Abstract
Optimism seems to foster the ability to manage adverse situations better—a finding especially relevant for disadvantaged populations. Employing a unique sample from a small underprivileged village, we studied the association between religious/spiritual practices and dispositional optimism. The village belongs to a developing country that is, by far, the most secular country in Latin America; this makes it particularly interesting for exploring the role of religious/spiritual practices in this context. We found that these practices were positively associated with higher optimism, measured by the Life Orientation Test-Revised (LOT-R): those who practice spirituality, score, on average, 14.4 percentage points higher on the LOT-R than those who did not. This association seems to be especially robust in the case of the poor and less educated: those with religious/spiritual practices score 20 percentage points higher on the LOT-R. Thus, the role that these practices may play in dispositional optimism in disadvantaged populations deserves more attention.
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The authors thank Rodrigo Areal, Juan Ignacio Ramirez, and Juan Pablo Verdier for superb research assistance.
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This study was performed in line with the ethical principles of the National Academy of Health in Uruguay. Participants provided informed consent. The questionnaire and methodology for this study were approved by the Bioethical Committee of Universidad de Montevideo (n. 001/2015).
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Cid, A., Stokes, C.E., Arrieta, G. et al. Religious and Spiritual Practices: Association with Dispositional Optimism in an Underprivileged Population in Lascano, Uruguay. J Relig Health 61, 353–372 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-021-01461-w
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-021-01461-w