Participation In Religious Services Research Articles

Religiosity in adolescence and body satisfaction and disordered eating in adolescence and young adulthood: cross-sectional and longitudinal findings from project EAT

PurposeThis research identified whether adolescent religiosity was associated with body satisfaction and disordered eating in adolescence and early adulthood and explored gender/sex differences in these associations.MethodsProject EAT (Eating and Activity in Teens and Young Adults) is a longitudinal cohort study following participants from adolescence into young adulthood. For this analysis (N = 1620), religiosity (importance of religion and frequency of religious service participation) during adolescence was examined as a correlate of body satisfaction and disordered eating (binge eating, maladaptive behaviors intended to lose or maintain weight, eating to cope, and dieting) at the same life stage (EAT-II, 2003–2004, Mage = 19.4 years) and during young adulthood (EAT-IV, 2015–2016, Mage = 31.5 years). Analyses used linear and logistic regression models adjusted for demographics and adolescent body mass index.ResultsDuring adolescence, females who placed greater importance on religion had higher body satisfaction, 22% higher odds of binge eating, and 19% greater odds of dieting in the past year, while more frequent attendance of religious services was associated with higher body satisfaction and 37% greater odds of dieting past year. Among males, only frequent attendance of religious services was associated with higher adolescent body satisfaction. Longitudinally, among females, only frequent attendance of religious services in adolescence predicted higher levels of body satisfaction in young adulthood. No significant longitudinal associations were observed among males.ConclusionsOur findings contribute to understanding the complex interplay between religiosity, gender, and body satisfaction. Further research should explore cultural factors influencing these associations and qualitative aspects of religious experiences to inform nuanced interventions.Level of evidence: Level III, cohort study.

Religiosity does not prevent cognitive declines: Cross-sectional and longitudinal evidence from the Survey of Health, Aging and Retirement in Europe

Over the past hundred years, a plethora of studies on intelligence and religiosity associations predominantly yielded evidence for a meaningful negative relation between these two variables. However, effect strengths varied substantially between primary studies and it has been suggested that religiosity and intelligence associations change as people age, because religiosity may play a protective role for cognitive abilities in elderly individuals. Consequently, it has been suggested that negative intelligence and religiosity associations may decline in strength or even reverse signs as people age. Therefore, we examine here cross-sectional associations of self-reported religious behaviors and several measures of cognitive function (numeracy, verbal fluency, memory and a proxy of psychometric g) as well as their cross-temporal changes in respondents from 11 European countries and Israel aged 50+ years (N = 30,424) in three waves of the Survey of Health, Aging, and Retirement in Europe (SHARE). As expected, cognitive function scores were meaningfully negatively related to praying whilst associations with participation in religious services were trivial. Cross-lagged panel analyses yielded consistently negative, albeit small, effects of both intelligence on praying and of praying on intelligence. Multilevel random-intercept regressions showed tentative evidence for faster cognitive declines in more religious people for numeracy and g, but not for verbal fluency and memory. No conclusive evidence for a moderation by societal values of religiosity could be found. In all, our evidence shows a negative, non-trivial association between intelligence and religiosity in elderly participants which remains longitudinally robust. These findings corroborate the generality of the small negative intelligence and religiosity association.

Restrictions on religious practices in selected European countries during the COVID-19 pandemic: A legal-sociological study from Poland’s experiences

The aim of this paper is to present legal restrictions related to religious ceremonies during the Covid-19 pandemic, which are not currently in force in Poland but are being applied in selected European countries. The study examines the possible extent of their acceptance by believers in Poland, a country with persistently high levels of religious observance. It transpires that negative evaluations prevail in the case of the following restrictions: advanced registration for participation in religious services, the possibility of only vaccinated persons participating in services, and singing being prohibited. On the other hand, a more positive view was taken of designating specific places that can be occupied in the place of worship, and the requirement for all attendees to wear a mask (including priests and leaders of religious practices). The research revealed a general tendency for those who participate more frequently in religious practices to view restrictions more negatively.

Gender Difference in the Association between Religious Participation and Acculturative Stress: Evidence from Korean Immigrants in the United States

The present study examines the interplay between participation in religious services and gender differences in mitigating acculturative stress among Korean immigrants in the United States. Using cross-sectional survey data from a total of 164 Korean immigrants, our findings suggest that participation in religious services is significantly associated with a lower level of acculturative stress, and the negative association became stronger when a participant is female. This study is one of few empirical studies that examine the differential role of participation in religious services across gender in reducing acculturative stress among Korean immigrants in the United States.

Does the association between religiosity, spirituality and self-rated health change with religious affiliations? Evidence from an Indian large-scale survey

ABSTRACT The rapid growth of the elderly in India has raised research questions about their quality of life, health, and social support. The current study aims to understand the factors influencing older adults’ self-rated health (SRH), focusing on religiosity and spirituality in India. The present study used data from India’s Longitudinal Ageing Study’s first wave (LASI), 2017–18. The levels of poor SRH decreased with an increasing degree of religious and spiritual participation. In the present study, religious attendance was a significant predictor of SRH among Christians, Muslims, and Hindus. Spirituality was found to be a significant predictor of SRH only among Hindus. Besides [prayer, participation in religious services and mediation], age, sex, place of residence, level of education, daily living activities, and chronic illness status were significant predictors of SRH. The current study also showed that older people have a significantly high incidence of poor SRH, regardless of their spiritual and religious backgrounds. There is a need to focus on elderly-friendly health and social care policies and programs considering socio-cultural aspects to minimize the burden of poor SRH.

Participation in Public Religious Practices During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Between Various Limitations and Their Proportionality

The right to manifest religion or belief in community with others is one of the essential components of religious freedom. However, it has been significantly curtailed in many countries owing to the Covid-19 pandemic. This article identifies the scope of the introduced restrictions, their proportionality, and their impact on the functioning of religious communities. Section 1 sets out three different approaches to participation in public religious practices in selected countries with severe (Germany), moderate (Poland), and liberal (Belarus) restrictions. In section 2, an international perspective on access to religious buildings in times of emergency is presented. The conclusions of this research are juxtaposed in section 3 with the jurisprudence of the highest national courts in Germany, the United States, and France, in order to highlight proportional legal solutions for the protection of religious freedom and public health. In the last section, the consequences of the introduced restrictions are analysed from the perspective of religious associations, using the example of Poland. Lastly, predictions concerning future participation in religious services are also made.

Religious freedom during Covid-19 in Courts’ evaluation

TABLE OF CONTENTS: 1. Premise - 2. Italy: the relevance of the possibility of satisfying religious feeling through the alternatives offered by computer tools - 3. Germany: the non-belonging of the public exercise of worship to the Wesensgehalt of the right to religious freedom - 4. France: the suspension of religious ceremonies as a “serious and manifestly unlawful interference” with religious freedom - 5. United States of America: the participation in religious services as the “heart of the First Amendment’s guarantee of religious liberty” - 6. Concluding remarks.
 ABSTRACT: The purpose of this paper is to examine the position and the scope of the right to religious freedom in the case law of the national courts of some European and non-European countries, which are called upon to establish the legitimacy or otherwise of the balancing realized by the emergency regulation against Covid-19 between this interest and the equally important one of health. Such evaluations, essentially conducted by the judges using the principle of proportionality (as well as that of reasonableness), betray, in fact, in the phase of verification of the adequacy of the measure (so-called Verhälntismäßigkeit im engeren Sinne) the identification of the sphere of intangibility within the right, removed from further balancing. The systems taken into consideration for this purpose are the Italian, German, French and American ones, identified as significant expressions of different regimes of relations between the State and religious denominations, and, therefore, tending to a different overall attitude of the State towards religious experience.

Public opinion on freedom of religion (and its limitations) in penitentiary establishments in the light of international regulations

The issue of religious freedom while serving a sentence of imprisonment often occupies scientists from around the world. Basically, they agree that a prisoner, regardless of the act for which he or she has been convicted, has the right to religious freedom. Problems are posed, however, by the question of delimiting this freedom, especially at the level of the right to practise a chosen religion during prison isolation. The decisions of international tribunals and national courts are not uniform owing to the generality of the rules governing this issue. The initial research question that we pose is this: how does society perceive the right to religious freedom in prisons? Does a convict have the right to demand respect for the rules of his or her religion regarding diet, clothes, appearance and participation in religious services? We look for answers to these questions in research conducted in Polish society, one that is confronted by international regulations.

Influence of Religious Faith on Economic Growth and the Environment

Purpose: Religious faith, which is expressed both by beliefs concerning the so-called supernatural sphere and by participation in religious services, has a significant influence on all forms of human activity, including economic activity and attitudes towards the environment. It is essential to investigate this influence, as ecology is essential for sustainable economic development, i.e., a development that harms the natural environment. The article aims to develop a theoretical model of causal relationships between religious faith, economic growth, and environmental degradation. Design/Methodology/Approach: According to the proposed model, an increase in belief in heaven and hell fosters to care for the environment, while the higher intensity of formal religious acts involving attendance at religious services, with the belief in heaven and hell remaining at the same level, reduces pro-environmental behaviors. Findings: The results are based on the models that use the environmental Kuznets curve and the studies concerning the relation between religiosity and economic growth. Practical Implications: The resulting model can describe the interactions between religion, economy, and the environment, with the possibility that these interactions may be modified by economic, religious, and political leaders. Originality/Value: This paper includes a new theoretical model of causal relationships between religious faith, economic growth, and environmental degradation.

Variáveis associadas com a prática religiosa em adultos e idosos brasileiros com 50 anos ou mais: ELSI-Brasil

Abstract Objective To identify variables associated with religious practice in Brazilian adults and older adults aged 50 and over. Method In this observational and cross-sectional study, the participants included 7,171 individuals aged 50 and over from a representative national sample (N=9,412), interviewed in the first wave of the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Aging (ELSI-Brazil), on frequency of participation in religious services, religious affiliation, self-rated health, sex, age, education, living arrangements, region of residence, and race. The Poisson regression model was used to investigate crude and adjusted associations between variables. Results Fifty-seven percent of the sample was female, the mean age was 62.5±9.4 years old, the majority had 5 to 8 years of education and lived with 3 or more people, 42% resided in the Southeast region, and 48% self-declared as Pardo [mixed race], 66% were Catholic, 76% attended religious services once or more times a week, and 45% rated their health as fair. The most frequent participants in religious services were Black (PR=1.06, 95%CI 1.00-1.12)and mixed race (PR=1.07, 95%CI 1.03-1.11), Evangelical (PR =1.26, 95%CI 1.22-1.30), and self-rated their health as fair (PR=1.07, 95%CI 1.02-1.11). In contrast, the least frequent were male (PR=0.87, 95%CI 0.84-0.90), with 5 to 8 years of education (PR=0.92, 95%CI 0.88-0.97), residing in the Southeast (PR=0.91, 95%CI 0.86-0.95) and South (PR=0.90, 95%CI 0.82-0.99) regions. Conclusion Self-declaration as Black and mixed race, Evangelical religion, and self-rated health as fair were associated with higher attendance at religious services among Brazilians aged 50 and over.

Evidence of Spiritual Capital in the Schooling of Second-Generation Ghanaians in Amsterdam

This study investigates how spiritual capital accrued from religiosity influences the educational mobility of second-generation migrants in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. We propose that inherently, religiosity possesses resources that have consequences for the socio-economic and cultural life of the adherents. The study adopts ethnographic research methods including in-depth interviews, participant observation and informal interviews in the religious field of African Initiated Christian Churches (AICCs) in Amsterdam. Fifty second-generation migrants participated in the research out of which thirty-five were women and fifteen were men. Nine representatives of AICCs were interviewed. All the research participants were purposively selected. The study found that although educational attainment is not a driving force for the creation of AICCs, religiosity has consequential effects on the schooling of second-generation Ghanaians. The study also found that spiritual capital accumulated through prayers, reading of Holy Scriptures, participation in religious services and church commitment may facilitate or deter progress in the schooling of second-generation Ghanaians. The paper concludes that religiosity and schooling are not incompatible; rather, they are complementary in the integration of second-generation migrants in the Dutch society.

Cohort Differences in Social Participation in the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project

Has American society become more socially disconnected as Robert Putnam argues in Bowling Alone? Claude Fischer disputes this contention with evidence that Americans remain about as connected to friends and family as in the past. We address this debate with data for older adults from the National Social Life, Health and Aging Study, collected in 2005, 2010, and 2015. We compare social participation as reported at ages 57 to 68 for members of the Silent Generation cohort vs the Baby Boom cohort. We find that the gender gap in social participation evident for the Silent Generation does not exist at all for younger Baby Boomers, only appearing after age 62. These same cohort differences appear for participation in religious services and organized groups. This suggest that the gendered separation of social roles that characterized older generations is becoming less pronounced, with implications for social support and social isolation.

Keeping the faith: The university experience and apostasy

In 1963, Glendon College, York University, located in Toronto Canada, admitted mainly Christian students of European origin to a small liberal arts program. Fifty years later the College remained small with a continuing, but less embracive, commitment to the liberal arts; however, the student body included large numbers of young adults who professed religions other than Christianity and came from backgrounds other than European.Within this context, this article focuses on the impact of the Glendon College experience on students’ religious identification and participation in religious services. Overall, I find that in the mid-sixties the College experience contributed to changes in the religious identification of students. By contrast, a half-century later, students’ post-secondary experiences were of little consequence for religiosity. One possible explanation for differences in the College effect is that because of the current racial and religious diversity of Toronto, students are more likely than in the past to confront their religious identities in high school.Keywords: liberal arts, religiosity, change, university experience.

The Death of Confidants and Changes in Older Adults' Social Lives.

This study examines the consequences of confidant death for the social lives of older adults, testing hypotheses from socio-emotional selectivity theory and the hierarchical compensatory model. We draw upon longitudinal data from the National Social Life Health and Aging Project-a nationally representative survey of older adults (N = 2,261). We employ ordinary least squares (OLS) and ordinal logistic regressions in the context of multiple imputation with chained equations, checking our findings with doubly robust estimation. We find that the death of a spouse, but not the death of a family member or friend, was associated with increased support from friends and family, spending more time with family, and more frequent participation in religious services, but not volunteering. Death of other confidants also had little impact on older adults' social lives, suggesting the robustness of their networks to nonspousal loss.

Are Adolescent Religious Attendance/Spirituality Associated with Family Characteristics?

The family environment is associated with religiosity and spirituality as well as many aspects of adolescent lives, including their health behaviour. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess family environment associations with adolescent religious attendance (RA), i.e., weekly participation in religious services, and spirituality in a highly secular country. A nationally representative sample (n = 4182, 14.4 ± 1.1 years, 48.6% boys) of Czech adolescents participated in the 2014 Health Behaviour in School-aged Children cross-sectional study. RA, spirituality and the family environment, i.e., family communication, perceived emotional support, and parental monitoring, were measured. Higher adolescent RA was associated with lower self-reported easiness of communication with mother (odds ratio (OR) = 0.68; 99% confidence interval (99% CI) = 0.47–0.99; p < 0.01). In contrast, spiritual respondents were more likely to report both easier communication with their father (OR per standard deviation (SD) change = 1.12, 99% CI 1.02–1.23; p < 0.01) and mother (OR per SD change = 1.38 (1.23–1.55); p < 0.001) and higher perceived emotional support (OR per SD change = 1.73 (1.55–1.92); p < 0.001). Parents of respondents who attended religious services at least once a week, as well as parents of spiritual respondents, were generally more likely to monitor adolescent behaviour. Thus, this study provides information for parents, mental health workers, and pastoral carers. Further research should assess the association of a lower easiness of family communication with dissonances in adolescent–parent religiosity/spirituality and with higher parental monitoring.

Religious Communities and Human Flourishing

Participation in religious services is associated with numerous aspects of human flourishing, including happiness and life satisfaction, mental and physical health, meaning and purpose, character and virtue, and close social relationships. Evidence for the effects of religious communities on these flourishing outcomes now comes from rigorous longitudinal study designs with extensive confounding control. The associations with flourishing are much stronger for communal religious participation than for spiritual-religious identity or for private practices. While the social support is an important mechanism relating religion to health, this only explains a small portion of the associations. Numerous other mechanisms appear to be operative as well. It may be the confluence of the religious values and practices, reinforced by social ties and norms, that give religious communities their powerful effects on so many aspects of human flourishing.

Religious engagement and attitudes to the role of religion in society: their effect on civic and social values in an Asian context

This paper explored the impact of religious engagement (religious background, religious service attendance and religious activities participation) on adolescents’ civic and social values. Attitudes towards the influence of religion on society were investigated as a possible mediator/moderator of religious engagement. A model based on Western literature was tested using a sample of over 2000 Hong Kong students. Secondary data were drawn from the International Civics and Citizenship Education Study 2009. Multi-level modelling was used to assess individual and school level effects on civic and social values. Results indicated that religious engagement exerted varied effects. Religious background showed small and negative effects on students’ civic and social values. Participation in religious services indicated a small, positive and significant effect on social but not on civic values. Participation in religious activities showed no significant effect on either social or civic values. These variables exerted a small moderating effect on social and civic values through attitudes to the influence of religion on society. The latter exerted a positive and significant effect on civic values and a negative effect on social values. These results suggested that Western models depicting the positive relationship between religious engagement and citizenship values may not hold for Asian societies.

Sexualities of initial teacher education applicants in the Republic of Ireland: addressing the hidden dimension of diversity in teaching

While research and policy recommendations internationally have pointed to the need to diversify teaching populations with regard to ethnicity, social class background and, to a lesser extent, dis/ability, there is a paucity of research addressing sexualities as a diversity dimension in teaching. This article explores initial teacher education (ITE) applicants’ and entrants’ (N = 746) sexualities and the intersections of sexualities with other socio-demographic background variables and career motivations. The analysis suggests that the topic of sexual orientation caused high levels of discomfort among respondents and that sexual minority student teachers are underrepresented in ITE cohorts in Ireland. The socio-demographic and motivational profiles of our non-heterosexual respondents generally mirrored those of their heterosexual counterparts. Non-heterosexual respondents reported a stronger motivation to affect social change and lower levels of participation in religious services. Findings are discussed within the context of persisting cultural and institutional barriers for sexual minority (student) teachers in Irish schools and in ITE.

Wage Differentials in the United States: Does Religious Participation Matter?

Using data on non-Hispanics from the 2005 Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID), this article examines the within-religion association between religious participation and wages for mainline Protestants, conservative Protestants, and Catholics, the three major religious groups in the United States. While previous studies have examined this relationship for women only and using ordinary least squares (OLS), this article further analyzes gender differences and differences along the wage distribution using a quantile regression (QR) approach. The results indicate that high participation in religious services is associated with lower wages among mainline Protestant women and men, and among Catholic men. Among Catholic women, those who are not participating in religious activities earn higher wages relative to those who participate on a weekly basis. Furthermore, this advantage is more pronounced at high wages, as the QR estimates show. These results suggest the importance of defining religious participation in a manner that allows the detection of nonlinear effects. In addition, the findings speak to the importance of religion in the lives of individuals and may benefit policies dealing with male-female wage differentials.

'Make it another for me and my mates': Does social capital encourage risky drinking among the Danish general population?

The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between several indicators of social capital and risky single occasion drinking (RSOD) in a representative survey sample of the Danish general population. Data from the 2011 Danish national survey (n=2569) with respondents aged 15-79 years were used. Ordered logit modelling was applied to investigate the influence of social networks, social support, social participation and trust on RSOD. A strong positive relationship was found between frequency of contact with male friends and RSOD between both sexes. Furthermore, social trust among men and membership in voluntary organisations among women was significantly associated with RSOD. Additionally, contact with male family members for women and active participation in religious services for both sexes were strongly and negatively correlated with RSOD. Some aspects of social capital can be positively related to at-risk health behaviours, as was found for RSOD in the Danish general population.