Religious Coping Methods as Predictors of Psychological, Physical and Spiritual Outcomes among Medically Ill Elderly Patients: A Two-year Longitudinal Study
Abstract
A total of 268 medically ill, elderly, hospitalized patients responded to measures of religious coping and spiritual, psychological and physical functioning at baseline and follow-up two years later. After controlling for relevant variables, religious coping was significantly predictive of spiritual outcome, and changes in mental and physical health. Generally, positive methods of religious coping (e.g. seeking spiritual support, benevolent religious reappraisals) were associated with improvements in health. Negative methods of religious coping (e.g. punishing God reappraisal, interpersonal religious discontent) were predictive of declines in health. Patients who continue to struggle with religious issues over time may be particularly at risk for health-related problems.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
Inter-rater agreement on whether study quality was low or high was kappa = 0.49, indicating good agreement.
“The kappa of agreement (κ) between the two raters was 0.49 (where kappas of 0.40 to 0.75 indicate good agreement [26]).”
From Religion, Spirituality, and Health: The Research and Clinical Implications (2012) · cites this paper as [26]
Of the 178 highest-rigor studies on R/S and depression, 119 (67%) reported inverse relationships and 13 (7%) found positive relationships with depression.
“Of the 178 studies with the highest methodological rigor, 119 (67%) reported inverse relationships [124–135] and 13 (7%) found positive relationships with depression [136–148].”
From Religion, Spirituality, and Health: The Research and Clinical Implications (2012) · cites this paper as [133]
Considering the 33 highest quality studies, 13 (39%) reported significantly better physical functioning among those who were more R/S (including one study at a trend level).
“Considering the 33 highest quality studies, 13 (39%) reported significantly better physical functioning among those who were more R/S (including one study at a trend level) [483–495], six (18%) found worse functioning [496–501], and five studies (15%) reported mixed results [82, 124, 502–504] (significant positive and negative associations, depending on R/S characteristic).”
From Religion, Spirituality, and Health: The Research and Clinical Implications (2012) · cites this paper as [489]
Cites
Folstein, M. F., Folstein, S. E., & McHugh, P. R. (1975) · Journal of Psychiatric Research · doi:10.1016/0022-3956(75)90026-6 · Cited by 88,282 · see citing works
Sample Selection Bias as a Specification Error
Heckman, J. J. (1979) · Econometrica · doi:10.2307/1912352 · Cited by 28,779 · see citing works
Limited-Dependent and Qualitative Variables in Econometrics
Maddala, G. S. (1983) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/cbo9780511810176 · Cited by 13,268 · see citing works
Journal of personality and social psychology
Armstrong, J. (1988) · International Journal of Forecasting · doi:10.1016/0169-2070(88)90126-4 · Cited by 10,544 · see citing works
Handbook of Religion and Health
Koenig, H. G., McCullough, M. E., & Larson, D. B. (2004) · American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry · doi:10.1097/00019442-200405000-00015 · Cited by 3,262 · see citing works
Self-citationHandbook of Religion and Health
Koenig, H., McCullough, M., & Larson, D. (2001) · doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195118667.001.0001 · Cited by 2,581 · see citing works
Self-citationPatterns of Positive and Negative Religious Coping with Major Life Stressors
Pargament, K. I., Smith, B. W., Koenig, H. G., & Perez, L. (1998) · Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion · doi:10.2307/1388152 · Cited by 2,425 · see citing works
Self-citationKatz, S. (1963) · JAMA · doi:10.1001/jama.1963.03060120024016 · Cited by 2,421 · see citing works
The psychology of religion and coping : theory, research, practice
Pargament, K. (1998) · Review of Religious Research · doi:10.2307/3512468 · Cited by 1,680 · see citing works
Self-citationNew classification of physical status
Dripps, R. B. (1963) · Anesthesiology · Cited by 1,678 · see citing works
Assessment and Prediction of Stress‐Related Growth
Park, C. L., Cohen, L. H., & Murch, R. L. (1996) · Journal of Personality · doi:10.1111/j.1467-6494.1996.tb00815.x · Cited by 1,569 · see citing works
Measuring the quality of life of cancer patients
Spitzer, W. O., Dobson, A. J., Hall, J. P., Chesterman, E., Levi, J. A., Shepherd, R., Battista, R. N., & Catchlove, B. R. (1981) · Journal of Chronic Diseases · doi:10.1016/0021-9681(81)90058-8 · Cited by 1,521 · see citing works
Religious involvement and mortality: A meta-analytic review.
McCullough, M. E., Hoyt, W. T., Larson, D. B., Koenig, H. G., & Thoresen, C. E. (2000) · Health Psychology · doi:10.1037/0278-6133.19.3.211 · Cited by 1,088 · see citing works
Self-citationStages of Faith: The Psychology of Human Development and the Quest for Meaning
Hoehn, R. A., & Fowler, J. W. (1983) · Review of Religious Research · doi:10.2307/3511314 · Cited by 917 · see citing works
Religion and the Problem-Solving Process: Three Styles of Coping
Pargäment, K. I., Kennell, J., Hathaway, W. L., Grevengoed, N., Newman, J. S., & Jones, W. (1988) · Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion · doi:10.2307/1387404 · Cited by 883 · see citing works
TARGET ARTICLE: Explaining the Relationships Between Religious Involvement and Health
George, L. K., Ellison, C. G., & Larson, D. B. (2002) · Psychological Inquiry · doi:10.1207/s15327965pli1303_04 · Cited by 847 · see citing works
Pargament, K. I., Koenig, H. G., Tarakeshwar, N., & Hahn, J. (2001) · Archives of Internal Medicine · doi:10.1001/archinte.161.15.1881 · Cited by 759 · see citing works
Self-citationPargäment, K. I., Ensing, D. S., Falgout, K., Olsen, H., Reilly, B., Haitsma, K. S. V., & Warren, R. (1990) · American Journal of Community Psychology · doi:10.1007/bf00938065 · Cited by 717 · see citing works
Religious Coping and Health Status in Medically Ill Hospitalized Older Adults
Koenig, H. G., Pargäment, K. I., & NIELSEN, J. (1998) · The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease · doi:10.1097/00005053-199809000-00001 · Cited by 664 · see citing works
Self-citationReligiosity and remission of depression in medically ill older patients
Koenig, H. G., George, L. K., & Peterson, B. L. (1998) · American Journal of Psychiatry · doi:10.1176/ajp.155.4.536 · Cited by 658 · see citing works
Self-citationTARGET ARTICLE: The Bitter and the Sweet: An Evaluation of the Costs and Benefits of Religiousness
Pargäment, K. I. (2002) · Psychological Inquiry · doi:10.1207/s15327965pli1303_02 · Cited by 606 · see citing works
Religious coping and depression among elderly, hospitalized medically ill men
(1992) · American Journal of Psychiatry · doi:10.1176/ajp.149.12.1693 · Cited by 544 · see citing works
Fillenbaum, G. G. (1985) · Journal of the American Geriatrics Society · doi:10.1111/j.1532-5415.1985.tb01779.x · Cited by 511 · see citing works
The use of religious coping during stressful life events: Main effects, moderation, and mediation.
Tix, A. P., & Frazier, P. A. (1998) · Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology · doi:10.1037//0022-006x.66.2.411 · Cited by 475 · see citing works
Propst, L. R., Ostrom, R., Watkins, P., & Dean, T. (1992) · Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology · doi:10.1037//0022-006x.60.1.94 · Cited by 423 · see citing works
Worthington, E. L., Kurusu, T. A., McCullough, M. E., & Sandage, S. J. (1996) · Psychological Bulletin · doi:10.1037/0033-2909.119.3.448 · Cited by 376 · see citing works
The epidemiology of religious coping: a review of recent literature
Harrison, M. O., Koenig, H. G., Hays, J. C., Eme-Akwari, A. G., & Pargäment, K. I. (2001) · International Review of Psychiatry · doi:10.1080/09540260120037317 · Cited by 366 · see citing works
Self-citationThe use of religious coping during stressful life events: Main effects, moderation, and mediation.
Tix, A. P., & Frazier, P. A. (1998) · Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology · doi:10.1037/0022-006x.66.2.411 · Cited by 325 · see citing works
Assessing illness severity: Does clinical judgment work?
Charlson, M. E., Sax, F. L., MacKenzie, C. R., Fields, S. D., Braham, R. L., & Douglas, R. G. (1986) · Journal of Chronic Diseases · doi:10.1016/0021-9681(86)90111-6 · Cited by 294 · see citing works
Stages of Faith: The Psychology of Human Development and the Quest for Meaning
Ivy, S. S. (1982) · Journal of Pastoral Care · doi:10.1177/002234098203600408 · Cited by 284 · see citing works
Propst, L. R., Ostrom, R., Watkins, P. C., et al. (1992) · Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology · doi:10.1037/0022-006x.60.1.94 · Cited by 283 · see citing works
Park, C. L., Cohen, L. H., & Herb, L. (1990) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037//0022-3514.59.3.562 · Cited by 279 · see citing works
Merely a Defense? The Variety of Religious Means and Ends
Pargäment, K. I., & Park, C. L. (1995) · Journal of Social Issues · doi:10.1111/j.1540-4560.1995.tb01321.x · Cited by 244 · see citing works
The role of religion in medical rehabilitation outcomes: A longitudinal study.
Fitchett, G. A., Rybarczyk, B. D., DeMarco, G. A., & Nicholas, J. J. (1999) · Rehabilitation Psychology · doi:10.1037/0090-5550.44.4.333 · Cited by 238 · see citing works
Exline, J. J., Yali, A. M., & Lobel, M. (1999) · Journal of Health Psychology · doi:10.1177/135910539900400306 · Cited by 225 · see citing works
The epidemiology of religious coping: a review of recent literature
Harrison, M. O., Koenig, H. G., Hays, J. C., et al. (2001) · International Review of Psychiatry · doi:10.1080/09540260124356 · Cited by 190 · see citing works
Self-citationRe-creating your life: a spiritual/psychotherapeutic intervention for people diagnosed with cancer
Cole, B. S., & Pargäment, K. I. (1999) · Psycho-Oncology · doi:10.1002/(sici)1099-1611(199909/10)8:5 · Cited by 160 · see citing works
Methods of Religious Coping with the Gulf War: Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Analyses
Pargäment, K. I., Ishler, K. J., Dubow, E. F., Stanik, P., Rouiller, R., Crowe, P., Cullman, E. P., Albert, M., & Royster, B. J. T. (1994) · Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion · doi:10.2307/1386494 · Cited by 152 · see citing works
Research on religion-accomodative counseling: Review and meta-analysis.
McCullough, M. E. (1999) · Journal of Counseling Psychology · doi:10.1037/0022-0167.46.1.92 · Cited by 138 · see citing works
Religious Coping with Chronic Pain
Bush, E. G., Rye, M. S., Brant, C. R., Emery, E., Pargament, K. I., & Riessinger, C. A. (1999) · Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback · doi:10.1023/a:1022234913899 · Cited by 121 · see citing works
The Role of Religion in Coping with the Loss of a Family Member to Homicide
Thompson, M. P., & Vardaman, P. J. (1997) · Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion · doi:10.2307/1387881 · Cited by 105 · see citing works
Religious Activity Improves Life Satisfaction for Some Physicians and Older Patients
Ayele, H., Mulligan, T., Gheorghiu, S., & Ortíz, C. (1999) · Journal of the American Geriatrics Society · doi:10.1111/j.1532-5415.1999.tb07238.x · Cited by 99 · see citing works
A Brief Depression Scale for Use in the Medically Ill
Koenig, H. G., Cohen, H. J., Blazer, D. G., Meador, K. G., & Westlund, R. E. (1992) · The International Journal of Psychiatry in Medicine · doi:10.2190/m1f5-f40p-c4kd-ypa3 · Cited by 99 · see citing works
Self-citationGod and the Search for Meaning Among Hospice Caregivers
Mickley, J. R., Pargäment, K. I., Brant, C. R., & Hipp, K. M. (1998) · The Hospice Journal · doi:10.1080/0742-969x.1998.11882904 · Cited by 98 · see citing works
Religiosity, Religious Coping, and Distress
Alferi, S. M., Culver, J. L., Carver, C. S., Arena, P. L., & Antoni, M. H. (1999) · Journal of Health Psychology · doi:10.1177/135910539900400304 · Cited by 96 · see citing works
The Vigil: Religion and the Search for Control in the Hospital Waiting Room
Pargäment, K. I., Cole, B. S., VandeCreek, L., Belavich, T. G., Brant, C. R., & Perez, L. (1999) · Journal of Health Psychology · doi:10.1177/135910539900400303 · Cited by 88 · see citing works
God and the Search for Meaning Among Hospice Caregivers
Mickley, J. R. (1998) · The Hospice Journal · doi:10.1300/j011v13n04_01 · Cited by 48 · see citing works
The prospect and purpose of locating community research and action in religious settings
Kloos, B., & Moore, T. (2000) · Journal of Community Psychology · doi:10.1002/(sici)1520-6629(200003)28:2 · Cited by 45 · see citing works
AN ABBREVIATED MINI‐MENTAL STATE EXAM FOR MEDICALLY ILL OLDER ADULTS
Koenig, H. G. (1996) · Journal of the American Geriatrics Society · doi:10.1111/j.1532-5415.1996.tb02449.x · Cited by 43 · see citing works
Self-citationFerraro, K. F., & Kelley‐Moore, J. A. (2001) · Review of Religious Research · doi:10.2307/3512568 · Cited by 22 · see citing works
Flammability of Fluoromar in the Circle Absorption System
Gramling, Z. W., & Volpitto, P. P. (1963) · Anesthesiology · doi:10.1097/00000542-196303000-00006 · Cited by 21 · see citing works
Eriksson, P., & Räsänen, K. (1998) · European Journal of Marketing · doi:10.1108/03090569810204562 · Cited by 15 · see citing works
Wills, W., Trieman, N., & Leff, J. (1998) · International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry · doi:10.1002/(sici)1099-1166(199804)13:4
Flagged first, then by citations
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Religion, Spirituality, and Health: The Research and Clinical Implications
Koenig, H. G. (2012) · ISRN Psychiatry · doi:10.5402/2012/278730 · Cited by 2,423 · see citing works
“These include people dealing with general medical illness [28, 29], chronic pain [30], kidney disease [31], diabetes [32, 33], pulmonary disease [34], cancer [35, 36], blood disorders [37], heart/cardiovascular diseases [38, 39], dental [40] or vision [41] problems, neurological disorders [42],…”
BackgroundSelf-citationGriffiths, R. R., Johnson, M. W., Carducci, M. A., Umbricht, A., Richards, W. A., Richards, B. D., Cosimano, M. P., & Klinedinst, M. A. (2016) · Journal of Psychopharmacology · doi:10.1177/0269881116675513 · Cited by 2,201 · see citing works
“, 2002) assessed on how the participant felt “on average”; Spiritual-Religious Outcome Scale, a threeitem measure used to assess spiritual and religious changes during illness (Pargament et al., 2004); and Faith Maturity Scale, a 12-item scale assessing the degree to which a person’s priorities and perspectives align…”
BackgroundResearch on Religion, Spirituality, and Mental Health: A Review
Koenig, H. G. (2009) · The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry · doi:10.1177/070674370905400502 · Cited by 1,442 · see citing works
Self-citationPuchalski, C. M., Vitillo, R., Hull, S. K., & Reller, N. (2014) · Journal of Palliative Medicine · doi:10.1089/jpm.2014.9427 · Cited by 1,108 · see citing works
Prati, G., & Pietrantoni, L. (2009) · Journal of Loss and Trauma · doi:10.1080/15325020902724271 · Cited by 978 · see citing works
Lazarus and Folkman's Psychological Stress and Coping Theory
Biggs, A., Brough, P., & Drummond, S. (2017) · The Handbook of Stress and Health · doi:10.1002/9781118993811.ch21 · Cited by 780 · see citing works
The varieties of self-transcendent experience
Yaden, D. B., Haidt, J., Hood, R. W., Vago, D. R., & Newberg, A. B. (2017) · Review of General Psychology · doi:10.1037/gpr0000102 · Cited by 701 · see citing works
Religiousness and mental health: a review
Moreira-Almeida, A., Lotufo Neto, F., & Koenig, H. G. (2006) · Revista Brasileira de Psiquiatria · doi:10.1590/s1516-44462006005000006 · Cited by 835 · see citing works
Self-citationPositive and negative religious coping and well-being in women with breast cancer
Hebert, R., Zdaniuk, B., Schulz, R., & Scheier, M. (2009) · Journal of Palliative Medicine · doi:10.1089/jpm.2008.0250 · Cited by 285 · see citing works
Do patients want doctors to talk about spirituality? A systematic literature review
Best, M., Butow, P., & Olver, I. (2015) · Patient Education and Counseling · doi:10.1016/j.pec.2015.04.017 · Cited by 279 · see citing works
Trevino, K. M., Pargament, K. I., Cotton, S., Leonard, A. C., Hahn, J., Caprini-Faigin, C. A., & Tsevat, J. (2010) · AIDS and Behavior · doi:10.1007/s10461-007-9332-6 · Cited by 273 · see citing works
Self-citationReligion and spirituality in adjustment following bereavement: an integrative review.
Wortmann, J. H., & Park, C. L. (2008) · Death Studies · doi:10.1080/07481180802289507 · Cited by 267 · see citing works
Yanez, B., Edmondson, D., Stanton, A. L., Park, C. L., Kwan, L., Ganz, P. A., & Blank, T. O. (2009) · Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology · doi:10.1037/a0015820 · Cited by 223 · see citing works
Does negative religious coping accompany, precede, or follow depression among Orthodox Jews?
Pirutinsky, S., Rosmarin, D. H., Pargament, K. I., & Midlarsky, E. (2011) · Journal of Affective Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.jad.2011.03.015 · Cited by 144 · see citing works
Mangelsdorf, J., Eid, M., & Luhmann, M. (2019) · Psychological Bulletin · doi:10.1037/bul0000173 · Cited by 120 · see citing works
Blumenthal, J. A., Babyak, M. A., Ironson, G., Thoresen, C., Powell, L., Czajkowski, S., Burg, M., Keefe, F. J., Steffen, P., & Catellier, D. (2007) · Psychosomatic Medicine · doi:10.1097/psy.0b013e3180cab76c · Cited by 119 · see citing works
Trevino, K. M., Balboni, M., Zollfrank, A., Balboni, T., & Prigerson, H. G. (2014) · Psycho-Oncology · doi:10.1002/pon.3505 · Cited by 116 · see citing works
Religious Coping and Cancer: Proposing an Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Approach
Karekla, M., & Constantinou, M. (2010) · Cognitive and Behavioral Practice · doi:10.1016/j.cbpra.2009.08.003 · Cited by 99 · see citing works
Spiritual coping and adjustment in adolescents with chronic illness: a 2-year prospective study
Reynolds, N., Mrug, S., Hensler, M., Guion, K., & Madan-Swain, A. (2014) · Journal of Pediatric Psychology · doi:10.1093/jpepsy/jsu011 · Cited by 97 · see citing works
Does spirituality as a coping mechanism help or hinder coping with chronic pain?
Wachholtz, A. B., & Pearce, M. J. (2009) · Current Pain and Headache Reports · doi:10.1007/s11916-009-0022-0 · Cited by 95 · see citing works
Trauma and PTSD symptoms: Does spiritual struggle mediate the link?
Wortmann, J. H., Park, C. L., & Edmondson, D. (2011) · Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy · doi:10.1037/a0021413 · Cited by 93 · see citing works
Reyes-Ortiz, C. A., Berges, I. M., Raji, M. A., Koenig, H. G., Kuo, Y.-F., & Markides, K. S. (2008) · The Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences · doi:10.1093/gerona/63.5.480 · Cited by 85 · see citing works
Self-citationReligious Beliefs Affect Grieving After Pregnancy Loss
Cowchock, F. S., Lasker, J. N., Toedter, L. J., Skumanich, S. A., & Koenig, H. G. (2010) · Journal of Religion and Health · doi:10.1007/s10943-009-9277-3 · Cited by 74 · see citing works
Self-citationReligiousness and spirituality in fibromyalgia and chronic pain patients
Moreira-Almeida, A., & Koenig, H. G. (2008) · Current Pain and Headache Reports · doi:10.1007/s11916-008-0055-9 · Cited by 61 · see citing works
Self-citationLa religion en prison: Norme structurante, réhabilitation de soi, stratégie de résistance
Sarg, R., & Lamine, A.-S. (2011) · Archives de sciences sociales des religions · doi:10.4000/assr.22761 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
Cultural Predictors of Resilience in a Multinational Sample of Trauma Survivors
Raghavan, S. S., & Sandanapitchai, P. (2019) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00131 · Cited by 47 · see citing works
Correlate of burden and coping ability of caregivers of older adults with chronic illness in Nigeria
Faronbi, J. O. (2018) · Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences · doi:10.1111/scs.12572 · Cited by 33 · see citing works
Talik, E. B. (2013) · Journal of Religion and Health · doi:10.1007/s10943-011-9464-x · Cited by 23 · see citing works
Narayanan, S., Milbury, K., Wagner, R., & Cohen, L. (2020) · Journal of Pain and Symptom Management · doi:10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2020.04.029 · Cited by 17 · see citing works
McKenzie, L. E., Polur, R. N., Wesley, C., Allen, J. D., McKeown, R. E., & Zhang, J. (2013) · International Journal of Social Psychiatry · doi:10.1177/0020764012463302 · Cited by 14 · see citing works
- Authors
- Pargament, K. I., Koenig, H. G., Tarakeshwar, N., & Hahn, J.
- Affiliations
- Bowling Green State University, USA
- Duke Medical Center (US)
- Bowling Green State University (US)
- Procter & Gamble (United States) (US)
- ORCID
- Koenig, Harold G.
- Venue
- Journal of Health Psychology
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2004-11
- Volume
- 9
- Issue
- 6
- Pages
- 713-730
- ISSN
- 1359-1053 (ISSN-L)
- 1461-7277
- OpenAlex
- W1981610704
- Cited by
- 912
- References
- 55
- Citations by year
- 2026: 15 · 2025: 35 · 2024: 40 · 2023: 78 · 2022: 30 · 2021: 59 · 2020: 97 · 2019: 67 · 2018: 48 · 2017: 37 · 2016: 42 · 2015: 42 · 2014: 46 · 2013: 47 · 2012: 41
- FWCI
- 13.96
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Health Psychology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (R24HD050959)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Health › Religion, Spirituality, and Psychology
- Social Sciences › Demography › Workplace Spirituality and Leadership
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Oncology › Cancer survivorship and care
- Keywords
- religious coping
- MeSH terms
- Adaptation, Psychological, Aged, Female, Follow-Up Studies, Health Status, Humans, Male, Motor Activity, Surveys and Questionnaires, Religion and Psychology, Spirituality
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
