Intrinsic religiousness and religious coping as life stress moderators for Catholics versus Protestants.

Two prospective studies were conducted to test the stress-moderating effects of intrinsic religiousness and overall religious coping on the depression and trait anxiety of Catholic and Protestant college students. Both studies found a significant cross-sectional interaction between controllable life stress and religious coping in the prediction of Catholics' depression, with religious coping serving a protective function at a high level of controllable negative events. Both studies also found a significant prospective interaction between uncontrollable life stress and intrinsic religiousness in the prediction of Protestants' depression; the relationship between uncontrollable stress and depression was positive for low intrinsic Protestants, flat for medium intrinsic Protestants, but negative for high intrinsic Protestants. The findings are discussed in terms of their implications for the role of religion in life stress adjustment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cluster analysis, depression, and ADL status.

Investigated how depression, outcome expectations, and age influence activities of daily living (ADL) in 40 adult patients in a university medical center rehabilitation unit. Ss completed the Beck Depression Inventory, the Multidimensional Health Locus of Control Scale, and an expectations questionnaire; the nursing staff assessed ADL at admission and at discharge. Cluster analysis of self-report data at admission identified 3 subgroups that differed significantly in ADL gains, age, size, perception of depression, and length of stay. A multivariate model of clinical assessment is presented. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Religion and mortality among the community-dwelling elderly

OBJECTIVES: This study analyzed the prospective association between attending religious services and all-cause mortality to determine whether the association is explainable by 6 confounding factors: demographics, health status, physical functioning, health habits, social functioning and support, and psychological state. METHODS: The association between self-reported religious attendance and subsequent mortality over 5 years for 1931 older residents of Marin County, California, was examined by proportional hazards regression. Interaction terms of religion with social support were used to explore whether other forms of social support could substitute for religion and diminish its protective effect. RESULTS: Persons who attended religious services had lower mortality than those who did not (age- and sex-adjusted relative hazard [RH] = 0.64; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.52, 0.78). Multivariate adjustment reduced this relationship only slightly (RH = 0.76; 95% CI = 0.62, 0.94), primarily by including physical functioning and social support. Contrary to hypothesis, religious attendance tended to be slightly more protective for those with high social support. CONCLUSIONS: Lower mortality rates for those who attend religious services are only partly explained by the 6 possible confounders listed above. Psychodynamic and other explanations need further investigation.     

What American Psychological Association leaders have to say about Psychology of Religion and Spirituality.

What do American Psychological Association (APA) leaders have to say about the new journal Psychology of Religion and Spirituality? A survey was sent to 204 current APA council representatives and divisional residents, yielding 63 completed questionnaires (31% response rate). Respondents generally affirmed the importance of religion and spirituality as topics of inquiry in psychology. Although not highly religious themselves, respondents recognize religion and spirituality as important aspects of human diversity. In considering the new journal, current APA leaders who responded to the survey are particularly interested in articles relating religion and spirituality to health and coping and articles considering cross-cultural and interfaith issues. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Religion and spirituality in rehabilitation outcomes among individuals with traumatic brain injury.

Objective: The long-term consequences of traumatic brain injury affect millions of Americans, many of whom report using religion and spirituality to cope. Little research, however, has investigated how various elements of the religious and spiritual belief systems affect rehabilitation outcomes. The present study sought to assess the use of specifically defined elements of religion and spirituality as psychosocial resources in a sample of traumatically brain injured adults. Participants: The sample included 88 adults with brain injury from 1 to 20 years post injury and their knowledgeable significant others (SOs). The majority of the participants with brain injury were male (76%), African American (75%) and Christian (76%). Measures: Participants subjectively reported on their religious/spiritual beliefs and psychosocial resources as well as their current physical and psychological status. Significant others reported objective rehabilitation outcomes. Analyses: Hierarchical multiple regression analyses were used to determine the proportion of variance in outcomes accounted for by demographic, injury related, psychosocial and religious/spiritual variables. Results: The results indicate that religious well-being (a sense of connection to a higher power) was a unique predictor for life satisfaction, distress and functional ability whereas public religious practice and existential well-being were not. Conclusions: The findings of this project indicate that specific facets of religious and spiritual belief systems do play direct and unique roles in predicting rehabilitation outcomes whereas religious activity does not. Notably, a self-reported individual connection to a higher power was an extremely robust predictor of both subjective and objective outcome. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

The role of cognition in predicting activities of daily living and ambulation functioning in the oldest old rehabilitation patients.

Examined what demographic, medical, cognitive, and affective measures predicted activities of daily living (ADL) and ambulation for 60 geriatric rehabilitation inpatients (aged 85 yrs or older) at discharge. Ss completed the Geriatric Depression Scale, Dementia Rating Scale (DRS), and Functional Independence Measure. Cognition, as measured by the DRS, was the only significant predictor of both ADL and ambulation scores. Gender was correlated with ADL skills, indicating that women attained higher ADL scores, while men did better on ambulation skills. DRS scores accounted for 8% of ADL variance and 16% of ambulation variance, above and beyond demographic and medical variables. Depression was a poor predictor of functional skills among this sample, few of whom were depressed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Symposium on relationships between religion and mental health: Introductory remarks.

"We are witnessing a conspicuous change in the climate between religion and science in recent years." In psychology this has been evidenced in seminars on religion and psychiatry, work shops on pastoral care and psychotherapy, grants to universities for developing mental health curricula for theological students, creation of an Academy of Religion and Mental Health, and the establishing of an APA committee to study relationships between religion and mental health. "The hitherto existing chasm between religion and psychology is somewhat unusual because… both concern themselves with human nature and behavior." This symposium spotlights: expanding links between psychology and religion, religious experience and psychological conflict, the nature of religious controls, and moral issues in psychotherapy. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Self-efficacy, optimism, health competence, and recovery from orthopedic surgery.

The authors tested whether self-efficacy for orthopedic rehabilitation tasks accounted for significant variance in rehabilitation outcome, over the variance accounted for by dispositional optimism, health competence, and health value. Whether health value moderated expectancy-outcome relationships also was examined. One hundred five older clients at 2 orthopedic rehabilitation facilities completed a battery of instruments; physical functioning also was assessed. After controlling for physical functioning at admission and for other variables, self-efficacy predicted significant variance in rehabilitation outcome. Health value did not moderate expectancy-outcome relationships. Results suggest that psychologists can improve patients' recovery from serious orthopedic problems by augmenting their self-efficacy beliefs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Positive psychological variables in the prediction of life satisfaction after spinal cord injury.

Objective: To examine relationships between select positive psychological variables and life satisfaction in persons with spinal cord injury during acute rehabilitation and 3 months after discharge. Design: Prospective observational design; correlational and regression analyses. Eighty-seven adults who were participating in in-patient, acute rehabilitation for spinal cord injury in two metropolitan hospitals completed the following measures: Benefit finding Scale, Hope Scale, Brief Symptom Inventory, COPE, Positive and Negative Affect Schedule, and Satisfaction with Life Scale. Results: Hypothesized relationships of hope and positive affect (facilitator variables) with greater life satisfaction during the initial acute rehabilitation period were supported. Facilitators, as measured at baseline, accounted for a significant amount of variance in life satisfaction above and beyond barrier variables (depression, negative affect, and avoidant coping) both during the acute rehabilitation phase (R2 change = .20, p R2 change = .09, p     

En las Manos de Dios [in God's Hands]: Religious and Other Forms of Coping Among Latinos With Arthritis.

This study tested a theoretical model concerning religious, passive, and active coping; pain; and psychological adjustment among a sample of 200 Latinos with arthritis. Respondents reported using high levels of religious coping. A path analysis indicated that religious coping was correlated with active but not with passive coping. Religious coping was directly related to psychological well-being. Passive coping was associated with greater pain and worse adjustment. The effects of active coping on pain, depression, and psychological well-being were entirely indirect, mediated by acceptance of illness and self-efficacy. These findings warrant more research on the mechanisms that mediate the relationship between coping and health. This study contributes to a growing literature on religious coping among people with chronic illness, as well as contributing to a historically under-studied ethnic group. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Protective and exacerbating factors in children and adolescents with fibromyalgia.

Objective: To investigate protective and exacerbating factors in the adjustment of youth with juvenile primary fibromyalgia syndrome (JPFS), we examined the relationship of stress, coping strategies, social support, and self-efficacy to quality of life, pain, and depression. Method: Participants were 57 youths (ages 10 to 18 years) and their parents from rheumatology clinics at 2 children's hospitals. The youths self-reported daily hassles, coping strategies, social support, self-efficacy, quality of life, pain, and depression. Parents reported on the youths' major life events and quality of life. Results: In regression analyses, daily hassles, catastrophizing (a coping strategies scale), and self-efficacy predicted child-rated quality of life; self-efficacy predicted pain; and daily hassles predicted depression. Self-efficacy and familial social support moderated the relationship between daily hassles and depression. Conclusions: Daily hassles may be associated with health outcomes for youth with JPFS more than major life events are, and catastrophic thinking and self-efficacy beliefs could be appropriate intervention targets. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Functional status outcomes in rehabilitation. Implications for prospective payment

Previous studies have demonstrated that functional status is a significant predictor of resource utilization for rehabilitation patients. Before implementing a prospective payment system (PPS) for rehabilitation, it is important to first: 1) develop an underlying conceptual framework of rehabilitation resource use; and 2) understand how the role of functional status may vary by rehabilitation condition. In this study, a theoretical model of rehabilitation is presented that proposes relationships between patient and provider characteristics, rehabilitation treatment, costs, and clinical outcomes of rehabilitation. Also presented are regression analyses based on this model for a key outcome of rehabilitation, change in functional status, for nine rehabilitation conditions using variables that minimize adverse incentives by providers in selecting patients for admission to rehabilitation. The change-in-functional-status model explained the most variance for back injury, cardiopulmonary, and arthritis, and less variance for stroke, spinal cord injury, and neurologic impairment. The significant predictors of change in functional status varied by condition. Results support the use of functional status measurements in a PPS for rehabilitation services, the need to refine the measurement of functional status, and the use of condition-specific activities of daily living (ADL) items to include in summary indices.     

Emotional adjustment 5 years after heart transplant: A multisite study.

Objective: To assess levels of and factors associated with depression and negative affect 5 years after heart transplant (HT). Participants: 370 adults 5 years post-HT. Outcome Measures: Cardiac Depression Scale and the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS). Research Method: Stepwise multiple regression analyses were used to test 32 potential demographic, medical, functional, and psychosocial factors in adjustment. Results: Predictor variables accounted for 53% of the variance of depression scores and 45% of the variance of PANAS negative affect scores. The best predictors (p = .001) for depression were neurological symptoms, younger age, lower recreational functioning, and lower satisfaction with emotional support, and the best predictors for negative affect were neurological symptoms, lower mobility functioning, and perceived uncertainty about health. Depression scores were lower than norms for nontransplanted heart failure patients, and negative affect levels were comparable to those of the general population. Conclusions: The findings indicate normal long-term adjustment among HT recipients. Several factors associated with negative emotions, including younger age, have not been identified in previous research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Religious coping and health status in medically ill hospitalized older adults

Associations between specific religious coping (RC) behaviors and health status in medically ill hospitalized older patients were examined and compared with associations between nonreligious coping (NRC) behaviors and health status. The sample consisted of 577 patients age 55 or over consecutively admitted to the general medical inpatient services of Duke University Medical Center (78%) or the Durham VA Medical Center (22%). Information was gathered on 21 types of RC, 11 types of NRC, and 3 global indicators of religious activity (GIRA). Health measures included multiple domains of physical health, depressive symptoms, quality of life, stress-related growth, cooperativeness, and spiritual growth. Demographic factors, education, and admitting hospital were control variables. "Negative" and "positive" types of religious coping were identified. Negative RC behaviors related to poorer physical health, worse quality of life, and greater depression were reappraisals of God as punishing, reappraisals involving demonic forces, pleading for direct intercession, and expression of spiritual discontent. Coping that was self-directed (excluding God's help) or involved expressions reflecting negative attitudes toward God, clergy, or church members were also related to greater depression and poorer quality of life. Positive RC behaviors related to better mental health were reappraisal of God as benevolent, collaboration with God, seeking a connection with God, seeking support from clergy/church members, and giving religious help to others. Of 21 RC behaviors, 16 were positively related to stress-related growth, 15 were related to greater cooperativeness, and 16 were related to greater spiritual growth. These relationships were both more frequent and stronger than those found for NRC behaviors. Certain types of RC are more strongly related to better health status than other RC types. Associations between RC behaviors and mental health status are at least as strong, if not stronger, than those observed with NRC behaviors.     

Physical illness and symptoms of depression among elderly outpatients.

Elderly outpatients were assessed to clarify relations between symptoms of depression and physical illness, disability, pain, and selected psychosocial variables. Three types of assessments were made: (1) medical evaluations by physicians, (2) self-reported symptoms of depression and physical health, and (3) demographic and psychosocial data relating to participants' life circumstances. Both objective (physician-rated illness symptoms) and subjective (self-reported health, activity restriction, and use of pain medications) indicators of health accounted for independent variance in symptoms of depression. After controlling for these factors, additional variance was explained by health-related concerns (e.g., health care expenses, service needs), social support, and "other worries" (e.g., feeling useless, becoming a burden to others). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Spiritual struggle related to plasma interleukin-6 prior to cardiac surgery.

Spiritual struggle appeared consistently to predict poor health outcomes, including mortality. Despite surging interest in the health benefits of religion and spirituality, the health hassle of existential conflicts and proinflammatory cytokines as a potential physiological mechanism has been overlooked. Based on psychological and theological assumptions, we argue for the universal nature of spiritual struggle, a crisis-related existential conflict, and for investigating its physiological influence as essential to understanding human nature. Increased levels of inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin-6 (IL-6) have been linked with adverse health outcomes and negative emotions. This study thus examined spiritual struggle related to plasma IL-6 in 235 adult patients undergoing cardiac surgery, along with positive religious coping, general coping, and optimism, controlling for standardized clinical medical indicators. Multiple regression analysis, following a preplanned sequence, showed that spiritual struggle (p = .011), behavioral coping (p = .013) were positively associated with excess plasma IL-6, controlling for medical correlates (e.g., left ventricular ejection fraction). We conclude that spiritual struggle, indicating the crisis in an existential relation, and behavioral coping strategies are associated with elevated pre-operative plasma IL-6. The interdisciplinary implications are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

At the intersection of culture and religion: A cultural analysis of religion's implications for secondary control and social affiliation.

Religion helps people maintain a sense of control, particularly secondary control—acceptance of and adjustment to difficult situations—and contributes to strengthening social relationships in a religious community. However, little is known about how culture may influence these effects. The current research examined the interaction of culture and religion on secondary control and social affiliation, comparing people from individualistic cultures (e.g., European Americans), who tend to be more motivated toward personal agency, and people from collectivistic cultures (e.g., East Asians), who tend to be more motivated to maintain social relationships. In Study 1, an analysis of online church mission statements showed that U.S. websites contained more themes of secondary control than did Korean websites, whereas Korean websites contained more themes of social affiliation than did U.S. websites. Study 2 showed that experimental priming of religion led to acts of secondary control for European Americans but not Asian Americans. Using daily diary methodology, Study 3 showed that religious coping predicted more secondary control for European Americans but not Koreans, and religious coping predicted more social affiliation for Koreans and European Americans. These findings suggest the importance of understanding sociocultural moderators for the effects of religion. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Sacred adolescence: Practical suggestions for psychologists working with adolescents' religious and spiritual identity.

This article explores the relevance of adolescents' spiritual, religious, atheist, and agnostic identity development in the therapy process and the potential difficulties that psychologists face in effectively working with adolescents around spiritual/religious issues. Psychologists' limited personal and professional opportunities for increasing their self-awareness around their spirituality and religion may impact their ability to adequately address issues related to the spiritual/religious identity development of their adolescent clients. Psychologists' limited knowledge, awareness, and skills in reference to the process of adolescents' spiritual/religious/nonreligious identity may result in their neglect of spiritual/religious issues in psychotherapy. In such cases, adolescent clients may feel unsure if therapy is a safe place to discuss spiritual, religious, atheist, agnostic questions or issues that arise for them. The article concludes with practical suggestions that are framed around six critical concerns that are relevant for adolescents: (a) the relationship between spirituality/religion and health and coping, (b) negotiating multiple social identities, (c) religious cults, (d) religious conversion experiences, (e) anti-religious sentiment or religious discrimination, and (f) ethical considerations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Stress-related growth, positive reframing, and emotional processing in the prediction of post-trauma functioning among veterans in mental health treatment.

The role of stress related growth (SRG) in posttrauma functioning is currently uncertain and may be obscured by the overlap between SRG and key coping strategies. Utilizing a veteran sample in mental health treatment, the current study examined whether SRG accounts for unique variance in the severity of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and Disorders of Extreme Stress Not Otherwise Specified (DESNOS) beyond the effects of two general coping strategies, emotional processing and positive reframing. Curvilinear relationships were evident between SRG and outcome measures, such that individuals with moderate SRG reported the greatest distress, and individuals with the lowest and highest SRG scores reported lower distress. In regression analyses, SRG accounted for significant variance in lower PTSD, depression, and DESNOS while accounting for demographics, trauma type, emotional processing, and positive reframing. The results suggest that SRG captures variance in posttrauma functioning that may be distinct from general emotional processing and positive reframing coping and provides further evidence for a curvilinear relationship between SRG and measures of psychological distress. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Children's coping with marital conflict and their adjustment and physical health: Vulnerability and protective functions.

Children's strategies for coping with parental marital conflict were examined as predictors, mediators, and moderators of the relations between marital conflict and 8- to 11-year-olds' internalizing, externalizing, and physical health problems. In the context of marital conflict, a higher level of active coping and support coping combined was a protective factor against girls' depression symptoms and self-esteem problems and both boys' and girls' health problems. Further, avoidance coping was a vulnerability factor for externalizing, internalizing, and physical health problems in boys, and distraction coping was protective against children's depression and health problems. These findings extend the literature by delineating coping strategies that either protected children against, or heightened their vulnerability to, adjustment and health problems associated with exposure to parental marital conflict. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)