The Relationship Between Religious and Psychospiritual Measures and an Inflammation Marker (CRP) in Older Adults Experiencing Life Event Stress

Multidimensional Religiousness and Spirituality Are Associated With Lower Interleukin-6 and C-Reactive Protein at Midlife: Findings From the Midlife in the United States Study

BACKGROUND

Religiousness and spirituality (R/S) are associated with lower morbidity and mortality, yet the physiological mechanisms underlying these associations are under-studied. Chronic inflammation is a plausible biological mechanism linking R/S to downstream health given the sensitivity of the immune system to the social environment and the role of inflammation in many chronic diseases.

PURPOSE

The purpose of the present study was to examine associations between multiple R/S dimensions and two markers of chronic inflammation, interleukin-6 (IL-6) and C-reactive protein (CRP).

METHODS

In this cross-sectional study, data came from biological subsamples of two cohorts from the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) Study (combined N = 2,118). Predictors include six R/S measures (service attendance, spirituality, private religious practices, daily spiritual experiences, religious coping, and R/S-based mindfulness). Outcomes include log-transformed IL-6 and CRP. Covariates include age, gender, cohort, race, educational attainment, body mass index (BMI), smoking status, and physical activity.

RESULTS

Older adults, women (vs. men), non-White (vs. White) adults, those with higher BMIs, current smokers, and those not meeting physical activity guidelines had significantly higher IL-6 and CRP. In fully adjusted models, greater spirituality, daily spiritual experiences, religious coping, and R/S-based mindfulness were associated with lower IL-6. Higher spirituality was also associated with lower CRP.

CONCLUSIONS

Many dimensions of R/S may be health protective for adults given their associations with lower levels of chronic inflammation. Findings underscore the importance of examining multiple dimensions of R/S to understand mechanistic pathways.

Medieval monastic health: Variation in skeletal signs of inflammation and developmental stress between religious orders in London

OBJECTIVES

Previous bioarchaeological analyses of medieval monastic and nonmonastic cemeteries in London revealed evidence of lower risks of mortality, and thus better health, in the monastic settings. However, comparison of the two monastic communities, Bermondsey Abbey and Merton Priory, which adhered to different religious ideals, suggested lower risks of mortality in the former. This study examines patterns of skeletal biomarkers, which reflect developmental stress or inflammation, in an attempt to clarify the possible underlying mechanisms producing apparent health differences in these monastic communities.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This study uses skeletal data on age-at-death, periosteal new bone formation (PNBF), and cribra orbitalia from 558 adults (18 years of age and older) estimated to be male from Bermondsey Abbey and Merton Priory. Biomarker age patterns are assessed via Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and binary logistic regression. Differences in frequencies of biomarkers between the monastic sites are evaluated using Chi-square and hierarchical log-linear analyses.

RESULTS

In general, PNBF is positively associated with age, and cribra orbitalia is negatively associated with age. The frequency of PNBF formation is significantly higher and that of cribra orbitalia is significantly lower in Bermondsey Abbey compared with Merton Priory.

CONCLUSIONS

The differences in frequencies of these skeletal biomarkers support previous findings suggesting that health conditions were better in Bermondsey Abbey than in Merton Priory. The age patterns of cribra orbitalia suggest that these differences reflect conditions and the greater health-promoting effects of religiosity or isolation from the lay community in Bermondsey Abbey rather than differences in selective admissions processes.

Frequency of Private Prayer Predicts Survival Over 6 Years in a Nationwide U.S. Sample of Individuals with a Chronic Illness

Prayer is central to religious/spiritual life, and there are many claims for its effectiveness. However, few studies have examined whether frequency of prayer predicts survival in people with a chronic illness. This study follows a nationwide United States sample of people with a chronic illness (N = 1931) from 2014 to 2020. Those who prayed on a daily basis or more were significantly more likely to survive over 6 years (Hazard Ratio = 1.48; 95% Confidence Intervals: 1.08-2.03) compared with those who prayed less often, after controlling for biomedical variables (age, medical symptoms), sociodemographics (sex, race, and education), psychosocial variables (depression, social support), and health behaviors (alcohol use, smoking, exercise, and body mass index/weight).

Risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus in catholic priests compared with general public

AIMS

Although Catholic priests have a life of discipline with many responsibilities, there has been little research on the health effects of their lifestyle. Analysis of disease prevalence in priests will help elucidate the influence of religious life and occupational characteristics on the occurrence of diabetes. This retrospective study was performed to examine the differences in the prevalence of diabetes and prediabetes between Catholic priests and the general population.

METHODS

The study population comprised 1845 Catholic priests aged 31-80 years who visited the health promotion centers of three university hospitals in Korea between 2010 and 2019. Controls consisted of 1801 adult non-clerics aged 31-80 years who underwent health checkups at the screening center during the same period. Logistic regression analysis was performed to compare the differences in the rates of diabetes and prediabetes between the priest and control groups.

RESULT

Priests were younger and had lower rates of smoking, drinking alcohol, and hypertension compared with the control group. However, metabolic markers, such as BMI, waist circumference, body fat mass, insulin, HbA1c, and lipid profiles, were significantly higher in the priest group than the control group (all p < 0.05). After adjusting for covariates, the priest group had a significantly higher likelihood of having diabetes (OR = 1.651, 95% CI 1.146-2.379) or prediabetes (OR = 3.270, 95% CI 2.471-4.327) compared with the controls.

CONCLUSIONS

This study showed that Catholic priests have higher risks of diabetes and prediabetes compared with the general population, and these risks increase with age. Further large-scale prospective studies are required to confirm these relationships.

Praying for People You Know Predicts Survival over 17 Years Among People Living with HIV in the U.S

Most studies predicting the effects of prayer on health have examined intercessory prayer (prayers by others who often don't know you), yet most people pray for their own health and the health of others who they know. Our study, conducted in Miami, USA, differentiated praying for self, known others, and unknown others in people living with HIV, a virus with clearly defined biological markers of progression, enabling control for initial CD4-count and viral load. Only praying for known others predicted greater survival. People with HIV who prayed for known others were twice as likely to survive over 17 years compared to those who did not.

"Like a wake-up call for humankind": Views, challenges, and coping strategies related to public health measures during the first COVID-19 lockdown in Thailand

Following the first Thai COVID-19 case in January 2020, the Thai government introduced several non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) in March 2020 (e.g., contact tracing, travel restrictions, closure of businesses, curfews, stay at home orders) to control COVID-19 transmissions. This study aimed to understand the views and experiences of a small number of Thai residents related to public health measures implemented during the first COVID-19 wave in Thailand. A total of 28 remote in-depth interviews with Thai residents (18-74 years old) were conducted between 8 May and 21 July 2020. Interviews were audio recorded, transcribed, and analysed using thematic analysis based on the Framework Method. Our results describe participants' views, challenges, and coping strategies relating to COVID-19 restrictions. Most participants expressed support for the introduction of strict public health measures, while some criticized lacking enforcement or rational of certain measures. Participants identified four major challenges, namely financial hardship; social isolation and loneliness; stigma and shaming; and fear of COVID-19 infection. Strategies adopted to address these challenges included practical coping strategies (e.g., reducing risks and fear of COVID-19 infection; mitigating financial, social, and mental health impacts), and embedded socio-cultural ways of coping (e.g., turning to religion; practicing acceptance; kindness, generosity and sharing ('Namjai'); 'making merit' ('Tham-bun')). The challenges identified from this study, in particular the role of stigma and discrimination, may be relevant to other infectious disease outbreaks beyond COVID-19. Findings from this study underscore the need for policies and interventions that mitigate the negative impacts of NPIs on the public, particularly on vulnerable groups, and highlight the importance of considering socio-cultural context to support community resilience in times of crisis. Our findings remain relevant in light of low COVID-19 vaccine availability and the potential need to implement further public health restrictions in Thailand and elsewhere against COVID-19 or future infectious disease threats.

ADHD, Religiosity, and Psychiatric Comorbidity in Adolescence and Adulthood

OBJECTIVE

Religiosity has been repeatedly proposed as protective in the development of depression, sociopathy and addictions. ADHD frequently co-occurs with these same conditions. Although ADHD symptoms may affect religious practice, religiosity in ADHD remains unexplored.

METHOD

Analyses examined data from >8000 subjects aged 12 to 34 in four waves of the Add Health Study. Relationships of religious variables with childhood ADHD symptoms were statistically evaluated. Observed correlations of ADHD symptoms to depression, delinquency, and substance use were tested for mediation and moderation by religiosity.

RESULTS

ADHD symptoms correlated with lower levels of all religious variables at nearly all waves. In some analyses at Wave IV, prayer and attendance interacted with ADHD to predict worsened psychopathology.

CONCLUSION

ADHD symptoms predicted lower engagement in religious life. In adulthood, some aspects of religiosity interacted with ADHD symptoms to predict worse outcomes. Further research should explore whether lower religiosity partially explains prevalent comorbidities in ADHD.

Social support through religion and psychological well-being: COVID-19 and coping strategies in Indonesia

The Coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) originated in China at the end of 2019, the virus festered there for four months before spreading globally. Impacting the developed and developing world including Indonesia. It has transformed social, economic and political practices social life, everyday habits and government policies, with multi-dimensional consequences on human life. The present study endeavours to explore the relationship between religiosity, social capital, and psychological well-being of the general public, particularly in terms of coping with the pandemic. In addition to this, the study aims to highlight the importance of public awareness regarding social distancing, use of religion as a coping mechanism, and living a healthy lifestyle during pandemic. For knowing the perception of the masses, an online survey by using a self-administered questionnaire was carried out among coronavirus patients, the general public, social media activists, students, and professionals across Indonesia. The findings indicate that the pandemic has altered the lifestyle of the masses in different ways and that people have varied perceptions towards this virus regarding its spread and preventive measures. The study also reveals that, social capital (β = .418, p < .001), psychological well-being (β = .343, p < .001), and religious coping (β = .145, p <. 01) have a significant amount of the variance of coronavirus situational stress (F =  69.77, p < .001, R2 = 0.485). Lastly, the study suggests that, adopting preventative measures, standard operating procedures that are sustainable and healthy forms of coping with the pandemic will be equally as important as medical care in order to contain and eventually eradicate the virus.

Efficacy of prayer in inducing immediate physiological changes: a systematic analysis of objective experiments

OBJECTIVES

To assess the immediate impact of prayer on physiological state by systematically reviewing objective, controlled experimental studies in the literature.

CONTENT

Experimental studies measuring objective physiological changes induced by prayer. Studies containing the keyword, "Prayer" anywhere in the title or abstract were curated from the following databases: Public/Publisher Medline (PubMed), Excerpta Medica Database (EMBASE) and the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) in May 2019. Titles and abstracts were screened with the remaining 30 articles analyzed for inclusion. Only experimental studies were included.

SUMMARY

Eight experimental studies were identified of which five investigated neurocognitive changes and three investigated systemic physiological changes during prayer. The five studies focusing on neuroactivity used functional MRI (fMRI), electroencephalography or SPECT imaging to obtain measurements. The remaining three studies analyzed an array of systemic physiological metrics, including blood pressure, heart rate, respiratory rate, peripheral resistance, baroreceptor sensitivity and/or cardiovascular rhythm variability during prayer. All studies aside from one saw objective changes during prayer. Neurocognitive changes were mainly associated with improved mental functioning, control and pain tolerance. Prayer was found to slow down physiological functions in two of the three vital-based studies, with the third reporting no change in physiological status. None of the studies measured blood marker changes.

OUTLOOK

Experimental studies show prayer to induce healthy neurocognitive and physiological changes. Additional studies exploring objective measures from prayer are encouraged to provide practitioners with a more nuanced, scientific perspective when it comes to prescribing prayer as a complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapy.

Trajectories of Religious Change From Adolescence to Adulthood, and Demographic, Environmental, and Psychiatric Correlates

Studies of religiosity and mental health largely characterize religiousness as stable over time. However, research shows that religiosity likely changes significantly with development. It is unclear whether associations of religiosity with mental health also change over the lifespan. Latent growth curves were created to quantify changes in multiple religious variables, identify associated psychosocial variables, and observe relationships between religiosity and mental health from adolescence to adulthood. Analyses used four waves of data from over 9000 subjects, from ages 12 to 34 years. Although religious service attendance decreased over time, the importance of religion increased and the frequency of prayer remained relatively stable. Baseline religiosity and changes over time were related to contextual variables including race, socioeconomic status, and peer substance use. Correlations with mental health varied over time. Religiosity should be conceptualized as multidimensional and dynamic; religion/health research should consider the impact of multiple psychosocial variables as well as bidirectional relationships with mental health.

Inflammation mediates the effect of discrimination, religiosity, and friendship network on expression of the Tp53 cancer suppressor gene

Objective

Chronic inflammation and expression of the TP53 gene are two biomarkers that have been identified as particularly important in the etiology and progression of cancer. While much is known about the determinants of inflammation, there is currently little information regarding the causes of variation in the functioning of TP53, even though it has been recognized for 40 years as the most potent of the cancer suppressor genes. The current paper explores the interrelationship between these two biomarkers and investigates the extent to which they are influenced by the social environment.

Methods

Using structural equation modeling (SEM) and longitudinal observational data from a sample of several hundred African Americans, we tested the hypothesis that adversity – operationalized as racial discrimination- and coping resources – operationalized as religiosity and black friends - influence expression of TP53, for better or worse, through their impact on inflammation.

Results

Correlational analysis showed inflammation and TP53 to be inversely related. Further, discrimination was positively related to inflammation and negatively related to TP53 expression, whereas religiosity and black friends were both negatively related to inflammation and positively related to TP53 expression. Finally, SEM indicated that the effect of the social environmental variables on TP53 expression was indirect through level of inflammation.

Conclusions

In addition to its established contribution to cancer through DNA damage and cell proliferation, inflammation likely increases cancer risk indirectly by inhibiting expression of the TP53 cancer suppressor gene. Hence environmental and stress management interventions may do more than reduce inflammation's cell damaging effects; they may also lessen the chances of cancer by increasing expression of TP53.

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Discrimination, religiosity, and black friends showed significant associations with inflammation and TP53.

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The effect of discrimination, religiosity, and black friends on TP53 was indirect through level of inflammation.

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Inflammation likely increases cancer risk indirectly by suppressing the TP53 cancer suppressor gene.

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Environmental and stress management interventions may lessen the chances of cancer by increasing expression of TP53.