scholarly journals Equal Protection? Differential Effects of Religious Attendance on Black-White Older Adult Mortality

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 395-395
Author(s):  
Ellen Idler
Keyword(s):  
African Americans ◽  
Protective Effect ◽  
Social Determinants ◽  
Social Ties ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Adult Mortality ◽  
Social Determinant ◽  
Religious Attendance ◽  
Equal Protection ◽  
Frequent Attendance

Abstract Social determinants of later life population health are “the circumstances in which we are born, grow up, live, work, and age” usually identified as power and status determinants: income, wealth, and education. Although rarely considered a social determinant of health, religious social ties are a familiar “circumstance” for many older persons, and there is considerable evidence linking religious attendance to all-cause mortality. There are race differences in both religiosity and mortality patterns: Black Americans show higher levels of both religious attendance and mortality compared with white Americans. This raises the question of equal protection of religious attendance: Is the protective effect of religious attendance on mortality weaker, stronger, or the same for whites and African Americans? The analysis employs 10-year longitudinal data from the Health and Retirement Study, 2004-2014 (N=18,346). In stratified models, after adjustment for sociodemographic factors and health, African Americans have a hazard ratio (HR) for frequent attendance at services that is more protective than for whites: .48 (95%CI: .35, .67) compared with .61 (95%CI: .53, .70). Health behaviors mediate 19% of the effect for blacks and 26% for whites; other social ties mediate 12.5% of the effect for blacks and 7% for whites. An interaction test shows a more protective effect of frequent attendance for blacks compared with whites (p<.000). Religious attendance may be more beneficial for African Americans who are multiply disadvantaged with respect to other social determinants of health. The mediation patterns also suggest that the mechanisms of effect for blacks and whites may differ.

Religious Attendance, Social Participation, and adult Mortality

2000 ◽  
pp. 95-112
Author(s):  
Richard G. Rogers ◽  
Robert A. Hummer ◽  
Charles b. Nam
Keyword(s):  
Social Participation ◽  
Adult Mortality ◽  
Religious Attendance

scholarly journals The Strength of Weaker Ties: An Underexplored Resource for Maintaining Emotional Well-Being in Later Life

2020 ◽  
Vol 75 (7) ◽  
pp. 1433-1442 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oliver Huxhold ◽  
Katherine L Fiori ◽  
Noah J Webster ◽  
Toni C Antonucci
Keyword(s):  
Positive Affect ◽  
Social Ties ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Change Score ◽  
Theoretical Orientations ◽  
Depressed Affect ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Low Levels ◽  
Over Time

Abstract Objectives The purpose of this study was to examine dynamic links between changes in social ties and changes in emotional well-being. Method Trivariate dual-change score models were used to test whether a large number of close ties would be more strongly associated with low levels of depressed affect than a large number of weaker ties, and a large number of weaker ties would be more strongly associated with high levels of positive affect compared to a large number of close ties, across three waves of a large, regionally representative sample of U.S. adults aged 40 and older (N = 802). Results We found that a greater number of weaker ties was associated with having more close ties over time, and that the number of weaker ties was more strongly predictive of positive age-related changes in both aspects of well-being (i.e., more positive affect and less depressed affect) than the number of close ties. Discussion Contrary to popular theoretical orientations in gerontology, weaker ties may offer older adults a more effective avenue for promoting emotional well-being over time than close ties, and may have the additional benefit of compensating for losses in the number of close ties.

scholarly journals RELIGIOUS ATTENDANCE, SOCIAL SUPPORT, AND SELF-RATED HEALTH IN FORMER NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE ATHLETES

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S619-S619
Author(s):  
Robert W Turner II ◽  
Robert Turner ◽  
Amanda Sonnega ◽  
Tim Cupery ◽  
Evelyn Bush ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
National Football League ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Religious Attendance ◽  
Football Players ◽  
Linear Regression Models ◽  
Self Rated Health ◽  
Frequent Attendance ◽  
Religious Services ◽  
Pain Symptoms

Abstract Concern exists about the health and well-being of football players, yet little research exists on the psychosocial risk and protective factors of NFL athletes’ well-being. This study assesses the role of religious attendance, social support, and self-rated health in former NFL athletes. Data comes from a stratified, random sample of 1,063 former NFL players. A set of nested linear regression models evaluated the relationship between self-rated health status and two indices of social support (family and friends) and attendance at religious services. Frequent attendance at religious services (β=0.19, p<.01), support from family (β=0.06, p<.05), and support from friends (β=0.06, p<.01) are positively and significantly related to better self-rated health. The ability to get out of the house did not affect these associations. However, the pain symptoms index fully accounted for any positive effect of family support and religious attendance in self-rated health.

scholarly journals SPIRITUALITY IN CHRONIC PAIN SELF-MANAGEMENT: LOWER USE BUT EQUAL IMPORTANCE IN OLDER AFRICAN AMERICANS

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S394-S394
Author(s):  
Staja Booker
Keyword(s):  
Chronic Pain ◽  
African Americans ◽  
Rural Communities ◽  
Church Attendance ◽  
Social Determinant ◽  
Self Management ◽  
Individual Interviews ◽  
The Bible ◽  
Equal Importance ◽  
Christian Literature

Abstract Spirituality is a key social determinant of health for African Americans (AAs) and strongly impacts management of chronic pain. Older AAs (average age 68± 12.37) from urban and rural communities completed questionnaires (N= 110) and audio-recorded, semi-structured individual interviews (N= 18) describing osteoarthritis pain self-management. Prayer was used by 42% of AAs, with substantially fewer attending church (23.6%), watching religious television or reading the Bible/Christian literature (20.9%), listening to gospel music (18.2%), and laying of hands (8.2%). Interestingly, prayer and church attendance were the only pain strategies rated by more participants as very helpful. Regardless of religiosity, most AAs believed that spirituality was “an important aspect, whether we realize it always or not”. Specifically, prayer was considered “number one… ‘cause I know it’s gonna be all right once I do pray…prayer help heal the pain”. Spiritual strategies remain integral for chronic pain self-management despite lower than expected use among AAs.

scholarly journals The changing contribution of childhood social characteristics to mortality: a comparison of Finnish cohorts born in 1936–50 and 1961–75

2020 ◽  
Vol 49 (3) ◽  
pp. 896-907 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pekka Martikainen ◽  
Irma Elo ◽  
Lasse Tarkiainen ◽  
Janne Mikkonen ◽  
Mikko Myrskylä ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Early Life ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Adult Mortality ◽  
Family Type ◽  
Social Characteristics ◽  
Survival Models ◽  
Birth Cohorts ◽  
Intraclass Correlations ◽  
Life Circumstances ◽  
External Causes

Abstract Background Life course epidemiology suggests that early life circumstances affect adult mortality, but most of the evidence is based on cohorts born in the beginning of the 20th century. It remains unclear whether and how the influences of early life circumstances on mortality have changed in later birth cohorts. Methods Analyses rely on 10% register-based samples of households drawn from the 1950 and the 1975 Finnish censuses, with consistent follow-up of socioeconomic and housing-related characteristics and early mid-life mortality (at ages 30–55 years). We estimate survival models for the associations between childhood circumstances and all-cause, internal and external mortality for cohorts born in 1936–50 and 1961–75 adjusting for attained social characteristics. We estimate sibling intraclass correlations as summary measures of all early life and familial influences. Results Adverse childhood social circumstances were typically associated with about 10–30% excess cause-specific mortality. These associations were almost fully attenuated by adjustment for achieved later life social characteristics. Early life influences have grown over time for mortality from external causes, particularly as related to home ownership and family type. Differentials have remained stable for internal causes. The intraclass correlations further confirmed the increasing association of early life circumstances on external-cause mortality. Conclusions Our analyses show that the associations between childhood characteristics and mid-life mortality are substantial and almost fully mediated by achieved adult social characteristics. The increase in the contribution of childhood circumstances to mid-life mortality is driven by ever stronger associations with external causes of death.

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