Psychological Outcomes of Religiosity in the Elderly

Three components of religiosity- organizational religious involvement, nonorganizational religious involvement, and subjective religiosity- were examined for effects on wellbeing, depression, and coping in an elderly sample. A multiple regression analysis, in which demographic variables were controlled for, did not result in any significant findings. The lack of statistically significant findings conflict with a large body of research on religion and psychosocial and health outcomes. The current findings suggest that while traditional religious involvement may be beneficial to those who participate, this involvement does not account for significantly increased well-being, better coping, and less depression for the individuals of this elderly sample. One possibility for the lack of significant results with this sample may be due to the large number of this sample, eighty eight percent, who considered themselves to be fairly to very religious. This lack of diversity within the sample may have hindered significant results from surfacing. The lack of significant findings may highlight a need for two improvements in this research area: the development of measures designed to tap into a more "spiritual" component of individuals (as distinguished from religious practices) and the study of effects of more unconventional forms of religious involvement such as among individuals who seek spiritual direction from less traditional perspectives.