Religiousness, well-being and ageing – selected explanations of positive relationships

• Authors: Barbara Woźniak
• Languages of publication: EN

Abstracts

EN

According to research that have been conducted in the field of gerontology, sociology and psychology of ageing, there is a relationship between the level of religious involvement and health status/ well-being/quality of life in older age. How does religiousness influence aging process and health status? The aim of the article is to review explanations of a positive relationship between religiousness and health that are discussed in the literature. Those explanations may be grouped in three broad categories reflecting three functions of religion that play a role for well-being in older age. Those functions are: (1) religiousness as a source of coherence and the role of religious coping and provision of meaning in dealing with stressful life events (including ageing losses) (2) religiousness as a source of positive self-perception and a sense of personal control, (3) provision of social resources (i.e. social ties and social support) within religious community and emphasis on interpersonal relations (with special focus on forgiveness as a norm in interpersonal relations). Those functions of religion are discussed in the context of their potential role in successful ageing, as determined by - among others - active engagement in life.

Keywords

EN

ageing; successful ageing; health; well-being; religion; coping; coherence; social support

• Publisher: Sciendo
• Journal: Anthropological Review
• Year: 2015
• Volume: 78
• Issue: 3
• Pages: 259-268

Dates

published

2015-12-01

received

2015-05-14

accepted

2015-10-22

online

2015-12-17

Contributors

author

Barbara Woźniak

• Department of Medical Sociology, Chair of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Kopernika 7a, 31-034 Kraków

References

• Antonovsky A. 1979. Health, stress and coping. 1st edition. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass
• Benson P, Spilka B. 1973. God image as a function of self-esteem and locus of control. J Sci Study Relig 12:297-310.
• Berger P. 1967. The sacred canopy: elements of a sociological theory of religion. 1st edition. New York: Doubleday and Company, Inc.
• Berkman L, Syme L. 1979. Social networks, host resistence, and mortality: a nine-year follow-up study of Alameda County Residents. Am J Epidemiol 115:186-204.
• Bono G, McCullough M. 2004. Religion, forgiveness and adjustment in older adulthood. In: K Schaie, N Krause and A Booth, editors. Religious influences on health and well-being in the elderly. 1st edition. New York: Springer Publishing Company. 163-186.
• Borowik I. 2009. Dlaczego religijność w Polsce nie ulega zmianom po 1989 roku? Pięć hipotez. In: G Babiński, M Kapiszewska, editors. Zrozumieć współczesność. 1st edition. Kraków: Oficyna Wydawnicza AFM. 439-450. (in Polish)
• Bowkler J. 1973. The sense of God: sociological, anthropological and psychological approaches to the origin of the sense of God. 1st edition. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
• CBOS. 2013. Osoby niewierzące w Polsce - kim są oraz jakie uznają normy i wartości? R Boguszewski, editor. (http://www.cbos.pl/SPISKOM.POL/2013/K_134_13.PDF). (in Polish)
• Cobb S. 1976. Social support as a moderator of life stress. Psychol Med 38:300-314.
• Dillon M, Wink P. 2003. Religioussness and spirituality. Trajectories and vital involvement in late adulthood. In: M Dillon, editor. Handbook of the sociology of religion. 1st edition. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 179-189
• Ellison C. 1994. Religion, the life stress paradigm, and the study of depression. In: JS Levin, editor. Religion in aging and health. Theoretical foundations and methodological frontiers. 1st edition. Thousand Oaks, CA: A SAGE Focus Edition. 78-124.
• Ellison C, Levin JS. 1998. The religion-health connection: evidence, theory and future directions. Health Edu Behav 25:700-720.
• Enright R, Freeman S, Rique J. 1998. The psychology of interpersonal forgiveness. In: R Enright, J North, editors. Exploring forgiveness. 1st edition. Madison WI: University of Wisconsin Press. 46-62.
• Erikson E. 1998. The life-cycle completed. Extended version edition. New York: Norton.
• Folkman S, Lazarus R. 1988. The relationship between coping and emotion: implications for theory and research. Soc Sci Med 26:309-317.[Crossref]
• Gray R, Moberg D. 1962. The Church and the older person. 1st edition. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Williams B.Eerdmans Publishing Company.
• Idler E. 1994. Cohesiveness and coherence. Religion and the health of the elderly. 1st edition. New York&London: Garland Publishing Inc.
• Idler E. 2004. Religious observance and health: theory and research. In: K Schaie, N Krause, A Booth, editors. Religious influences on health and well-being in the elderly. 1st edition. New York: Springer Publishing Company. 20-43.
• James W. 1985. The varieties of religious experience. First published in 1902. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
• Kaplan B, Munroe-Blum H, Blazer D. 1994. Religion, health and forgiveness: tradition and challenges. In: J Levin, editor. Religion in aging and health. Theoretical foundations and methodological frontiers. 1st edition. Thousand Oaks, CA: A SAGE Focus Edition. 52-77.
• Koenig H, McCullough M, Larson D. 2012. Handbook of religion and health. 2nd edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
• Koenig H. 1994. Religion and hope for the disabled elder. In: J Levin, editor. Religion in aging and health. Theoretical foundations and methodological frontiers. 1st edition. Thousand Oaks, CA: A SAGE Focus Edition. 18-51.
• Krause N. 2007. Social involvement in religious institutions and God-mediated control beliefs: a longitudinal investigation, J Sci Study Relig 46:519-537.[WoS]
• Krause N. 2008. Aging in the Church. How social relationship affect health. 1st edition. West Conshohocken, Pennsylvania: Templeton Foundation Press.
• Levin J, Chatters L. 1998. Research on religion and mental health: an overview of empirical findings and theoretical issues. In: H.Koenig, editor. Handbook of religion and mental health. 1st edition. San Diego, California: Academic Press. 33-59.
• Levin J. 2004. Prayer, love and transcendence: an epidemiologic perspective. In: K Schaie, N Krause, A Booth, editors. Religious influences on health and well-being in the elderly. 1st edition. New York: Springer Publishing Company. 69-95.
• Levin J. 2001. God, faith and health. exploring the spirituality-healing connection. 1st edition. New York: John Wiley&Sons Inc.
• Pargament K. 1997. The psychology of religion and coping. theory, research, practice. 1st edition. New York: The Gilford Press.
• Pargament K, Van Haitsma K, Ensing D. 1995. Religion and coping. In: M Kimble, S McFadden, J Ellor, J Seeber, editors. Aging, spirituality and religion. A handbook. Vol. 1. 1st edition. Minneapoils: Fortress Press. 47-67.
• Pargament K, Kennel J, Hathaway W, Grevengoed N, Newman J, Jones W. 1988. Religion and the problem solving process: Three styles of coping. J Sci Study Relig 271:90-104.
• Putnam R. 2000. Bowling alone: the collapse and revival of American community. 1st edition. New York: Simon Schuster.
• Robins R, Trzesniewski K, Tracy J, Gosling S, Potter J. 2001. Global self-esteem across the life-span. Psychol Aging, 17:423-434.[Crossref]
• Rowe JW, Kahn RL. 1997. Succesful Aging. The Forum 37:433-440.
• Sasser CW. 2008. God in the foxhole. 1st edition. New York: Threshold Editions.
• Sorajjakool S, Seyle B. 2004. Faith, illness and meaning. In: S Sorajjakool, H Lamberton, editors. Spirituality, health and wholeness: an introductory guide for health care professionals. 1st edition. New York: Haworth Press. 77-91.
• Wink P, Dillon M. 2001. Religious involvement and health outcomes in late adulthood, In: T Plante, A Sherman, editors. Faith and health. Psychological perspectives. New York: The Guilford Press. 75-106.
• Worthington E. 2004. Unforgiveness, forgiveness, religion, and health during aging. In: K Schaie, N Krause, A Booth, editors. Religious influences on health and well-being in the elderly. 1st edition. New York: Springer Publishing Company. 187-201.
• Worthington E, Berry J, Parrott L. 2001. Unforgiveness, forgiveness, religion and health. In: TG Plante, AC Sherman, editors. Religious influences on health and well-being in the elderly. Faith and Health. Psychological Perspectives. The Guilford Press, New York.
• Woźniak B. 2015. Zaangażowanie religijne a zdrowie w starości. Mechanizmy zależności, wybrane wyniki badań. 1st edition. Kraków: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego. (in Polish)
• Woźniak B, Zawisza K, Brzyska M. 2015. Religia a zdrowie - o zależności między zaangażowaniem religijnym a funkcjonowaniem ciała w starszym wieku. Studia Socjologiczne 217: 215-239. (in Polish)
• Woźniak B, Zawisza K. 2012. Kapitał społeczny związany z zaangażowaniem religijnym a zdrowie w wieku starszym. In: M Gałuszka, M Wieczorkowska, editors. Społeczne, kulturowe i polityczne uwarunkowania ryzyka zdrowotnego. Uniwersytet Medyczny w Łodzi. 279-309. (in Polish)
• Woźniak B. 2012. Zaangażowanie religijne a stan zdrowia osób w wieku podeszłym: mechanizmy zależności, wybrane wyniki badań. Przegląd Socjologiczny 61:207-242. (in Polish)

Identifiers

DOI

10.1515/anre-2015-0021