Frequency Of Religious Service Attendance Research Articles

Religiosity and Muslims’ gender role attitudes toward women’s right to work

This study aimed to examine the effect of religiosity on the gender role attitudes of Muslims toward women’s right to work. It probed the cognitive, affective, and behavioral components of religiosity and tested whether measures derived from these components affect Muslims’ agreement with the statement that when jobs are scarce, men should have more rights to a job than women. This study employs individual-level data from the sixth and seventh waves of the World Values Surveys and adopts logistic regression analysis as the main empirical methodology. The main findings reaffirmed the effect of religiosity. Muslims who are more religious are more likely to have gender role attitudes that favor men’s right to work over women’s when jobs are scarce. This is true for religiosity measured by beliefs in hell, the importance of God in life, the importance of religion in life, the frequency of prayer, and the frequency of religious service attendance. Participation in religious organizations as a measure of behavioral religiosity has only a weak effect on the gender role attitudes of Muslims toward women’s right to work. These findings highlight the importance of considering religiosity when analyzing gender dynamics in labor markets within Muslim societies.

Validation of the Portuguese Version of Hoge Intrinsic Motivation Religiosity Scale and Rohrbaugh and Jessor Religiosity Scale

This study aims to validate, for the Portuguese population, the bidimensional structure of the Hoge Intrinsic Motivation Religiosity Scale (HIMRS) and the four-dimensional structure of the Rohrbaugh and Jessor Religiosity Scale (RJRS); it also aims to establish an association between the two religious scales and religious identity. To this end, an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) with polychoric matrix (for ordinal data) and a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) with maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) were carried out. Besides reliability, convergent and discriminant validity were assessed by Cronbach’s alpha coefficient, composite reliability (CR), average variance extracted (AVE), and AVE squared roots. The Portuguese versions of the HIMRS and RJRS presented good model fit. These instruments correlated with each other and with religious identity. Differences in religious motivation and in religious identity concerning sociodemographic variables were found: women, divorced, and older participants define themselves as being more spiritual or religious persons than men, single or married, and younger participants. Also, years of education were positively associated with religious intrinsic motivation and negatively associated with religious extrinsic motivation. This study provides two more instruments with adequate properties to assess intrinsic religious motivations, past-year frequency of religious service attendance, and personal religiosity for the Portuguese population.

The impact of religious involvement on trust, volunteering, and perceived cooperativeness: evidence from two British panels

Abstract Does religious involvement make people more trusting and prosocial? Considering conflicting theories and mixed prior evidence, we subject this question to a stringent test using large-scale, representative data from the British Household Panel Survey (1991–2009, N ≈ 26,000) and the UK Household Longitudinal Study (2009–2021, N ≈ 80,000). We employ cross-lagged panel models with individual fixed effects to account for time-invariant confounders and reverse causality—two issues that have haunted earlier research. We find that frequency of religious service attendance on average has a positive impact on generalized trust, volunteering, and perceived cooperativeness. Other indicators of religious involvement have weaker effects. We also find variation across religious traditions: the effects of religious attendance are mostly positive for Anglicans and other Protestants, but weaker and mostly statistically insignificant for Catholics, Hindus, and the unaffiliated, and even negative for Muslims when the outcome is perceived cooperativeness. Our findings are robust to alternative model set-ups and hold up after accounting for neighbourhood religious composition, respondent and interviewer ethnicity, and other potential moderators and confounders. Altogether, our study shows that religious involvement can foster prosocial behaviours and attitudes, although in our study this effect is largely restricted to religious service attendance and majority religions.

A meta-analytic exploration of associations between religious service attendance and sexual risk taking in adolescence and emerging adulthood.

Findings since 2000 about the association between the frequency of religious service attendance (formal religiosity) and sexual risk taking in adolescents and emerging adults were explored. A systematic literature search (April 2020) focused on articles with data on religiosity and age at sexual debut, number of sexual partners, condom use at most recent sexual intercourse, and consistent condom use. A total of 27 studies with 37,430 participants (Mage = 18.4, range: 12-25, 43.5% male) were included. In random-effects meta-analysis, the link between formal religiosity and sexual risk taking was significant only for age at sexual debut (r = 0.09, 95% CI = 0.05, 0.13) and the number of sexual partners (r = -0.14, 95% CI = -0.19, -0.09). Weak associations between the constructs of interest indicate that formal religiosity is not sufficient to protect young people's sexual health.

Moving Away from Religion: Age, Cohort, or Period Effect? Evidence from a Longitudinal Survey in Switzerland

Since Voas and Crockett (2005), a consensus has emerged in the sociology of religions on the fact that secularization is largely due to a cohort effect. That is, each birth cohort is less religious than the previous one. We use data from the Swiss Household Panel (SHP), a multi-thematic survey based on a random sample representative of the general population since 1999, to understand what is the cohort effect in Switzerland on three indicators of religiosity: religious affiliation, frequency of religious service attendance, and personal prayer, taking into account the socio-demographic characteristics of individuals, which could interfere with cohort, period, or age effects. A first general observation can be drawn from the SHP: for the three religious indicators, a cohort effect is a key factor in explaining the decline of religiosity. Each birth cohort is less religious on all three indicators, that is, younger individuals are less affiliated, practice less often, and pray less than the older cohort. More subtly, we also observe an effect of age or life cycle, especially on the practice, and a period effect on the religious disaffiliation of individuals. Each birth cohort shows a more religious profile of individuals at the start of the cohort than at the end. There is, therefore, an initial movement of distancing from religion by birth cohorts, but this is further accentuated by a period effect for disaffiliation and sometimes accelerated and, at other times, slightly contained by a life-cycle effect.

The Impact of religiosity/spirituality on slowing the progression of substance use: Based on the National Epidemiological Survey of Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC-III).

Religiosity has been suggested to be protective against substance use disorder (SUD) initiation but its impact of the progression of development is not known. This study investigated the impact of religiosity/spirituality on the development of heavy use and SUD following substance use initiation (alcohol, cannabis, and tobacco) utilizing data from the 2012 to 2013 National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions-III. Individuals with a known age at onset of substance initiation were included (n = 30,590, n = 11,126, and n = 14,083; for alcohol, cannabis, or tobacco users, respectively). Religiosity was measured by importance of religious/spiritual beliefs and frequency of religious service attendance. The percentage of individuals who progressed to an SUD after substance initiation in each substance was estimated. Discrete-time analysis and survival analysis were used to measure the impact of religiosity on the progression from substance initiation to heavy use and from heavy use to SUD. After controlling for various variables, religious services attendance frequency was statistically associated with a slower progression from substance initiation to heavy use for all three substances: tobacco by 8% to 15%, cannabis by 5% to 26%, and alcohol 9% (p ⩽ .01). Religious importance was associated with slower progression to heavy use in cannabis users by 16% to 21% (p ⩽ .02). Religiosity (believes and attendance) was associated with slowed progression from heavy use to SUD development in alcohol users only. The findings illustrate strongest association between attending religious services and lower probabilities of progressing to heavy/daily use after substance use initiation for alcohol, tobacco, and cannabis users. This indicates the potential use of religious services as social support for individuals with risky substance use.

Associations of Changes in Religiosity With Flourishing During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Study of Faith Communities in the United States.

This study explored the extent to which perceived changes in religiosity from before to during the COVID-19 pandemic are associated with flourishing. Participants from a diverse set of faith communities in two United States metropolitan regions (N = 1,480) completed an online survey between October and December 2020. The survey included items capturing perceived changes in four dimensions of religiosity (i.e., importance of religion, frequency of prayer, frequency of religious service attendance, and sense of connectedness to one’s faith community) and a multidimensional measure of flourishing. Based on multilevel regressions, results indicated that self-reported decreases in each dimension of religiosity were associated with lower overall flourishing. This pattern of findings was largely similar for the domains of flourishing, with some variation in the strength of associations that emerged. An increase in frequency of religious service attendance was associated with lower overall flourishing and lower scores on selected domains of flourishing (e.g., mental and physical health), indicating possible evidence of religious coping. Faith communities might have to find ways of supporting members during the challenging COVID-19 period to prevent long-term declines in flourishing.

Frequency, setting and influential factors associated with pharmacy student-patient encounters involving spirituality and religiosity during advanced practice rotations

IntroductionTo identify (1) how often and in what settings pharmacy students include spirituality and religion and (2) what factors may influence how often students incorporate spirituality in patient care plans. MethodsFourth-year pharmacy students completed a questionnaire defining the frequency and setting of patient care activities that incorporated spiritual beliefs during advanced pharmacy practice experiences. Demographics, prior spirituality and health coursework, and self-identified measures of religiosity and spirituality were collected. Data analysis utilized descriptive statistics with nonparametric exploratory analysis. ResultsSixty-three students completed the survey (31.7% response rate). While 11% of students asked patients about spiritual needs, 25.4% reported inclusion of spiritual factors in therapeutic plan creation. The general medicine rotation was the most common setting identified. Student frequency of religious service attendance, self-identified religiosity, and self-reported spirituality were associated with perceived importance of asking patients about spiritual needs (P < .05 for all). This did not impact whether students asked about or incorporated these topics (P > .05 for all). Students who did ask about or incorporate spiritual and religious issues had significantly greater comfort in discussing these and referring patients to a chaplain (P < .05 for all). ConclusionsStudents are considering patients' spiritual needs in patient care activities. Greater student spiritual and religious practices positively influenced attitudes toward importance of asking about patient needs but did not influence student-reported behavior in patient care. Results highlight the need for instructors to consider how students' comfort levels and patient care setting influence addressing spiritual concerns.

Religiosity and Depression at Midlife: A Prospective Study.

Objectives:Previously, authors found high personal importance of religion/spirituality (R/S) in early adulthood to predict a 75% decreased risk of recurrence of major depression in middle adulthood. Here, the authors follow up the original study sample to examine the association between R/S and major depression from middle adulthood into midlife.Method:Participants were 79 of 114 original adult offspring of depressed and non-depressed parents. Using logistic regression analysis, three measures of R/S from middle adulthood (personal importance, frequency of religious service attendance, and denomination) were used to predict Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) in midlife.Results:High R/S importance in middle adulthood was prospectively associated with risk for an initial onset of depression during the period of midlife. Frequency of attendance in middle adulthood was associated with recurrence of depression at midlife in the high-risk group for depression, as compared to the low-risk group.Conclusion:Findings suggest that the relation between R/S and depression may vary across adult development, with risk for depression associated with R/S at midlife potentially revealing a developmental process.

The religious and spiritual beliefs and practices of MSW program leaders across the United States

ABSTRACT This paper describes a national survey of Master of Social Work (MSW) program leaders’ religious and spiritual beliefs and practices across the United States. Of the 257 eligible MSW programs primary contacts, 119 (46.8%) responded to the survey, with 90 completing the items related to religion and spirituality (RS). Specifically, those RS items assessed participants’ religious affiliation, intrinsic religiosity, frequency of religious service attendance and private religious activities, the degree to which the respondent is religious or spiritual, and their RS practices. Among our respondents, 80 (88.9%) held a position of leadership (e.g., dean/chair, associate dean, or program director). The results indicated that these MSW program leaders consider religion and spirituality to be important, are engaging in various RS practices, and over half reporting elements of intrinsic religiosity. Additionally, we compared this sample’s responses to these items with a national sample of clinical social workers and another sample of adults across the United States. Interestingly, a number of differences emerged between MSW program leaders’ RS with LCSWs and US adults. This paper addresses the implications of these findings, particularly in light of the sample being predominantly MSW program leaders, including how leaders’ RS may influence the implicit and explicit curricula.

Persistent Legacies of the Empires: Partition of Poland and Electoral Turnout

During the long nineteenth century, Poland was divided among the Russian, Habsburg, and Prussian empires. The partition produced regional diversity in political culture and in institutional and economic development. We examine how the cultural legacies of the empires have influenced the propensity of Poles to cast a ballot in parliamentary elections since 1989. Polish National Election Study individual-level data are used to assess whether higher levels of electoral turnout in Galicia are indeed a legacy of the Habsburg rule. Our results confirm that, even after controlling for socio-demographic factors, there is a positive, substantive, and significant effect on turnout of living in the ex-Habsburg part of Poland. This effect can be explained by the frequency of religious service attendance and by ideology. Inhabitants of Galicia not only attend religious services more frequently and are more conservative than their counterparts in the rest of Poland, but also the more frequently they attend church and the closer to the radical right they place themselves, the more mobilized they are to vote. The impact of the legacies of the empires on political behavior in Poland seems persistent.

Religious Service Attendance, Educational Attainment, and Hypertension at Baseline of the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health (ELSA-Brasil).

Some religious dimensions have been associated with different health-related outcomes over many years. Attending religious services is one of these dimensions that were associated with hypertension, with inconsistent results. And religious involvement seems to be closely influenced by sociodemographic factors, such as education. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the association between religious service attendance and hypertension according to levels of education. We analyzed baseline data of the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health (ELSA-Brasil). Frequency of religious service attendance and presence of hypertension were assessed in all 15,105 participants at baseline. The analyses were stratified by two levels of education (less than high school and high school or more). Logistic regression models were used to obtain the association between religious service attendance and hypertension in both groups. For those with high school or more, attending religious services was positively associated with hypertension (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 1.14, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.02-1.28). In contrast, for those with less than high school, attending services was inversely associated with presence of hypertension (adjusted OR = 0.73, 95% CI 0.55-0.96). There seems to be a paradox in the association of religious service attendance and hypertension depending on the level of education.

Psychosocial moderation of polygenic risk for cannabis involvement: the role of trauma exposure and frequency of religious service attendance

Cannabis use and disorders (CUD) are influenced by multiple genetic variants of small effect and by the psychosocial environment. However, this information has not been effectively incorporated into studies of gene–environment interaction (GxE). Polygenic risk scores (PRS) that aggregate the effects of genetic variants can aid in identifying the links between genetic risk and psychosocial factors. Using data from the Pasman et al. GWAS of cannabis use (meta-analysis of data from the International Cannabis Consortium and UK Biobank), we constructed PRS in the Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism (COGA) participants of European (N: 7591) and African (N: 3359) ancestry. The primary analyses included only individuals of European ancestry, reflecting the ancestral composition of the discovery GWAS from which the PRS was derived. Secondary analyses included the African ancestry sample. Associations of PRS with cannabis use and DSM-5 CUD symptom count (CUDsx) and interactions with trauma exposure and frequency of religious service attendance were examined. Models were adjusted for sex, birth cohort, genotype array, and ancestry. Robustness models were adjusted for cross-term interactions. Higher PRS were associated with a greater likelihood of cannabis use and with CUDsx among participants of European ancestry (p < 0.05 and p < 0.1 thresholds, respectively). PRS only influenced cannabis use among those exposed to trauma (R2: 0.011 among the trauma exposed vs. R2: 0.002 in unexposed). PRS less consistently influenced cannabis use among those who attend religious services less frequently; PRS × religious service attendance effects were attenuated when cross-term interactions with ancestry and sex were included in the model. Polygenic liability to cannabis use was related to cannabis use and, less robustly, progression to symptoms of CUD. This study provides the first evidence of PRS × trauma for cannabis use and demonstrates that ignoring important aspects of the psychosocial environment may mask genetic influences on polygenic traits.

So Help Me, God: Religiosity and End-of-Life Choices in a Nationally Representative Sample.

Background: Studies show significant associations between the various dimensions of religiousness and end-of-life (EOL) decisions, such as individuals with high religiosity are more likely to choose aggressive care at EOL. However, these studies focused largely on smaller cancer populations. To our knowledge, there is no existing literature about the association between religiosity and EOL decisions within a national sample of older adults. Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate the association between religiosity and advance directive (AD) completion, and among those with an AD, documented EOL care preferences, using a nationally representative sample. Methods: This was an observational study. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression were conducted with 6051 decedents from the Health and Retirement Study using self-reported frequency of religious service attendance, importance of religion, and religious affiliation. Measurements: The dependent variables were AD completion and care preference. The independent variables were self-reported frequency of religious service attendance, importance of religion, and religious affiliation. Results: Protestants and Catholics had significantly lower odds of AD completion, compared with those with no religious preferences. Decedents who reported religion as very important had significantly lower odds of AD completion than decedents who said religion is not too important. Furthermore, decedents who attended religious services at least once a week, compared with those who do not attend, had significantly higher odds of completing an AD. Among those who completed an AD, neither religiosity nor religious affiliation was significantly associated with preference for prolonged care. Conclusions: Our study demonstrates the influence religiosity has on the development of ADs, prompting seriously ill patients' religious needs to be recognized and supported. It further suggests that religious services may provide a good opportunity for promoting knowledge and completion of ADs.

The role of religiosity in families at high-risk for depression

About forty years ago we began a study of the offspring of depressed (high-risk) and not depressed (low-risk) parents, matched for age and gender, from the same community. We interviewed all of their biological children, blind to the clinical status of the parents. Over the years, we returned to re-interview the families at baseline, 2, 10, 20, 25 30, and 35 years. As the years went by and the sample grew up, we also interviewed the third generation, the grandchildren. As technology became available, we included measures of electrophysiology and magnetic resonance imaging in order to better understand the mechanisms of risk. At the 10-year follow up, we included measures of religion and spirituality - namely, personal religious/spiritual importance and frequency of religious service attendance. We included these measures in all subsequent waves including a more extensive follow up of religious beliefs at the 35-year follow up. This paper describes the study design and highlights the key findings of the role of religious/spiritual belief in the transmission and endurance of depression using clinical and biological approaches. We describe study findings based on clinical measures, as well as physiological measures that employed electrophysiology and magnetic resonance imaging. Taken together, the findings suggest that religiosity/spirituality is protective against depression in high-risk individuals at both clinical and physiological levels. The findings suggest religiosity interacts with both culture and biology in its impact on depression.

Purpose in Life and Conscientiousness Protect Against the Development of Suicidal Ideation in U.S. Military Veterans With PTSD and MDD: Results From the National Health and Resilience in Veterans Study

Background Although several studies have examined risk factors for suicidal ideation among veterans, little is known about risk and protective factors for suicidal ideation in high-risk veteran samples. Thus, this study examined a broad range of risk and protective factors associated with the development of suicidal ideation in a high-risk sample of U.S. veterans who screened positive for current posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and/or major depressive disorder (MDD). Methods Data were analyzed from the National Health and Resilience in Veterans Study, a nationally representative, prospective cohort study of U.S. veterans. Veterans completed self-report measures to screen for PTSD and MDD and to assess for risk and protective factors. The sample included 222 veterans with PTSD and/or MDD who did not endorse suicidal ideation at baseline and completed at least one assessment over a seven-year follow-up period. A multivariable binary logistic regression analysis was conducted to examine baseline factors associated with incident suicidal ideation. Results Nearly one in three (27.1%) of veterans with PTSD and/or MDD developed suicidal ideation over the seven-year follow-up period. Non-Caucasian race and lower scores on measures of purpose in life, conscientiousness, and frequency of religious service attendance were independently associated with incident suicidal ideation. Lower purpose in life (52.3%) and conscientiousness (33.2%) explained the vast majority of variance in incident suicidal ideation. Conclusion Nearly 30% of veterans with PTSD and/or MDD who did not endorse suicidal ideation at baseline developed suicidal ideation over a seven-year period. Prevention and treatment efforts designed to bolster purpose in life and conscientiousness may help mitigate risk for suicidal ideation in this high-risk population.

Cognitive flexibility and religious disbelief

Cognitive flexibility is operationalized in the neuropsychological literature as the ability to shift between modes of thinking and adapt to novel or changing environments. Religious belief systems consist of strict rules and rituals that offer adherents certainty, consistency, and stability. Consequently, we hypothesized that religious adherence and practice of repetitive religious rituals may be related to the persistence versus flexibility of one’s cognition. The present study investigated the extent to which tendencies towards cognitive flexibility versus persistence are related to three facets of religious life: religious affiliation, religious practice, and religious upbringing. In a large sample (N = 744), we found that religious disbelief was related to cognitive flexibility across three independent behavioural measures: the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, Remote Associates Test, and Alternative Uses Test. Furthermore, lower frequency of religious service attendance was related to cognitive flexibility. When analysing participants’ religious upbringing in relation to their current religious affiliation, it was manifest that current affiliation was more influential than religious upbringing in all the measured facets of cognitive flexibility. The findings indicate that religious affiliation and engagement may shape and be shaped by cognitive control styles towards flexibility versus persistence, highlighting the tight links between flexibility of thought and religious ideologies.

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.

Reducing Pseudoscientific and Paranormal Beliefs in University Students Through a Course in Science and Critical Thinking

This study measured the relationship between student’s religion, gender, and propensity for fantasy thinking with the change in belief for paranormal and pseudoscientific subjects following a science and critical thinking course that directly confronted these subjects. Student pre-course endorsement of religious, paranormal, and pseudoscientific beliefs ranged from 21 to 53%, with religion having the highest endorsement rate. Pre-course belief in paranormal and pseudoscientific subjects was correlated with high scores in some fantasy thinking scales and showed a gender and a religion effect with females having an 11.1% higher belief across all paranormal and pseudoscience subcategories. Students’ religion, and frequency of religious service attendance, was also important with agnostic or atheist students having lower beliefs in paranormal and pseudoscience subjects compared to religious students. Students with either low religious service attendance or very high attendance had lower paranormal and pseudoscientific beliefs. Following the critical thinking course, overall beliefs in paranormal and pseudoscientific subcategories lowered 6.8–28.9%, except for superstition, which did not significantly change. Change in belief had both a gender and religion effect with greater reductions among religious students and females.

The protective role of religiosity against problem gambling: findings from a five-year prospective study

BackgroundLittle research has examined the potential protective influence of religiosity against problem gambling; a common addictive behavior, and one with a host of associated negative health and social outcomes. The aims of this study were to examine (1) the potential longitudinal association between religiosity and problem gambling among adults and (2) the potential moderating role of gender on this association.MethodsData were from five waves of the Quinte Longitudinal Study (QLS), between 2006 and 2010. Participants were Canadian adults from Belleville, Ontario, Canada (n = 4121). A multiple group (based on gender) latent growth curve analysis was conducted to examine the overall trajectory of problem gambling severity. Two models were tested; the first examined the influence of past-year religious service attendance, and the second examined an overall measure of personal religiosity on the trajectory of problem gambling. The Problem and Pathological Gambling Measure (PPGM) was used as a continuous measure. The Rohrbaugh-Jessor Religiosity Scale (RJRS) was used to assess past-year frequency of religious service attendance and personal religiosity. Religious affiliation (Protestant, Catholic, Atheist/Agnostic, Other, Prefer not to say) was also included in the models.ResultsAt baseline, higher frequency of past-year religious service attendance (males: β= −0.54, females: β= −0.68, p < 0.001 for both) and greater overall personal religiosity (males: β= −0.17, females: β= −0.13, p < 0.001 for both) were associated with lower PPGM scores. The moderating effect of gender indicated that the influence of past-year religious service attendance was greater among females (χ2diff(44) = 336.8, p < 0.001); however, the effect of overall religiosity was greater among males (χ2diff(36) = 213.4, p < 0.001). Findings were mixed with respect to religious affiliation. No measures of religiosity or religious affiliation were associated with the overall decline in problem gambling severity.ConclusionsThese findings suggest that religiosity may act as a static protective factor against problem gambling severity but may play a less significant role in predicting change in problem gambling severity over time.