Spirituality and Healthy Lifestyle Behaviors: Stress Counter-balancing Effects on the Well-being of Older Adults |
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Authors: | Gracie H Boswell Eva Kahana Peggye Dilworth-Anderson |
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Institution: | (1) Center for Aging & Diversity, Institute on Aging, The University of North Carolina, 720 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Chapel Hill, NC, USA;(2) Department of Sociology, Case Western Reserve University, 10900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44106-7124, USA |
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Abstract: | The goal of this study was to examine stress-ameliorating effects of religiosity, spirituality, and healthy lifestyle behaviors
on the stressful relationship of chronic illness and the subjective physical well-being of 221 older adults. We also investigated
whether the intervening variables functioned as coping behaviors and orientations or as adaptations in late life. Guided by
the stress paradigm, path analysis was used to assess these relationships in a stress suppressor model and a distress deterrent
model. No suppressor effects were found; however a number of distress deterrent relationships were detected. Spirituality,
physical activities, and healthy diet all contributed to higher subjective physical well-being, as counter-balancing effects,
in the distress deterrent model. The findings have implications for future research on the role of spirituality, religiosity
and lifestyle behaviors on the well-being of chronically ill older adults. Findings also support the need for studying different
dimensions of religiosity and spirituality in an effort to understand coping versus adaptation in behaviors and orientations.
Gracie H. Boswell, Ph.D., M.Ed. (Case Western Reserve University) and (M. Ed.- Kent State University). She is a Carolina Program
in Health and Aging Research Scientist at the Institute on Aging- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Her research
interests have been social gerontology and quality of life, emphasizing religiosity/spirituality.
Eva Kahana, Ph.D. (University of Chicago) is Pierce T. and Elizabeth D. Robson Professor of Humanities and Director of the
Elderly Care Research Center- Case Western Reserve University. Her research concentration has been the sociology of aging
(coping & stress and institutionalization).
Peggye Dilworth-Anderson, Ph.D. (Northwestern University) is Director- Center for Aging and Diversity, Institute on Aging,
Professor- School of Public Health, Department of Health Policy and Administration at University of North Carolina at Chapel
Hill. Her research interests have been caregiving and minority health disparities. |
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Keywords: | chronic illness related stressors healthy lifestyle behaviors religiosity spirituality physical well-being |
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