Socioeconomic Differences in the Effects of Prayer on Physical Symptoms and Quality of Life

A Contemporary Review of the Clubhouse Model of Psychosocial Rehabilitation: Past, Present, and Emerging Directions

Since the 1940s, the Clubhouse model of psychosocial rehabilitation has evolved towards a comprehensive practice of social theory and intervention. Despite the model's cost effectiveness and observational evidence of its efficacy, empirical research remains lacking. The current narrative review examines studies from recent years (2015-2021), not to assess study rigor, but to identify trends in research aims, findings, and methodology, as well as specify future research directions. A narrative review was conducted using PRISMA guidelines. Using the search term "Clubhouse," 194 articles were identified in online databases. 38 met criteria for inclusion. Most studies were qualitative (60.5%) and few utilized experimental or quasi-experimental designs (7.9%). Narrative synthesis revealed research aims and outcome variables falling into six key areas: social integration and connectedness, quality of life (QOL), recovery outcomes, relational dynamics, policy, and virtual adaptations of the model. Findings indicate that recent Clubhouse-related research trends have primarily involved studies of social connectedness, QOL, recovery, relationships, and policy, as well as studies examining the value of the virtual Clubhouse in maintaining well-being. However, heterogeneity of methodologies and measures present a critical limitation to assessing results across studies. Options for increasing experimental methodologies in this area are reviewed. Recommended future directions involve moving towards a biopsychosocial approach to clarifying the mechanisms through which the model promotes recovery-aims that may yield implications beyond the realm of serious mental illness.

The mediating role of psychological distress on the link between socio-ecological factors and quality of life of Filipino adults during COVID-19 crisis

Anchored on the Ecological Systems Theory, this study aimed to determine how psychological distress operates as an underlying mechanism in the impact of socio-ecological factors on the quality of life of Filipino adults during coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) crisis. A cross-sectional online survey was conducted to assess perceptions of 401 adults on socio-ecological factors (i.e., safety at home, trust in public institutions, and financial difficulties), psychological distress, and quality of life during the early phase of COVID-19 community quarantine in the Philippines. Using latent variable path analysis, all three socio-ecological factors have significant direct effects on both psychological distress and quality of life. More importantly, the proposed model was confirmed in terms of a significant partial mediation of psychological distress on the impact of safety at home, trust in public institutions, and financial difficulties on the quality of life of Filipino adults. The study offers novel insights into the role of psychological distress as an underlying mechanism that operates on the influence of socio-ecological factors on the quality of life of adults during a global health crisis. Implications on psychological interventions and policies in preventing mental health problems vis-à-vis improving Filipinos' quality of life during the COVID-19 pandemic are discussed.

Who benefits from Two Way Prayer Meditation? Treatment effect moderators in a pilot randomized controlled trial of a spiritual intervention for people with substance use disorders

Background: Two Way Prayer Meditation (TWPM) is a spiritual intervention that holds promise for improving the psychospiritual well-being of individuals in recovery from substance use disorders (SUD). This study aimed to identify moderators of TWPM's treatment effects. Moderators tested included gender, race/ethnicity, age, education, religious/spiritual affiliation, and most often used substance. Methods: This study employed a randomized controlled trial design with pretest and posttest. In total, 134 adults in four residential recovery programs participated in the study and were randomly assigned to the TWPM group or the treatment as usual control group. Linear mixed modeling was used to assess the moderating effect of each hypothesized moderator in the form of interaction tests. Sensitivity analyses were conducted by excluding cases with more than a minimum number of missing items. Results: There were no significant moderators for psychological distress, self-esteem, and most of the spiritual well-being outcomes. Both the primary and sensitivity analyses showed education significantly moderated TWPM's effect on overall spirituality self-ranking. Specifically, TWPM's positive effect on overall spirituality self-ranking was greater in the master's degree subgroup than in the less than high school subgroup. Conclusion: TWPM's treatment effects on most outcomes were not found to vary by the tested participant characteristics. The only statistically significant finding suggests clinicians may need to adjust TWPM workshop/teaching content, delivery style, or language used to reach clients with lower levels of education. Future better-powered studies are recommended to continue exploring the potential moderating effects of race/ethnicity, education, spiritual/religious affiliation, and most often used substance.

Religion, Health, and Life Satisfaction: Evidence from Australia

In this article, we examine the influence of religion on health and life satisfaction while controlling for an extensive range of demographic characteristics and life conditions-marital satisfaction, job satisfaction, financial stress, and social resources-using data drawn from the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey. Our findings suggest that, on average, high levels of faith and attendance at religious services are associated with lower health. In contrast, however, we find no relationship between high levels of faith, attendance, and life satisfaction. Further research is required to unravel how faith and attendance influence health and life satisfaction.

The impact of religious beliefs on the health of the residents-Evidence from China

This study conducted empirical research on Chinese residents to explore the relationship between religious beliefs and health based on the China General Social Survey (CGSS) data for 2015. Considering the reciprocal correlations between religion and health, this paper uses an instrumental variable to recognize religion's influence on health. The instrumental variable was the number of religious sites per 10 000 residents in every province (including autonomous regions and municipalities) in 2004. The results indicate that religion had different impacts on the health of different groups in China. It was found that religion significantly improved the health of those aged 60 or older; however, for those younger than 60 years old, their health was not affected by following a religion. Second, after classifying the samples according to urban and rural areas, it was found that religion significantly improved the health of urban residents, while rural residents were not affected by this factor.

Religious Identity and Health Inequalities in Canada

In the past few decades, most new immigrants to Canada have originated from non-Christian countries. During the same period, the unaffiliation rates have sharply increased in Canada. This paper investigates whether there are any health inequalities associated with religious identity, including also the individuals who do not identify with organized religion in the analysis. The study uses the Canadian General Social Survey of 2012 (N = 23,093), focused on Caregiving and Care-receiving. Employing multivariate regression analysis and controlling for a large set of characteristics inclusive of the degree of religious commitment, individuals who identify as Protestant are found at a physical and mental health advantage, compared with Roman Catholics and most other groups. On the other hand, individuals who identify as Jehovah's Witnesses are found at a considerable physical health disadvantage. Among the unaffiliated individuals, those who have retained some ties with organized religion without formally identifying with it are found at a mental health disadvantage compared with all religious groups, as well as the secular individuals who are strictly committed to their nonreligious views. Possible causes and various implications are discussed.

Advancing our understanding of religion and spirituality in the context of behavioral medicine

Recognizing and understanding the potentially powerful roles that religiousness and spirituality (RS) may serve in the prevention and amelioration of disease, as well as symptom management and health related quality of life, significantly enhances research and clinical efforts across many areas of behavioral medicine. This article examines the knowledge established to date and suggests advances that remain to be made. We begin with a brief summary of the current knowledge regarding RS as related to three exemplary health conditions: (a) cardiovascular disease; (b) cancer; and, (c) substance abuse. We then focus on particular concerns for future investigations, emphasizing conceptual issues, possible mediators and moderators of relationships or effects, and methodology. Our discussion is framed by a conceptual model that may serve to guide and organize future investigations. This model highlights a number of important issues regarding the study of links between RS and health: (a) RS comprise many diverse constructs, (b) the mechanisms through which RS may influence health outcomes are quite diverse, and (c) a range of different types of health and health relevant outcomes may be influenced by RS. The multidimensional nature of RS and the complexity of related associations with different types of health relevant outcomes present formidable challenges to empirical study in behavioral medicine. These issues are referred to throughout our review and we suggest several solutions to the presented challenges in our summary. We end with a presentation of barriers to be overcome, along with strategies for doing so, and concluding thoughts.

Understanding Coping with Distress due to Physical Disability

This article presents findings of two studies that investigated coping with physical disability within the multivariate transactional model of stress. In the first study, 30 persons with locomotor disability were interviewed to explore the nature of stressors and coping strategies. In the second study, five scales were administered on a sample of 120 persons with locomotor disability to investigate the role of personal and situational variables in determining the extent of perceived distress and its relationship with coping. The manner in which anāsakti and positive life orientation moderated the relationship between perceived distress and coping was also investigated. The findings revealed that the major stressors which led to distress were ego-related stressors, inability to fulfil traditional gender roles, problems in interpersonal relationships with family and others, physical barriers and deformed body image. Education was found to be the strongest predictor of perceived distress and problem-focused coping was significantly related to lower levels of distress. Moderation analyses showed that with stronger belief in the philosophy of anāsakti and higher positive life orientation, lower levels of distress were strongly related to problem focused coping. The impli-cations of these findings for psycho-social rehabilitation of persons with physical disability are discussed.

Religiosity and Self-Rated Health: A Longitudinal Examination of Their Reciprocal Effects

While religiosity tends to be favorably associated with physical health, further research is needed to assess the causal directions between religiosity and health. This study examined reciprocal pathways between them with a three-wave panel dataset (General Social Survey, 2006-2010). Among Christians (N = 585), religious activities were associated with improved self-rated health, while conservative religious beliefs were associated with worsened health over time. Additionally, worse health was associated with increased engagement in religious activities and greater endorsement of conservative religious beliefs over time. Results highlight the need for additional research and theory to map the complexity of the religion-health connection.

Prayer practices among young adults

Prayer is the most common complementary and alternative intervention used by most Americans. Yet, little is known about the prayer practices of young adults. In this exploratory study, 4 types of prayer practices of 62 young adults (21-30 years old) are described. The 4 different categories of prayer were: contemplative-meditative, ritualistic, petitionary, and colloquial. Participants most often used colloquial prayer practice, that is, asking God to provide guidance or talking to God in their own words. Recommendations for future research are included.

Religion, health, and psychological well-being

This study compares the effects of religiosity on health and well-being, controlling for work and family. With 2006 GSS data, we assess the effects of religiosity on health and well-being, net of job satisfaction, marital happiness, and financial status. The results indicate that people who identify as religious tend to report better health and happiness, regardless of religious affiliation, religious activities, work and family, social support, or financial status. People with liberal religious beliefs tend to be healthier but less happy than people with fundamentalist beliefs. Future research should probe how religious identity and beliefs impact health and well-being.

Development and validation of measures of religious involvement and the cancer experience among African Americans

Research indicates that African Americans diagnosed with cancer tend to use religion in coping. However less is known about the specific role that religion plays in the coping process. Based on previous qualitative work, five instruments were developed to assess the role of religious involvement in cancer coping: God as helper, God as healer, Faith in healing, Control over cancer and New perspective. The instruments were administered to 100 African Americans with cancer. Each exhibited high internal reliability, and concurrent and discriminant validity. These instruments may have applied value for the development of church-based cancer support/survivorship interventions.

The Journal of Health Psychology enters its 14th year of publication

The Journal of Health Psychology enters its 14th year of publication with a few new developments to bring to libraries', authors' and readers' attention. These include changes to the Editorial Board, a new web-based manuscript submission portal and an announcement of a new global special issue on Psychology and Poverty Reduction. Lastly, the content of the current issue is introduced.

The quest for meaningful theory in health psychology

Theories generate questions, which in turn generate findings, which in turn generate articles. Theories in health psychology have successfully generated research activity but with inconclusive results. Avenues for more fruitful exploration are described. One of these suggests that health psychology will alter its focus from the study of what is (description) to the study of what might be (explanation), from what individuals do and say (behaviour) to what that behaviour means (contextuality), from ;social cognitions' (box ticks) to personal subjectivities (mental experience), from the status quo (demographics) to social injustice (structures of power and inequality).

Prayer and self-reported health among cancer survivors in the United States, National Health Interview Survey, 2002

OBJECTIVES

At least 10.8 million living Americans have been diagnosed with cancer, and about 1.5 million new cancer cases are expected to be diagnosed in 2008. The purpose of this study was to examine prayer for health and self-reported health among a sample of men and women with a personal history of cancer.

METHODS

We used data from the 2002 National Health Interview Survey, which collected information on complementary and alternative medicine practices.

RESULTS

Among 2262 men and women with a history of cancer, 68.5% reported having prayed for their own health and 72% reported good or better health status. Among cancer survivors, praying for one's own health was associated with several sociodemographic variables including being female, non-Hispanic black, and married. Compared to persons with a history of skin cancer, persons with a history of breast cancer, colorectal cancer, a cancer with a short survival period (e.g., pancreatic cancer), or other cancers were more likely to pray for their health. Persons who reported good or better health were more likely to be female, younger, have higher levels of education and income, and have no history of additional chronic disease. Overall, praying for one's own health was inversely associated with good or better health status.

CONCLUSIONS

Data from this nationally representative sample indicate that prayer for health is commonly used among people with a history of cancer and that use of prayer varies by cancer site. The findings should add to the current body of literature that debates issues around spirituality, decision-making about treatment, and physician care.