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Religious Involvement, Humility, and Self-Rated Health

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Abstract

The purpose of this study is to develop and test a conceptual model that assesses the following theoretical linkages: (1) people who go to church more often tend to receive more spiritual support from fellow church members (i.e., encouragement to adopt religious teachings and principles); (2) individuals who get more frequent spiritual support are more likely to be humble; and (3) people with greater humility tend to rate their health more favorably. The data come from the third wave of a nationwide longitudinal survey of older adults. The data provide support for each of the conceptual linkages identified above.

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Notes

  1. The substantive analyses in this study are based on Wave 3 survey measures. The health measure that is used in these analyses consists of three items. The independent variables that are used in the sample attrition analyses come from the Wave 1 survey. However, only two of the health indicators were administered at Wave 1 (i.e., the item on satisfaction with health was not administered at Wave 1). Even so, the use of the two-item indicator in the attrition analysis should provide some insight into the influence of health on the loss of subjects over time.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by a grant from the National Institute on Aging (RO1 AG014749) and a grant from the John Templeton Foundation through the Duke University Center for Spirituality, Theology, and Health.

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Correspondence to Neal Krause.

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Krause, N. Religious Involvement, Humility, and Self-Rated Health. Soc Indic Res 98, 23–39 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-009-9514-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-009-9514-x

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