The God factor: the role of religious involvement on depression, health, and well-being
Date
Authors
Major Professor
Advisor
Committee Member
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Altmetrics
Abstract
This study was designed to explore the relationships between religious involvement and health and well-being utilizing multiple measures of religious involvement at two time points. At Time 1, participants (N = 184) recruited from three Midwestern universities completed a battery of questionnaires assessing religious beliefs/attitudes participation in public and private religious activities (i.e., frequency of church attendance and prayer), depression, perceived health, and frequency of seeking health care services. At Time 2, participants were again asked to complete questionnaires assessing depression, perceived health and frequency of seeking health care. The effects of religious involvement on depression, perceived health and frequency of seeking health care were examined utilizing a structural equation analysis approach. The results of this study indicate that dimensions of religious involvement (i.e., intrinsic religious orientation, extrinsic religious orientation, and religious locus of control) serve as important predictors of depression, perceived health, and the frequency of seeking health care services.