Religion, Disability, Depression, and the Timing of Death
Abstract
Despite its importance in Durkheim's work, the subject of religion's influence on health and well-being is rarely addressed in contemporary sociological research. This study of elderly persons in New Haven, Connecticut, examines the prospective relationship between religious involvement and several aspects of health status. Results show significant protective effects of public religious in volvement against disability among men and women and of private religious involvement against depression among recently disabled men over a three-year period. Religious group membership also protected Christians and Jews against mortality in the month before their respective religious holidays during a six-year period. The article concludes that religious involvement exerts a strong positive effect on the health of the elderly; that this effect varies by religious group and by sex; that the health behaviors, social contacts, and optimistic attitudes of religious group members may explain part but not all of this association; and that several aspects of religious experience, such as participation in ritual and religion's provision of meaning play a role.
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Among the 10 highest quality studies on R/S and forgiveness, seven (70%) reported greater forgiveness among more R/S.
“Among the 10 highest quality studies, seven (70%) reported greater forgiveness among the more R/S [116–119], a finding that recent research has supported [120].”
From Religion, Spirituality, and Health: The Research and Clinical Implications (2012) · cites this paper as [120]
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- Authors
- Idler, E. L., & Kasl, S. V.
- Affiliations
- Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey (US)
- ORCID
- Idler, Ellen L.
- Venue
- American Journal of Sociology
- Publisher
- University of Chicago Press
- Published
- 1992-01
- Volume
- 97
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 1052-1079
- ISSN
- 0002-9602 (ISSN-L)
- 1537-5390
- OpenAlex
- W1995369096
- Cited by
- 385
- References
- 27
- Citations by year
- 2026: 5 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 45 · 2022: 4 · 2021: 3 · 2020: 7 · 2019: 4 · 2018: 4 · 2017: 6 · 2016: 7 · 2015: 6 · 2014: 8 · 2013: 14 · 2012: 11
- FWCI
- 8.77
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- American Journal of Sociology (publishedVersion)
- DigitalGeorgetown (Georgetown University Library) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Health › Religion, Spirituality, and Psychology
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Religion and Society Interactions
- Social Sciences › Health › Health disparities and outcomes
- Keywords
- religion and health, religious involvement, disability, depression, mortality, older adults, religious holidays, religious group membership, sex differences, ritual participation, meaning in life, Émile Durkheim
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