cohesion in Turkish immigrant communities. Having Dutch friends and higher levels of education has little influence on the transmission of religious values from parents to children. The effective transmission of religion is a strong explanation for the continuously high religious involvement in the Turkish- and Moroccan-Dutch communities.