The many faces of religious coping in late life: Conceptualization, measurement, and links to well-being

With You Until the End of the Age? A Longitudinal Study of Changes in Religiosity and Loneliness in Later Life

With few exceptions, a vast literature on religion and well-being in later life has largely ignored outcomes of loneliness. The current study considers how changes in religiosity and formal religious participation over time associate with loneliness, and whether there are age differences in how this process unfold. Using data from the first two waves (2005-2006, 2010-2011) of the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (NSHAP) from the United States, results suggest that consistent religious attendance was associated with lower loneliness, while decreases in attendance were associated with higher loneliness. The association between stable high religious attendance and loneliness was stronger for older cohorts of older adults (65-74, and 75+ years of age). We found no such patterns for religious integration in daily life. We discuss the implications for church communities and family and friends of older adults and provide insights for addressing loneliness as a public health problem.

Coping with ageing in rural Australia

OBJECTIVE

Ageing is a time of change that might involve financial, health and social losses. To maintain well-being, older people need to engage a range of resources to cope with these losses. However, national policies mainly focus on financial resources. This study used Folkman and Lazarus's transactional theory to identify coping methods engaged by older adults living in three rural communities.

DESIGN

A qualitative research design was undertaken using an ethnographic case study approach.

SETTING

Three rural communities within northern Australia.

PARTICIPANTS

Older Australians aged 65 or over, living in their own homes.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Exploration of techniques that older adults use to cope with ageing (including both problem-focused and emotion-focused strategies).

RESULTS

People in rural areas planned their ageing journey using both problem-focused and emotion-focused coping strategies, to deal with the uncertainties of ageing. When participants could control the event, problem-focused coping strategies were mainly such as used seeking social support and planful problem-solving. Conversely, emotion-focused strategies were used to deal with uncertainty and emotive issues such as health decline, and the possibility of needing future care.

CONCLUSION

There is a need for health community workers to encourage older people to consider initiating a discussion of future care needs with their social network. This is of particular importance in rural areas, which have larger numbers of older residents and limited resources to support ageing in place.

Religious Experiences of Older People Receiving Palliative Care at Home

Increasingly more older people are now being cared for in their own homes. Furthermore, it has become more common that people stay at home to receive end-of-life care. Using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA), we analyzed the religious experiences of older people (aged 65+). We answered these questions: What kind of religious experiences do older people have when death is approaching? What does this tell us about their religious coping? As IPA is based on the in-depth analysis of small amounts of homogenous data, we analyzed five interviews with older people who were dying. We identified three main themes. First, religious experiences are relational, that is, deeply rooted in personal relationships. Second, religious experiences are real and can provide both struggles and comfort in the last stage of life. Third, the experience of encountering one’s mortality and planning for one’s death was calming; while many had unclear views on the afterlife, the idea of continuing bonds after death was comforting. More open discussion on religious matters, death, and dying would be welcomed as part of home-based end-of-life care.

The lived experience of Buddhist-oriented religious coping in late life: Buddhism as a cognitive schema

This article explores how older Buddhists in Singapore use Buddhist beliefs and practices to cope with stress. Semi-structured interviews with six older Buddhists were conducted. Interview transcripts were analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. Data analysis identified three ways of Buddhist-oriented religious coping: meaning-making coping, meditative coping, and ego-transcendence coping. In meaning-making coping, participants employed the notions of karma and duḥkha to make sense of stress. Participants’ meditative coping methods included visualization and mantra meditation. During ego-transcendence coping, participants drew on the notion of non-attachment to the ego. The three ways of Buddhist-oriented religious coping can be examined in a Buddhism-as-cognitive-schema perspective.

Coping Resources, Loneliness, and Depressive Symptoms of Older Women With Chronic Illness

Chronic illness with its accompanying physical stressors poses a risk factor for loneliness and depression in later life. Testing a model of stress and coping, we examined the effects of three types of coping resources (religious coping; Selection, Optimization, and Compensation [SOC] adaptive strategies; and perceived social support) on the deleterious effects of chronic illness among older women. Community-dwelling older women (N = 138) with at least one chronic illness (M = 3.9, SD = 2.1) completed mailed questionnaires. Respondents reported multiple morbidities and 90% reported interference with daily life. Social support was associated with less loneliness and depression and mediated the relationship between physical health and loneliness. Our study demonstrates two distinct pathways to depressive symptoms: one through physical symptoms, pain, and disability, and another through the experience of loneliness. Findings support intervention approaches that address disability-related issues and loneliness, and assist older women with chronic illness in identifying and marshaling social support.

The Importance of Religiosity to the Well-Being of African American Older Adults Living With Dementia

This study was a post hoc analysis of a larger qualitative descriptive study exploring family involvement in health promotion activities for African Americans living with dementia where participants identified religious practices as meaningful health promotion activities. The purpose of this study was to explore ways in which religiosity may influence the well-being of older adults living with dementia. Semi-structured interviews were conducted among a sample of 22 family caregivers and 15 older adults living with dementia (N = 37). Three themes emerged: Engagement, Promotion of Faith and Spiritual Connectedness, and Maintenance of Religious Practices. It is imperative for family caregivers to understand the important contributions of religious activities and beliefs to the well-being of their family member. This information might be of use for faith communities, policy makers, and health care providers in the provision of optimal person-centered care and the promotion of quality of life for persons living with dementia.

The Interrelation of Prayer and Worship Service Attendance in Moderating the Negative Impact of Life Event Stressors on Mental Well-Being

The interrelation of worship service attendance and private prayer in moderating the negative impact of life event stressors on mental well-being is examined using hierarchical multiple regressions on a national sample of 2601 Americans. A theoretical model is proposed in which stressful life events are made less distressing under conditions in which exposure to pro-social content at worship services is internalized through frequent private prayer. Interactive models controlling for a block of potential confounds are run to confirm that the stress-moderating effects of worship service attendance are noted only when attendance is complemented by relatively frequent engagement in private prayer.

Experiencing Positive Religious Coping in the Process of Divorce: A Qualitative Study

Divorce is one of the more stressful and psychologically challenging experiences for spouses and whole families. After divorce, a new era begins, when it is necessary to re-adapt to life and during which hard feelings also emerge. During the process of divorce, successful emotional adaptation to the new situation is of great significance. Religion or spirituality can be a powerful source of help for an individual coping with stressful situations brought up by divorce. This study aimed to explore if and how divorcees experience the burden of divorce and along with it the relationship with God (within Catholic tradition) as a source of positive support in coping with divorce. We conducted open semi-structured interviews with 11 participants. With empirical phenomenological analysis, we built a general description of the investigated experience which entails three areas of experience: experiencing the burden of divorce, which is related to experiencing the relationship with God and the ways of spiritual coping with divorce, and experiencing the effects of religious coping with divorce. The result of this research can be used in evidence-based psychosocial (e.g. psychotherapy, counselling) and spiritual help for individuals in comprehensive care after divorce.

Pargament's Theory of Religious Coping: Implications for Spiritually Sensitive Social Work Practice

This article proposes that Pargament's theory of religious coping can be a theoretical beacon to spiritually sensitive social work practice. It begins with a discussion of the raison d'être of spiritually sensitive social work, which is examined as being able to cast a holistic and positive glow on social work. Then it provides an overview and a critique of Pargament's theory, emphasising that the theory offers a fuller and more impartial picture of religious coping. In addition, it explores the implications of Pargament's theory for spiritually sensitive social work practice with religious clients in terms of engagement, assessment and intervention. This article concludes by discussing how social work practitioners can avoid the pitfalls and limitations of Pargament's theory.

Study of Spirituality in Elderly With Subjective Memory Complaints

Subjective memory complaints are very common among elderly. They can be due to depression, cognitive decline, or be a part of normal aging process. Spirituality is another important dimension in elderly, and it is believed to help them cope with various adversities. This study was done to find out whether any relation exists between these 2 variables in elderly. A total of 120 elderly individuals, presenting with subjective memory complaints, were divided into 3 groups - controls, elderly with depression, and elderly with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Spirituality in them was studied by dividing it into the subdomains of self-transcendence, presence of meaning in life, search for meaning in life, and locus of control. Spirituality was the highest in controls, followed by MCI group, and then depression group. Spirituality had a direct negative relationship with severity of depression, while relationship of spirituality with severity of cognitive decline was more complex. Relationship of spirituality with mental health status in elderly patients seemed bidirectional, that is, cause as well as effect relationship.

Spirituality and psychological well-being: testing a theory of family interdependence among family caregivers and their elders

The family spirituality-psychological well-being model was developed and tested to explore how spirituality influences psychological well-being among elders and caregivers in the context of Korean family caregiving. The sample consisted of 157 Korean elder-family caregiver dyads in Seoul, Korea. The intraclass correlation coefficient and the actor-partner interdependence statistical model were used to analyze the data. There were significant correlations between elders' and caregivers' spirituality and between elders' and caregivers' psychological well-being. Elders' and caregivers' spirituality significantly influenced their own psychological well-being. The caregiver's spirituality significantly influenced the elder's psychological well-being, but the elder's spirituality did not significantly influence the caregiver's psychological well-being. Findings suggest that elders' and caregivers' spirituality should be assessed within the family to provide holistic nursing interventions.

Role of religion in cancer coping among African Americans: a qualitative examination

The present study used qualitative methods to examine if and how African Americans with cancer use religiosity in coping. Patients (N = 23) were recruited from physician offices and completed 1-1(1/2) hour interviews. Themes that emerged included but were not limited to control over one's illness, emotional response, importance of social support, role of God as a healer, relying on God, importance of faith for recovery, prayer and scripture study, and making sense of the illness. Participants had a great deal to say about the role of religion in coping. These themes may have utility for development of support interventions if they can be operationalized and intervened upon.