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

描述(申请人提供)：宗教和精神变量作为健康的决定因素近年来受到了极大的研究关注，越来越多的证据表明宗教/灵性(R/S)对健康产生各种复杂的影响。然而，大多数研究都考察了“出席仪式”这一变量，而对R/S的其他方面对身体健康的影响则知之甚少。此外，尽管R/S似乎在压力很大的情况下发挥最大的作用，但对患有慢性病或晚期疾病的人的R/S因素和健康知之甚少。这项分两次进行的纵向研究考察了R/S的几个维度作为患有充血性心力衰竭(一种慢性、进行性和衰弱疾病)的老年人在6个月期间的健康预测因素。此外，尽管有一些途径被提议作为调解人，但很少有人对其进行测试。这项研究考察了社会支持、健康行为、生活意义、积极情感和希望对健康的潜在中介影响。最后，虽然许多研究研究了宗教信仰和灵性对老年人健康的影响，但很少有人研究随着年龄的增长，R/S与健康的联系是否更密切。这项研究考察了年龄作为宗教/灵性-健康联系的调节变量的影响。本研究的主要目的是为了更好地理解R/S在健康中的作用，并扩大我们对年龄在这些关系中的影响的理解。本研究针对以下具体目的：(1)检验宗教/灵性维度(除“出席”之外)对慢性心力衰竭患者的健康和适应的各个方面的影响；(2)检验R/S与健康之间的潜在影响路径，包括社会支持、健康行为、生命意义、积极情感和希望对健康和适应的各个方面的影响；以及(3)确定年龄对R/S-健康联系的潜在调节作用。这条研究路线可能会导致干预措施，利用R/S对那些有宗教或精神信仰的人最有帮助的方面，以及对于那些不是宗教或精神信仰的人，找出可能被借鉴的其他类型的含义

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