Subjective Religiosity Research Articles

Religious involvement and obsessive compulsive disorder among African Americans and Black Caribbeans

Prior research is equivocal concerning the relationships between religious involvement and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The literature indicates limited evidence of denomination differences in prevalence of OCD whereas findings regarding OCD and degree of religiosity are equivocal. This study builds on prior research by examining OCD in relation to diverse measures of religious involvement within the National Survey of American Life, a nationally representative sample of African American and Black Caribbean adults.Bivariate and multivariate analyses (logistic regression) examine the relationship between lifetime prevalence of OCD and religious denomination, service attendance, non-organizational religiosity (e.g., prayer, religious media) subjective religiosity, and religious coping. Frequent religious service attendance was negatively associated with OCD, whereas Catholic affiliation (as compared to Baptist) and religious coping (prayer when dealing with stressful situations) were both positively associated with OCD. With regard to demographic factors, persons of older age and higher education levels were significantly less likely to have OCD.

Religion and the Presence and Severity of Depression in Older Adults

: To examine the associations of dimensions of religiousness with the presence and severity of depression in older adults. : Cross-sectional analysis of clinical and interview data. : Private university-affiliated medical center in the Southeastern United States. : Four hundred seventy-six psychiatric patients with a current episode of unipolar major depression, and 167 nondepressed comparison subjects, ages 58 years or older (mean = 70 years, SD = 7). : Diagnostic Interview Schedule, Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale, and Duke Depression Evaluation Schedule were used in the study. : Presence of depression was related to less frequent worship attendance, more frequent private religious practice, and moderate subjective religiosity. Among the depressed group, less severe depression was related to more frequent worship attendance, less religiousness, and having had a born-again experience. These results were only partially explained by effects of social support and stress buffering. : Religion is related to depression diagnosis and severity via multiple pathways.

Longitudinal Relationships of Religion with Posttreatment Depression Severity in Older Psychiatric Patients: Evidence of Direct and Indirect Effects

Psychiatric patients (age 59+) were assessed before study treatment for major depressive disorder, and again after 3 months. Measures taken before study treatment included facets of religiousness (subjective religiosity, private prayer, worship attendance, and religious media use), social support, and perceived stress. Clinician-rated depression severity was assessed both before and after treatment using the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS). Structural equation modeling was used to test a path model of direct and indirect effects of religious factors via psychosocial pathways. Subjective religiousness was directly related to worse initial MADRS, but indirectly related to better posttreatment MADRS via the pathway of more private prayer. Worship attendance was directly related to better initial MADRS, and indirectly related to better post-treatment MADRS via pathways of lower stress, more social support, and more private prayer. Private prayer was directly related to better post-treatment MADRS. Religious media use was related to more private prayer, but had no direct relationship with MADRS.

Religious and Spiritual Factors in Depression

Religious and Spiritual Factors in Depression

Subjective well-being and religiosity: a cross-sectional study with adolescents, young and middle-age adults

The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between religiosity and subjective well-being (SWB) as assessed with the Oxford Happiness Inventory, the Satisfaction with Life Scale, Love of Life Scale, and the self-rating scales of happiness, physical health, mental health, and religiosity among Muslims. Three cross-sectional samples of Kuwaiti Muslim adolescents, college students, and middle aged were recruited (N = 1420). Sex-related differences were significant on SWB variables favouring men in general. All the correlations between the SWB variables were significant and positive as well as the SWB-religiosity associations. A high-loaded factor of “SWB and religiosity” was extracted among all the six groups as well as the total sample. It was concluded that religiosity is an important element in the lives of the majority of the present Kuwaiti samples during three age stages. Based on the present results, those who consider themselves as religious were enjoying SWB.

Religion as Reassurance? Testing the Insecurity Theory in 26 European Countries

In this article, we extend insecurity theory by examining the influence of various kinds of insecurities on religiosity. Religiosity is operationalized in terms of a public dimension (church attendance) and a private dimension (subjective religiosity). Using data from four rounds of the European Social Survey (ESS, 2002-2008) on 26 European countries, we find strong support for the main hypothesis of insecurity theory that higher levels of insecurity are associated with increasing religiosity. Furthermore, it appears that all kinds of insecurities play a role. Specifically, we find, among others, that religiosity is higher among people who have an insecure job position, whose parents were unemployed, whose parents had a lower status job, who have experienced a war in their own country, who have lost their partner, and who reside in a country with lower social welfare spending and a higher unemployment rate. On a more general level, it is concluded that both (i) economic and existential; (ii) past and present; and (iii) individual and contextual insecurities are important in explaining (cross-national) variation in religiosity.

Religious Involvement and Suicidal Behavior Among African Americans and Black Caribbeans

This study explores the relationship between religious denomination, four dimensions of religious involvement, and suicidality (lifetime prevalence of suicide ideation and attempts) within a nationally representative sample of African American and Black Caribbean adults. The relationship between religious involvement and suicide for African Americans and Black Caribbeans indicated both similarities and differences. For both groups, religious involvement was largely protective against suicidal ideation and attempts, although, in some instances, specific measures were associated with higher suicidality. Looking to God for strength, comfort, and guidance was protective against suicidal attempts and ideation, whereas stating that prayer is important in stressful situations was associated with higher levels of ideation for both groups and higher attempts among Black Caribbeans. For African Americans, reading religious materials was positively associated with suicidal ideation. Among Black Caribbeans, subjective religiosity was negatively associated with ideation, and being Catholic was inversely associated with attempts, whereas being Pentecostal was inversely associated with ideation. These findings are discussed in relation to previous research and current conceptual frameworks that specify multiple (e.g., prevention and resource mobilization) and often divergent pathways of religious effects on physical and mental health outcomes.

The Religiosity of Immigrants in Europe: A Cross-National Study

This study examines cross-national differences in the religiosity of immigrants in Europe utilizing three different measures of religiosity: religious attendance, praying, and subjective religiosity. Hypotheses are formulated by drawing upon a variety of theories—scientific worldview, insecurity, religious markets, and social integration. The hypotheses are tested using European Social Survey data (2002–2008) from more than 10,000 first-generation immigrants living in 27 receiving countries. Multilevel models show that, on the individual level, religiosity is higher among immigrants who are unemployed, less educated, and who have recently arrived in the host country. On the contextual level, the religiosity of natives positively affects immigrant religiosity. The models explain about 60 percent of the cross-national differences in religious attendance and praying of immigrants and about 20 percent of the cross-national differences in subjective religiosity.

Investigating the role played by social support in the association between religiosity and mental health in low income older adults: results from the São Paulo Ageing & Health Study (SPAH)

OBJECTIVE: Religiosity has been associated with mental health, especially in the elderly. There is a shortage of studies on the factors that mediate this association, including social support. The aim of this study was to assess the association between the various dimensions of religiosity and the prevalence of common mental disorders among the elderly, and to verify whether social support can work as a mechanism that explains such mediation. METHOD: The sample consisted of an elderly population living in a low income region of the city of São Paulo (N = 1,980). Data on the socio-demographic profile of this population and on the prevalence of common mental disorders were collected, and indicators of religiosity and social support were identified. RESULTS: 90.7% of the sample considered themselves to be religious. In terms of denomination, 66.6% were Catholic. Forty-one per cent attended some kind of religious activity at least once or more times a week. The presence of common mental disorders was not associated with religious affiliation or subjective religiosity. The prevalence of common mental disorders in followers attending religious services was approximately half (OR between 0.43 and 0.55, p < 0.001) compared to those who never attend a religious service. Attending religious services was associated with higher levels of social support. The association between a higher attendance frequency and fewer common mental disorders did not change after the inclusion of relevant of social support variables. CONCLUSION: The study showed that subjects presented high levels of religiosity and that there is a strong association between religious attendance and the prevalence of common mental disorders, which could not be explained by social support.

Praying for Mr. Right? Religion, Family Background, and Marital Expectations Among College Women

This study explores the relationship between multiple aspects of religious involvement—affiliation, church attendance, subjective religiosity—and marital expectations among college women. In addition, the authors investigate whether religious involvement mediates the link between family background and marital expectations. These issues are addressed using data from a nationally representative sample of approximately 1,000 college women surveyed in 2000. Results indicate that the importance of marriage as a personal goal is positively associated with subjective religiosity. The estimated net effects of subjective religiosity are also stronger for women in two-parent families versus those in other family structures. Conservative Protestant women anticipate marrying earlier than others; church attendance and subjective religiosity are also positively related to expectation of earlier marriage. These associations are not contingent on family background. A number of implications and directions for future research are discussed.

The Duke University Religion Index (DUREL): A Five-Item Measure for Use in Epidemological Studies

There is need for a brief measure of religiosity that can be included in epidemiological surveys to examine relationships between religion and health outcomes. The Duke University Religion Index (DUREL) is a five-item measure of religious involvement, and was developed for use in large cross-sectional and longitudinal observational studies. The instrument assesses the three major dimensions of religiosity that were identified during a consensus meeting sponsored by the National Institute on Aging. Those three dimensions are organizational religious activity, non-organizational religious activity, and intrinsic religiosity (or subjective religiosity). The DUREL measures each of these dimensions by a separate “subscale”, and correlations with health outcomes should be analyzed by subscale in separate models. The overall scale has high test-retest reliability (intra-class correlation = 0.91), high internal consistence (Cronbach’s alpha’s = 0.78–0.91), high convergent validity with other measures of religiosity (r’s = 0.71–0.86), and the factor structure of the DUREL has now been demonstrated and confirmed in separate samples by other independent investigative teams. The DUREL has been used in over 100 published studies conducted throughout the world and is available in 10 languages.

Investigating the role played by social support in the association between religiosity and mental health in low income older adults: results from the São Paulo Ageing &amp; Health Study (SPAH)

OBJECTIVE: Religiosity has been associated with mental health, especially in the elderly. There is a shortage of studies on the factors that mediate this association, including social support. The aim of this study was to assess the association between the various dimensions of religiosity and the prevalence of common mental disorders among the elderly, and to verify whether social support can work as a mechanism that explains such mediation. METHOD: The sample consisted of an elderly population living in a low income region of the city of São Paulo (N = 1,980). Data on the socio-demographic profile of this population and on the prevalence of common mental disorders were collected, and indicators of religiosity and social support were identified. RESULTS: 90.7% of the sample considered themselves to be religious. In terms of denomination, 66.6% were Catholic. Forty-one per cent attended some kind of religious activity at least once or more times a week. The presence of common mental disorders was not associated with religious affiliation or subjective religiosity. The prevalence of common mental disorders in followers attending religious services was approximately half (OR between 0.43 and 0.55, p < 0.001) compared to those who never attend a religious service. Attending religious services was associated with higher levels of social support. The association between a higher attendance frequency and fewer common mental disorders did not change after the inclusion of relevant of social support variables. CONCLUSION: The study showed that subjects presented high levels of religiosity and that there is a strong association between religious attendance and the prevalence of common mental disorders, which could not be explained by social support.

Socioeconomic Status and Beliefs about God's Influence in Everyday Life

This study examines the differences in beliefs about God’s influence in everyday life across levels of socioeconomic status (SES) and whether that association is contingent upon religious involvement (i.e., frequency of praying, attendance, reading religious texts, and subjective religiosity). I focus specifically on the beliefs in divine involvement and divine control. Using data from two national 2005 surveys of Americans, I observe the following: (1) overall, SES is associated negatively with beliefs in divine involvement and control; (2) with the exception of reading religious texts, each indicator of religious involvement is associated with higher levels of beliefs in divine involvement or divine control; (3) SES interacts with each dimension of religious involvement such that the negative association between SES and divine involvement or control is attenuated at higher levels of religious involvement. I discuss the contributions of this research for theoretical perspectives on the relationship between SES and beliefs about God’s influence in everyday life, underscoring the need to assess religious involvement in these processes.

A Brief Review of Religious Beliefs in Research on Mental Health and ETAS Theory

The present study briefly describes and critiques the kinds of variables used to measure religion in research on mental health and analyzes data from the Handbook of Religion and Health to assess what variables are most commonly used to do so. The analysis found that organizational religion and subjective religiosity were the most widely used measures in research on psychological well-being, depression, and anxiety, with 30%–52% of studies measuring organizational religion and 34%–36% measuring subjective religiosity. In contrast, only 9%–11% of studies measured religious beliefs. The paper discusses the associations between religious beliefs and mental health that have been reported and the value of measuring religious beliefs in light of ETAS Theory.

Is Religiosity a Protective Factor Against Attempted Suicide: A Cross-Cultural Case-Control Study

This cross-cultural study investigates whether religiosity assessed in three dimensions has a protective effect against attempted suicide. Community controls (n = 5484) were more likely than suicide attempters (n = 2819) to report religious denomination in Estonia (OR = 0.5) and subjective religiosity in four countries: Brazil (OR = 0.2), Estonia (OR = 0.5), Islamic Republic of Iran (OR = 0.6), and Sri Lanka (OR = 0.4). In South Africa, the effect was exceptional both for religious denomination (OR = 5.9) and subjective religiosity (OR = 2.7). No effects were found in India and Vietnam. Organizational religiosity gave controversial results. In particular, subjective religiosity (considering him/herself as religious person) may serve as a protective factor against non-fatal suicidal behavior in some cultures.

The relationship between religiosity and health behaviors in female caregivers of older adults with dementia

The current study explored the relationship between three dimensions of religiosity: (a) organizational religiosity (e.g. attendance at religious events), (b) non-organizational religiosity (e.g. prayer), and (c) subjective religiosity (e.g. importance of religion) and caregiver health behavior patterns in a sample of Latina and Caucasian female caregivers of older adult relatives with dementia. It was hypothesized that religiosity would have a significant association with reduced cumulative health risk as determined by an index of health behaviors. It was also hypothesized that, when examining the individual health behaviors subsumed in the overarching index, religiosity would be positively associated with adaptive health behaviors like exercise and negatively associated with health risk behaviors like smoking. Amongst Caucasians, increased subjective religiosity was related to increased cumulative health risk. Conversely, in Latinas, non-organizational religiosity was positively correlated with improved dietary practices (reduced dietary restriction). Increased levels of subjective religiosity were significantly associated with decreased maintenance of a routine exercise regimen across ethnic groups. Recommendations for clinicians and religious leaders, and avenues of future research are discussed.

Non-organizational Religious Participation, Subjective Religiosity, and Spirituality among Older African Americans and Black Caribbeans

This study utilizes data from the National Survey of American Life to examine the sociodemographic and denominational correlates of religious involvement and spirituality among older African Americans and Black Caribbeans. Eleven measures of non-organizational religious participation, subjective religiosity, and spirituality are utilized. The findings indicate significant gender, income, region, marital status, denominational, and immigration status differences in religiosity and spirituality. Among older Black Caribbeans, income was a consistent correlate of religious participation and spirituality. The findings are discussed in relation to prior work in the area of religious involvement among older adults.

Religious participation and HIV-disclosure rationales among people living with HIV/AIDS in rural Swaziland

Despite the cultural salience of Christianity in many parts of Africa and the expansion of antiretroviral treatment, few studies have examined experiences of religious participation among HIV-positive individuals. Correspondingly, most studies of HIV self-disclosure in sub-Saharan Africa focus primarily on disclosure to sexual partners. Addressing both concerns, the central concern of this article is HIV self-disclosure in church settings, where disclosure rationales functioned as a key heuristic to explore experience of HIV-positivity, religiosity, and church participation. Given 39.2% antenatal HIV prevalence in Swaziland–the highest in the world–and an estimated 6 500 local congregations, this article draws on a medical anthropological project in Swaziland to investigate experiences of church participation among HIV-positive individuals. The data were derived from semi-structured interviews with 28 HIV-positive individuals across three domains: 1) pre- and post-diagnosis religiosity; 2) HIV stigma and support in church settings; and 3) decisions around HIV disclosure. Field research and open-ended interviews with individuals close to people living with HIV, health personnel, and pastors provided important contextual data. A grounded theory analysis showed that HIV disclosure in church settings is a highly reflexive process, mediated by subjective religiosity, the social dynamics of church networks, and broader structural vulnerabilities. Church participation often entailed significant stigma, which negatively affected self-disclosure and help-seeking practices; however, a rhetoric of ‘courage’ emerged to describe individuals who voluntarily disclosed their HIV-positive status. Pastors and pastors' wives were key protagonists in disclosure strategies. A church-based defense of the meaning of personhood for people living with HIV was among the most important findings. Given that congregations in much of Africa are predominantly female, and because women comprised the majority of the sample, the study productively problematised church settings as sites of analysis where gender, poverty, and religion intersect disease epidemiology in ways that may have untapped programmatic implications.

Envolvimento religioso e bem-estar subjetivo em idosos

As inter-relações do envolvimento religioso com o bem-estar subjetivo em idosos foram investigadas neste trabalho. Participaram da pesquisa 256 indivíduos de ambos os sexos, com idades variando de 60 a 90 anos, que responderam a três instrumentos destinados a mensurar sua satisfação com a vida, seus afetos positivos e negativos e seu envolvimento religioso bem como a perguntas de natureza sociodemográfica. Os resultados evidenciaram que, dentre as dimensões do envolvimento religioso, apenas a religiosidade subjetiva se correlacionou positiva e significativamente com a satisfação com a vida, que não foram observadas correlações entre o envolvimento religioso e os afetos positivos e negativos, e que os idosos protestantes apresentaram níveis mais elevados de afetos positivos que os católicos. Tais resultados são discutidos à luz dos estudos empíricos e dos modelos conceituais que deram suporte à pesquisa.

Spirituality and Subjective Religiosity Among African Americans, Caribbean Blacks, and Non‐Hispanic Whites

Patterns and correlates of self-perceptions of spirituality and subjective religiosity are examined using data from the National Survey of American Life, a nationally representative study of African Americans, Caribbean Blacks and non-Hispanic Whites. Demographic and denominational correlates of patterns of subjective religiosity and spirituality (i.e., religious only, spiritual only, both religious/spiritual and neither religious/spiritual) are examined. In addition, the study of African Americans and Caribbean Blacks permits the investigation of possible ethnic variation in the meaning and conceptual significance of these constructs within the U.S. Black population. African Americans and Caribbean Blacks are more likely than Non-Hispanic Whites to indicate that they are "both religious and spiritual" and less likely to indicate that they are "spiritual only" or "neither spiritual nor religious." Demographic and denominational differences in the patterns of spirituality and subjective religiosity are also indicated. Study findings are discussed in relation to prior research in this field and noted conceptual and methodological issues deserving further study.