Religion, Spirituality, and Health Status in Geriatric Outpatients Essay Example for Free

Religion, Spirituality, and Health Status in gerontological Outpatients EssayDaaleman, Perrera and Studenski wished to re- assure the effect of ghostlyism and spirituality on perceptions of older persons, operationalized as geriatric outpatients.The authors proceeded from twain conceptual ca-cas. The first is that self-reported wellness view is central to aging research. The old know whereof they speak. Self-ratings are logical because they correlate well with health status over time and, consequently, health service utilization. The second construct is that, no matter how morally they lived as young adults, those in late middle age inject to embrace worship and spirituality with more(prenominal)(prenominal) fervor. Prior research had scrutinized the family between religion and health perceptions. whatsoever results were inconclusive, an outcome that the authors attributed to failure to control for such covariates as spirituality.Definitions vary, the authors adjudge , but they proposed defining religiosity as principally revolving on organized faith while spirituality has more to do with giving universe meaning, purpose, or power either from within or from a transcendent source. In turn, the dependent covariant was appreciated by a single-item global health from the Years of Healthy Life (YOHL) scale, a self-assessment of everyday health (would you say your health in general is ) and a 5-item Likert response from excellent to poor.Fieldwork consisted of including a 5-item measure of religiosity15 and a 12-item spirituality instrument in a 36-month health service utilization, health status, and functional status learn among 492 outpatients of a VA and HMO ne bothrk, all residents of the Kansas City metropolitan area.The authors were remiss in non formally articulating their hypotheses for the study though one gleans that the alternative hypothesis could have stated, Structured religion, a deep awareness of spirituality, mental status and mobility, and personal and demographic variables materially influence measures of health status and physical functioning.In the end, the data was subjected to univariate and multivariate best-fit statistics. The key findingsTable 2. Predictors of Self-Reported Good HealthStatus (N = 277)Factor*Unadjusted OR (95% CLAdjusted OR (95% CI)Age0.94(0.890.99)Male0.72(0.411.25)White race2.79(1.515.17)3.32(1.338.30)Grade school0.1(0.020.49)Some high school0.28(0.061.44)High school graduate0.24(0.051.14)Technical/business school0.29(0.061.43)Some college0.31(0.061.49)not depressed (GDS)32.4(4.03261)Physical functioning(SF36-PFI)1.04(1.031.05)1.03(1.011.04)Quality of life (EuroQol)1.69(1.412.01)1.36(1.091.70)religiousism (NORC)0.93(0.851.02)Spirituality (SIWB)1.15(1.101.21)1.09(1.021.16)OR = odds ratio CI = confi dence interval GDS = Geriatric Depression Scale SF36-PFI= Physical Functioning Index from SF-36 NORC = National Opinion interrogation CenterSIWB = Spirituality Index of Well-Being.*R eferent factors age-1 year younger female, nonwhite college graduate GDS score of0-9 PFI-index of 1 little EuroQol-score of 0.1 less SIWB-score of 1 less. P = .01. P = NS. P .01. P .05.After adjusting for all covariates, the authors tentatively reason out that spirituality was an important explanatory factor for perceptions of ones own physical public assistance. That religiosity did not seem statistically relevant, the authors concede, could be due to having defined the variable partly as attendance at religious services, a behavior possible only if the patient was functional and ambulant. Still, the authors argue, they did include other measures of religiosity and the regression model did hold being functional constant.While the study did establish a kin between self-perceptions of health and spirituality, the authors themselves point out the possibility that the two variables are not independent. The conceptual mannikin of the SIWB spirituality measure includes a high degree of collateral intentionality, which strikes one as very identical to health optimism as independent variable.Article 2 Religious grapple and psychological functioning in a correctional populationLonczak, Clifasefi1, Marlatt, Blume, . Donovan tested the relationship among religious facts of life, header and mental health outcomes in the admittedly- disagreeable prison environment.This time, the authors do not mince words. They preface the literature review with the majoritys stamp in God (or some higher being) as the core formula of religiosity. Second, they point out that two separate meta-analysis carried out in 1983 and 2003 showed mixed results for a relationship between religiosity and coping. Perhaps, they argue, this is because religious coping has negative-coping aspects, such as the conviction that all ones troubles are due to abandonment by God.Since a search of the literature had revealed only one study concerning prisoners the positive effect of meditation on rec idivism psychological symptoms in India Lonczak et al. thought to embark on this study of a neglected population. Secondly, the authors hoped to advance system by defining religious coping more specifically than had ever been done.There were multiple hypotheses go to this studyThat the high degree of stress undergo by prisoners triggers an increase in religious coping behaviors (e.g., prayer, reading, spirituality, attendance in religious activities, etc.).That the positive coping encouraged by religiosity brings about powderpuff and solace and hence increases the likelihood of adaptive outcomes.That a religious upbringing provides individuals a repertoire of positive coping behaviors from which to draw strength.Coming to data processing and statistical tests, Longczak et al. employed principal component analyses using Varimax rotation. The result was a four-factor model with their respective Cronbach alpha reliability estimatesSpirituality (0.97)Good deeds and quick particip ation in coping related activities (0.89)Pleading (0.83) and,Discontentment (0.74).In addition, the researchers administered the Brief Symptom lineage to measure four dimensions depression, anxiety, somatization and hostility.At the first stage of analysis, relationships between religiosity on one put across and either gender or ethnic group on the other were tested for in bivariate correlations, t-tests, ANOVAs, or chi square tests.Subsequently analyses involved four hierarchical linear regressions (one for each outcome) including both gender and stressful life events by each of the five religion measures. In order to examine the relationships between religion-focused predictors and outcomes with and without separate statistical adjustment for sociodemographic variables, variables were processed in a given sequence (below) and non-significant call removed from later analyses.Religious upbringing, participation, spirituality, pleading and discontentment in the first blockGender, ethnic group, age, education, and stressful life events in the second block and,Interaction terms in the third and fourth blocks.The findings provided turn out for the hypothesis that an upbringing characterized by formal or structured religion has positive mental health ramifications, including less depression and hostility. Secondly, women are more adversely affected by discontentment-based coping. Religious pleading notwithstanding, thirdly, prisoners who had experienced stressful life events were more likely to evince depression and hostility.Article 4 Effect of religion on suicide attempts in outpatients with schizophrenia or schizo-affective disorders compared with inpatients with non-psychotic disordersHuguelet et al. also focused on religion, this time in relation to psychosis and, specifically the propensity to suicide. Among the 115 patients with schizophrenia or schizo-affective disorders covered by the study, 43% had antecedently attempted suicide. Broadly speaking, the team wished to find out whether religion was a protective or do factor in these suicide attempts.Suicide deserves attention, the authors maintained, because over 9 in 10 suicides are attach to by a diagnosis of psychiatric illness. Over the lifetime of a schizophrenic, in particular, meta-analysis has shown a 0.049 chance of death by suicide.Given the importance of reducing suicidal behavior, it seemed encouraging that spirituality and religious activities had break the risk. Prior research on piety and spirituality had suggested that the coping mechanisms could involve both a more positive world view and a shield against stress.HYPOTHESIS AND STATISTICAL ANALYSISNo relationship could be found for religiousness and the tendency to attempt suicide. Twenty-five percent of all the study subjects acknowledged that religion inhibited them from considering suicide versus only one in ten that articulated an incentive function for religion.Overview of FindingsThe four articles explore d different facets of spirituality and religiosity. Daaleman, Perrera and Studenski related spirituality to health perceptions. Lonczak et al.turned their attention to whether a religious upbringing helped adults cope better with a stressful environment, imprisonment in this case. In the case of Huguelet et al., the question was whether fork over religious beliefs encouraged suicide or strengthened coping mechanisms for resisting self-destructive compulsions.After adjusting for all covariates, Daaleman, Perrera and Studenski tentatively concluded that spirituality was an important explanatory factor for perceptions of ones own physical well-being. Religiosity was not a factor, for reasons already explained. One doubts this will be the last word on the matter, however, since the study lacked rigor.Nonetheless, the finding about spirituality is helpful given that therapy is a way of expanding awareness and identity. As well, Transactional digest recognizes the spiritual dimension of each person as an important part of the therapeutic process (Trautman, 2003). On the other hand, one realizes the limitations of analyzing spirituality vis--vis health perception when the two variables overlap, at least on the aspect of optimism.One is therefore led to wonder, might it not advance therapy theory and praxis if a) Spirituality and religiosity were qualitatively tested as a compound, unified variable and, b) Health-related research include objective measures of well-being as the realistic dependent variable?For Lonczak et al. the implications for counseling have more to do with discontent and religious pleading. Counseling might address the roots and implications of religious distress and assist patients in developing more adaptive coping strategies. Notwithstanding the focus on a tightly defined population segment (older adults jailed for alcohol- and drug-related offenses), the authors are correct to point out the immense social good clinicians and prison administr ators could encourage if low-cost religious or spirituality-enhancing programs did contribute to significant reductions in behavior management problems, psychological impairment, and posterior recidivism.Similarly, the findings of Huguelet et al. suggest that suicide rates among psychotic patients could well be reduced if therapy embraced reinforcement or revivification of religious beliefs.ReferencesTrautmann, R. (2003) Psychotherapy and spirituality. Transactional Analysis Journal, 33, (1) 32-36.