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Cited by 91Religion, Spirituality, and PsychologyMindfulness and Compassion InterventionsWorkplace Spirituality and Leadership

Effects of faith/assurance on cortisol levels are enhanced by a spiritual mantram intervention in adults with HIV: A randomized trial

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Bormann, Jill E., Aschbacher, Kirstin, Wetherell, Julie L., Roesch, Scott, Redwine, Laura·2009·Journal of Psychosomatic Research
DOI 10.1016/j.jpsychores.2008.09.017PMC PMC2760973
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Abstract

Objectives Previous research among HIV-infected individuals suggests that spiritual well-being is inversely related to psychological distress and rates of disease progression. Use of a mantram, a spiritual word or phrase repeated frequently and silently throughout the day, has been associated with decreased psychological distress and increased spiritual well-being. This study compared the effects of 2 interventions-a spiritually-based mantram intervention versus an attention-matched control group-on faith/assurance and average salivary cortisol levels among HIV-infected individuals.Methods Using a randomized design, HIV-infected adults were assigned to the intervention (n = 36) or control condition (n = 35). Faith scores and saliva (collected at 7 a.m., 11 a.m., 4 p.m., and 9 p.m.) were assessed at preintervention, postintervention, and 5-week follow-up. Path analyses tested competing models that specify both concurrent and sequential relationships between faith and average daily cortisol levels while comparing groups.Results Faith levels increased among mantram participants from pre- to postintervention. Greater faith at preintervention was significantly associated with lower average cortisol at postintervention in the mantram group but not in the controls. The associations between faith at postintervention and cortisol levels at 5-week follow-up were significant among both groups but weaker than the pre- to postintervention association identified in the mantram group.Conclusions These results suggest the presence of lagged or antecedent consequent relationships between faith and cortisol, which may be enhanced by mantram use. Decreased cortisol could potentially benefit immune functioning among HIV-infected individuals.

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  • Stress hormones (cortisol, epinephrine, and norepinephrine) have a known influence on immune and cardiovascular functions and are important factors on the pathway between R/S involvement and health.

    “Because stress hormones (cortisol, epinephrine, and norepinephrine) have a known influence on immune (and cardiovascular) functions, they are important factors on the pathway between R/S involvement and health [455, 456].”

    From Religion, Spirituality, and Health: The Research and Clinical Implications (2012) · cites this paper as [455]

    The Introduction (page unavailable) says cortisol can affect immune functioning in people with HIV, and the Discussion links faith with subsequent cortisol levels and suggests that reducing stress hormones may benefit health. The paper does not establish the claimed immune or cardiovascular effects for epinephrine and norepinephrine, nor does it establish this pathway for R/S involvement and health generally. (LLM, conf=0.86)

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3 of the 80 references couldn’t be matched to a known paper.

Research works printed but not linked: 3

  1. [46]Easwaran E The mantram handbook 2001 Nilgiri Press Tomales, CA 4th ed.
  2. [55]Mytko J Knight SJ Body, mind and spirit: Towards the integration of religiosity and spirituality in cancer quality of life research Psychooncology 1999 8 439 450 10559803
  3. [61]Satorra A Bentler PM Scaling corrections for chi-square statistics in covariance structure analysis Journal of Business and Economic Statistics 1998 1 301 313

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Authors
Bormann, J. E., Aschbacher, K., Wetherell, J. L., Roesch, S., & Redwine, L.
Affiliations
  • San Diego State University (US)
  • University of California San Diego (US)
Corresponding author
Bormann, Jill E.
ORCID
Venue
Journal of Psychosomatic Research
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2009-02
Volume
66
Issue
2
Pages
161-171
ISSN
0022-3999 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/j.jpsychores.2008.09.017
PMC
PMC2760973
OpenAlex
W2009354135
Cited by
91
References
80
Citations by year
2026: 2 · 2024: 1 · 2023: 42 · 2022: 2 · 2021: 3 · 2020: 2 · 2019: 3 · 2018: 3 · 2017: 3 · 2016: 3 · 2015: 2 · 2014: 8 · 2013: 2 · 2012: 5
FWCI
3.54
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
www.elsevier.com/tdm/userlicense/1.0/ (tdm)
Locations
  • Journal of Psychosomatic Research (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
  • National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (5P30 AI 36214, P30AI036214)
  • National Center for Research Resources (M01RR008, M01RR000827)
  • National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (R21AT001159, R21AT01159-01A1)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Health › Religion, Spirituality, and Psychology
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Mindfulness and Compassion Interventions
  • Social Sciences › Demography › Workplace Spirituality and Leadership
Keywords
faith, salivary cortisol, HIV infection, spiritual well-being, psychological distress, stress response, immune function
MeSH terms
Adaptation, Psychological, Adult, Female, Follow-Up Studies, Humans, Hydrocortisone, Male, Middle Aged, Religion and Psychology, Time Factors, HIV Infections, Treatment Outcome, Mind-Body Therapies, Spiritual Therapies, Spirituality

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