Functional limitations and religious service attendance in later life: barrier and/or benefit mechanism?
OBJECTIVE
Why do some studies report a negative relationship between religious service attendance and functional limitations? Two possible mechanisms, the health benefit mechanism and the functional barrier mechanism, were systematically examined.


METHODS
With 2 waves of a national probability sample of adults aged 60 years and older, this research used structural equation models to estimate the influence of these 2 mechanisms.


RESULTS
Results indicated that functional limitations were associated with less frequent religious service attendance at the same wave, largely because of the barrier mechanism; no support was found for the benefit mechanism. Neither mechanism was significant over time.


CONCLUSIONS
Findings suggest that there is a temporal and salient decline in social activities such as religious service attendance when lower body functional limitations are highest. However, long-term engagement in religious service attendance is not predicted by baseline functional limitations, indicating that there are not long-term declines in attendance because of higher levels of functional limitations.
Kelley-Moore
J A
JA
Department of Sociology and Gerontology Program, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907-1365, USA. kelleyj@sri.soc.purdue.edu
Ferraro
K F
KF
D000203:Activities of Daily Living / Q000523:psychology*; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology*; D001107:Architectural Accessibility; D006233:Persons with Disabilities / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012069:Religion and Psychology; D014481:United States