Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

What Mediates the Relationship Between Religious Service Attendance and Aspects of Well-Being?

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Journal of Religion and Health Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Religious service attendance predicts increased well-being across a number of studies. It is not clear, however, whether this relationship is due to religious factors such as intrinsic religiosity or due to nonreligious factors such as social support or socially desirable responding. The purpose of the present study was to examine the relationship between religious service attendance and well-being while simultaneously examining intrinsic religiosity, social support, and socially desirable responding as potential mediators of the relationship. A sample of 855 participants (71 % female, average age 19.5) completed questionnaires assessing religiosity, social support, socially desirable responding, and well-being. Path models were estimated using maximum likelihood estimation to analyze the data. Intrinsic religiosity was the strongest mediator of the relationship between religious service attendance and depressive and anxiety symptoms. This suggests that the mental health benefits of religious service attendance are not simply the result of increased social support or a certain response style on questionnaires; rather, it appears that the relationship is at least partly the result of people trying to live their religion in their daily lives.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Allport, G. W., & Ross, J. M. (1967). Personal religious orientation and prejudice. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 5, 432–443.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Batson, C. D., Naifeh, S. J., & Pate, S. (1978). Social desirability, religious orientation, and racial prejudice. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 17, 31–41.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bollen, K. A. (1989). Structural equations with latent variables. New York: Wiley.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Bradley, D. E. (1995). Religious involvement and social resources: Evidence from the data set “American’s Changing Lives”. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 34, 259–267.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chida, Y., Steptoe, A., & Powell, L. H. (2009). Religiosity/spirituality and mortality. A systemic quantitative review. Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, 78, 81–90.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cohen, S., Mermelstein, R., Kamarck, T., & Hoberman, H. (1985). Measuring the functional components of social support. In I. G. Sarason & B. Sarason (Eds.), Social support: Theory, research and application (pp. 73–94). The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Donahue, M. J. (1985). Intrinsic and extrinsic religiousness: Review and meta-analysis. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 48, 400–419.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ellison, C. G., & George, L. K. (1994). Religious involvement, social ties, and social support in southeastern community. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 33, 46–61.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • George, L. K., Ellison, C. W., & Larson, D. B. (2002). Explaining the relationships between religious involvement and health. Psychological Inquiry, 13, 190–200.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gorsuch, R. L., & McPherson, S. E. (1989). Intrinsic/extrinsic measurement: I/E-Revised and single-item scales. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 28, 348–354.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hadaway, C. K., & Marler, P. L. (2005). How many Americans attend worship each week? An alternative approach to measurement. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 44, 307–322.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hadaway, C. K., Marler, P. L., & Chaves, M. (1993). What the polls don’t show: A closer look at U.S. church attendance. American Sociological Review, 58, 741–752.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hadaway, C. K., Marler, P. L., & Chaves, M. (1998). Overreporting church attendance in America: Evidence that demands the same verdict. American Sociological Review, 63, 122–130.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hill, P. C., & Hood, R. W., Jr. (Eds.). (1999). Measures of religiosity. Birmingham, AL: Rerligious Education Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jonas, E., & Fischer, P. (2006). Terror management and religion: Evidence that intrinsic religiousness mitigates worldview defense following mortality salience. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 91, 553–567. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.91.3.553.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Koenig, L. B., & Vaillant, G. E. (2009). A prospective study of church attendance and health over the lifespan. Health Psychology, 28, 117–124.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Krause, N. (2002). Church-based social support and health in old age: Exploring variations by race. Journal of Gerontology: Social Sciences, 57B, S332–S347.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Krause, N. (2008). The social foundation of religious meaning in life. Research on Aging, 30, 395–427.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Laurencelle, R. M., Abell, S. C., & Schwartz, D. J. (2002). The relation between intrinsic faith and psychological well-being. International Journal for the Psychology of Religion, 5, 177–180.

    Google Scholar 

  • Leak, G. K., & Fish, S. (1989). Religious orientation, impression management, and self- deception: Toward a clarification of the link between religiosity and social desirability. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 28, 355–359.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • MacKinnon, D. P. (2008). Introduction to statistical mediation analysis. New York: Lawrence Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Masters, K. S., & Bergin, A. E. (1992). Religious orientation and mental health. In J. F. Schumaker (Ed.), Religion and mental health (pp. 221–232). New York: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Masters, K. S., Hill, R. D., Kircher, J. C., Lensegrav Benson, T. L., & Fallon, J. A. (2004). Religious orientation, aging, and blood pressure reactivity to interpersonal and cognitive stressors. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 28, 171–178.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Masters, K. S., & Hooker, S. A. (2013). Religiousness/spirituality, cardiovascular disease, and cancer: Cultural integration for health research and intervention. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 81, 206–216.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Masters, K. S., & Knestel, A. (2011). Religious orientation among a random sample of community-dwelling adults: Relations with health status and health-relevant behaviors. The International Journal for the Psychology of Religion, 21, 63–76.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McCullough, M. E., Larson, D. B., Hoyt, W. T., Koenig, H. G., & Thoresen, C. (2000). Religious involvement and mortality: A review of the literature. Health Psychology, 19, 211–222.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • McCullough, M. E., & Willoughby, B. L. B. (2009). Religion, self-regulation, and self-control: Associations, explanations, and implications. Psychological Bulletin, 135, 69–93.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Morris, R. J., Hood, R. W., & Watson, P. J. (1989). A second look at religious orientation, social desirability, and prejudice. Bulletin of the Psychonomic Society, 27, 81–84.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Muthén, L. K., & Muthén, B. O. (2007). Mplus user’s guide (5th ed.). Los Angeles: Muthén & Muthén.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nooney, J., & Woodrum, E. (2002). Religious coping and church-based social support as predictors of mental health outcomes: Testing a conceptual model. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 41, 359–368.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Presser, S., & Stinson, L. (1998). Data collection mode and social desirability bias in self-reported religious attendance. American Sociological Review, 63, 137–145.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Saroglou, V. (2002). Religion and the five factors of personality: A meta-analytic review. Personality and Individual Differences, 32, 15–25.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sloan, R. P., & Bagiella, E. (2002). Claims about religious involvement and health outcomes. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 24, 14–21.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Smith, T. W. (1998). A review of church attendance measures. American Sociological Review, 63, 131–136.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smith, T. B., McCullough, M. E., & Poll, J. (2003). Religiousness and depression: Evidence for a main effect and the moderating influence of stressful life events. Psychological Bulletin, 129, 614–636.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Steffen, P. R., & Masters, K. S. (2005). Does compassion mediate the intrinsic religion–health relationship? Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 30, 217–224.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Strawbridge, W. J., Cohen, R. D., Shema, S. J., & Kaplan, G. A. (1997). Frequent attendance at religious services and mortality over 28 years. American Journal of Public Health, 87, 957–961.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Strawbridge, W. J., Shema, S. J., Cohen, R. D., & Kaplan, G. A. (2001). Religious attendance increases survival by improving and maintaining good health behaviors, mental health, and social relationships. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 23, 68–74.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Trimble, D. E. (1997). The religious orientation scale: Review and meta-analysis of social desirability effects. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 57, 970–986.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Turvey, C., & Salovey, P. (1994). Measures of repression: Converging on the same construct? Imagination, Cognition and Personality, 13, 279–289.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • van Olphen, J., Schulz, A., Israel, B., Chatters, L., Klem, L., Parker, E., & Williams, D. (2003). Religious Involvement, social support, and health among African‐American women on the east side of Detroit. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 18, 549–557.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Watson, P. J., Hood, R. W., Jr., Morris, R. J., & Hall, J. R. (1984). Empathy, religious orientation, and social desirability. Journal of Psychology, 117, 211–216.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Weinberger, D. A., & Schwartz, G. E. (1990). Distress and restraint as superordinate dimensions of self-reported adjustment: A typological perspective. Journal of Personality, 58, 381–417.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Brigham Young University, 284 TLRB, Provo, UT, 84602, USA

    Patrick R. Steffen & Scott Baldwin

  2. Department of Psychology, University of Colorado Denver, Denver, CO, USA

    Kevin S. Masters

Authors
  1. Patrick R. Steffen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Kevin S. Masters
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Scott Baldwin
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Patrick R. Steffen.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The authors report no conflicts of interest.

Informed Consent

IRB approval was obtained prior to beginning the study, and all participants read and signed an informed consent form before participating in the study.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Steffen, P.R., Masters, K.S. & Baldwin, S. What Mediates the Relationship Between Religious Service Attendance and Aspects of Well-Being?. J Relig Health 56, 158–170 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-016-0203-1

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-016-0203-1

Keywords

Search

Navigation