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Spirituality and Health Outcomes in the Elderly

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Abstract

The purpose of this mail survey was to examine the relationship of attitudinal and behavioral measures of spirituality to physical and mental health outcomes in a sample of elderly community residents. Frequency of prayer, importance of faith, and reliance on religion for their coping were compared for their association with eight categories of physical and mental health. All three measures, prayer, faith and religious coping, correlated strongly with positive mental health, but not with the other seven physical health categories. Multiple regression analyses indicated importance of one's faith had the strongest association with positive mental health, even after controlling for the effect of other significant variables, age and education. The behavioral measure of prayer was a component of importance of faith to mental health, with no independent impact. This study highlights attitudes rather than practices, as the stronger spiritual variables related to mental health in the elderly.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. MGH Institute of Health Professions, USA

    Janice Bell Meisenhelder & Emily N. Chandler

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  1. Janice Bell Meisenhelder
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  2. Emily N. Chandler
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Meisenhelder, J.B., Chandler, E.N. Spirituality and Health Outcomes in the Elderly. Journal of Religion and Health 41, 243–252 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1020236903663

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