Religiousness-Health Links in CHF: Roles of Mediators and Age

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Religious and spiritual variables as determinants of health have received a great deal of research attention in recent years, and evidence is accumulating that religiousness/spirituality (R/S) exerts varied and complex influences on health. However, most research has examined the variable of "attendance at services"; much less is known about the influence of other aspects of R/S on physical health. Further, although R/S appears to exert its strongest effects in highly stressful situations, little is known about R/S factors and health in those living with chronic or terminal illness. This two-occasion longitudinal study examines several dimensions of R/S as predictors of health over a 6 month period in older individuals living with congestive heart failure (CHF), a chronic, progressive, and debilitating disease. Further, although a number of pathways have been proposed as mediators, few have been tested. The proposed study examines the potential mediating influences of social support, health behaviors, life meaning, positive affect, and hope on health. Finally, while much research has examined effects of religiousness and spirituality on the health of older individuals, very little has examined whether R/S is more strongly linked to health as people age. This study examines the influence of age as a moderator of the religiousness/spirituality-health link. The primary goals of this study are to better understand the functions of R/S on health and to expand our understanding of the influences of age in these relationships. This study addresses the following specific aims: (1) Examine the influences that dimensions of religion/spirituality (in addition to "attendance") exert on various aspects of health and adaptation to living with a chronic illness, CHF, (2) Test potential pathways of influence between R/S and health, including social support, health behaviors, life meaning, positive affect, and hope, on various aspects of health and adaptation, and (3) Determine the potential moderating effect of age on the R/S-health links. This line of research may lead to interventions that capitalize on the most helpful aspects of R/S for those who are religious or spiritual, and, for those who are not, to identify alternative types of meaning that might be drawn upon