Religion among disabled and nondisabled persons II: attendance at religious services as a predictor of the course of disability.
Does religious involvement influence changes in physical health? We perform a longitudinal analysis of the effect of religious participation on functioning over a 12-year follow-up period, in a large, prospective, representative sample of elderly persons from New Haven, Connecticut, a religiously diverse community. To examine the possibility that disability or changes in disability may be affecting religious involvement, we perform a second longitudinal analysis of changes in religious practices. Finally, we ask whether psychosocial correlates explain the effect of religious involvement on disability. Findings are (a) that attendance at services is a strong predictor of better functioning, even when intermediate changes in functioning are included, (b) that health practices, social ties, and indicators of well-being reduce, but do not eliminate these effects, and (c) that disability has minimal effects on subsequent attendance. The findings illustrate the short- and long-term importance of religious participation to the health and well-being of elderly people, and suggest a particular significance for religious participation in the lives of disabled elders.
Idler
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Institute for Health, Health Care Policy, and Aging Research, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey 08903, USA. idler@rci.rutgers.edu
Kasl
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SV
D000368:Aged; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D006233:Persons with Disabilities; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012069:Religion and Psychology