Religious motivation and cardiovascular reactivity among middle aged adults: is being pro-religious really that good for you?

Cynical hostility increases whereas sense of coherence decreases the odds for current suicidal thoughts: A cross-sectional study of the general adult population sample

Background and Aims

Earlier, somatic diseases and mental disorders have been associated with cynical hostility as well as sense of coherence, but there is a gap of knowledge, whether they contribute to suicidality at population level.

Methods

A random sample of adults, representative of the general population living in Finland, participated in a nationwide health examination study. For 4387 participants aged 18-97 years, we analyzed, after controlling for confounding factors, whether cynical hostility, as assessed with the 8-item Cook-Medley Hostility Scale, or sense of coherence, as assessed with the 13-item Sense of Coherence Scale, contributed to current suicidal thoughts during the past 7 days as scored on the 25-item Hopkins Symptom Checklist.

Results

Suicidal thoughts (current thoughts of ending one's life) were associated significantly with cynical hostility (p < 0.001) as well as with sense of coherence (p < 0.001). Of the specific items of cynical hostility, the item "I am sure that most people do not have problems with lying for their own good" was associated most strongly with current suicidal thoughts (p < 0.001).

Conclusion

Cynical hostility predicted current suicidal thoughts in a population-based sample of adults aged 18-97 years. Sense of coherence protected from current suicidal thoughts.

Do Purpose in Life and Social Support Mediate the Association between Religiousness/Spirituality and Mortality? Evidence from the MIDUS National Sample

We examined prospective associations between religiousness/spirituality (R/S; i.e., service attendance, R/S identity, R/S coping, spirituality) and all-cause mortality in the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) sample, including whether having a purpose in life and positive social support are indirect pathways through which R/S predicts mortality. We examined service attendance and a composite of R/S identity, R/S coping, and spirituality from the baseline wave (1995-1996; n = 6120 with complete data), purpose in life and positive social support from the second wave (2004-2006), and vital status through 2020 (n = 1711 decedents). Cox regression models showed that attending religious services more than weekly and approximately weekly was associated with a lower mortality risk compared to never attending in the adjusted models (>weekly vs. never, HR (95% CI) = 0.72 (0.61, 0.85); weekly vs. never, HR (95% CI) = 0.76 (0.66, 0.88)). The R/S composite was also associated with lower mortality risk in the adjusted models (HR (95% CI) = 0.92 (0.87, 0.97)). Indirect effects from R/S to mortality via purpose in life and positive social support were significantly different from zero. These findings highlight the importance of multidimensional aspects of R/S for population health and point to purpose in life and positive social support as underlying pathways between R/S and mortality.

Intrinsic Religiosity and Hypertension Among Older North American Seventh-Day Adventists

A unique lifestyle based on religious beliefs has been associated with longevity among North American Seventh-day Adventists (SDAs); however, little is known about how religion is directly associated with hypertension in this group. Identifying and understanding the relationship between hypertension and its predictors is important because hypertension is responsible for half of all cardiovascular-related deaths and one in every seven deaths in the USA. The relationship between intrinsic religiosity and hypertension is examined. Cross-sectional data from the Biopsychosocial Religion and Health Study (N = 9581) were used. The relationship between intrinsic religiosity and hypertension when controlling for demographics, lifestyle variables, and church attendance was examined using binary logistic regression. While lifestyle factors such as vegetarian diet and regular exercise were important predictors of reduced rates of hypertension, even after controlling for these, intrinsic religiosity was just as strongly related to lower hypertension rates as the lifestyle factors. This study is the first to examine the relationship between intrinsic religiosity and hypertension among North American SDAs and demonstrates that in addition to the positive effects of lifestyle choices on health noted in the group, religion may offer direct salutary effects on hypertension. This finding is particularly important because it suggests that religiosity and not just lifestyle is related to lower risk of hypertension, a leading cause of death in the USA.

RSAS-3: validation of a very brief measure of Religious Commitment for use in health research

Religious Commitment is a construct known to be predictive of various health-related factors of importance to researchers. However, data collection efficiency and instrument brevity in healthcare settings are priorities regardless of the construct being measured. Brief, valid instruments are particularly valuable in health research and will be vital for testing mechanisms by which health may be improved or maintained. This series of studies aims to demonstrate that Religious Commitment can be validly measured with a very brief instrument, the Religious Surrender & Attendance Scale-3 (RSAS-3), which combines a 2-item measure of Surrender, a specific type of religious coping, with a 1-item measure of Attendance at religious services. Three studies are reported, two utilizing undergraduate university students (Ns = 964 and 466) and one utilizing a clinical-based pregnant population (N = 320), all in southern Appalachia. The original 12-item Surrender Scale, a 2-item subset of Surrender items, and Attendance were found to be highly positively correlated with each other and with Intrinsic Religiosity, an additional measure of Religious Commitment employed to demonstrate concurrent validity. Religiosity variables were found to be strongly negatively correlated with Anxiety and stress, which were the health outcomes of interest. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis was used to confirm the similarity of Anxiety and stress prediction using the 12-item and 2-item Surrender measures and to confirm the superior stress prediction of the 3-item instrument RSAS-3. The RSAS-3 is recommended as a measure of Religious Commitment in future health research.

Coping with racism: the impact of prayer on cardiovascular reactivity and post-stress recovery in African American women

BACKGROUND

Prayer is often used to cope with racism-related stress. Little is known about its impact on cardiovascular function.

PURPOSE

This study examined how prayer coping relates to cardiovascular reactivity (CVR), post-stress recovery, and affective reactivity in response to racism-related stress.

METHODS

African American women (n =81; mean age=20 years) reported their use of prayer coping on the Perceived Racism Scale and completed anger recall and racism recall tasks while undergoing monitoring of systolic and diastolic blood pressure (DBP), heart rate, heart rate variability (HRV), and hemodynamic measures. Prayer coping was examined for associations with CVR, recovery, and affective change scores using general linear models with repeated measures.

RESULTS

Higher prayer coping was associated with decreased state stress and DBP reactivity during racism recall (p's<0.05) and with decreased DBP and increased HRV during racism recall recovery(p's<0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Coping with racism by utilizing prayer may have cardiovascular benefits for African American women.