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Cited by 251Religion, Spirituality, and PsychologyReligion and Society InteractionsHealth disparities and outcomes

Attendance at Religious Services, Interleukin-6, and other Biological Parameters of Immune Function in Older Adults

Koenig, Harold G., Cohen, Harvey Jay, George, Linda K., Hays, Judith C., Larson, David B., Blazer, Dan G.·1997·The International Journal of Psychiatry in Medicine
DOI 10.2190/40nf-q9y2-0gg7-4wh6
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Abstract

Objective: First, to examine and explain the relationship between religious service attendance and plasma Interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels, and second, to examine the relationship between religious attendance and other immune-system regulators and inflammatory substances. Methods: During the third in-person interview (1992) of the Establishment of Populations for Epidemiologic Studies of the Elderly (EPESE) project, Duke site, 1718 subjects age sixty-five or over had blood drawn for analysis of immune regulators and inflammatory factors, including IL-6 measurements. IL-6 was examined both as a continuous variable and at a cutoff of 5 pg/ml. Information on attendance at religious services was available from the 1992 interview and two prior interviews (1986 and 1989). Results: Religious attendance was inversely related to high IL-6 levels (> 5 pg/ml), but not to IL-6 measured as a continuous variable. Bivariate analyses revealed that high religious attendance in 1989 predicted a lower proportion of subjects with high IL-6 in 1992 (beta −.10, p = .01). High religious attendance in 1992 also predicted a lower proportion of subjects with high IL-6 levels in 1992 (beta −.14, p = .0005). When age, sex, race, education, chronic illnesses, and physical functioning were controlled, 1989 religious attendance weakened as a predictor of high IL-6 (beta −.07, p = .10), but 1992 religious attendance retained its effect (beta = −.10, p = .02). When religious attenders were compared to non- attenders, they were only about one-half as likely to have IL-6 levels greater than 5 ng/ml (OR 0.58, 95% CI 0.40–0.84, p < .005). Religious attendance was also related to lower levels of the immune-inflammatory markers alpha-2 globulin, fibrin d-dimers, polymorphonuclear leukocytes, and lymphocytes. While controlling for covariates weakened most of these relationships, adjusting analyses for depression and negative life events had little effect. Conclusions: There is a weak relationship between religious attendance and high IL-6 levels that could not be explained by other covariates, depression, or negative life events. This finding provides some support for the hypothesis that older adults who frequently attend religious services have healthier immune systems, although mechanism of effect remains unknown.

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  • Of the 14 highest-quality cognitive function studies, eight (57%) reported positive relationships and three (21%) reported negative relationships with cognitive function.

    “Of the 14 studies with the highest quality ratings, eight (57%) reported positive relationships [423–430] and three (21%) reported negative relationships with cognitive function [431–433].”

    From Religion, Spirituality, and Health: The Research and Clinical Implications (2012) · cites this paper as [429]

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Authors
Koenig, H. G., Cohen, H. J., George, L. K., Hays, J. C., Larson, D. B., & Blazer, D. G.
Affiliations
Duke Medical Center (US)
ORCID
Venue
The International Journal of Psychiatry in Medicine
Publisher
SAGE Publications
Published
1997-09
Volume
27
Issue
3
Pages
233-250
ISSN
  • 0033-278X (ISSN-L)
  • 0091-2174
  • 1541-3527
DOI
10.2190/40nf-q9y2-0gg7-4wh6
OpenAlex
W2169950097
Cited by
251
References
51
Citations by year
2026: 3 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 7 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 10 · 2021: 6 · 2020: 4 · 2019: 4 · 2018: 8 · 2017: 12 · 2016: 6 · 2015: 10 · 2014: 8 · 2013: 11 · 2012: 12
FWCI
9.23
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
journals.sagepub.com/page/policies/text-and-data-mining-license (tdm)
Locations
  • The International Journal of Psychiatry in Medicine (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
  • National Institutes of Health (5k07mh001138-02)
  • National Institute on Aging (N01‐AG12102)
  • National Institute of Mental Health (MH 01138)
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
religious service attendance, interleukin-6, immune function, inflammation, older adults, immune-inflammatory markers, fibrin D-dimer, alpha2-globulin, lymphocytes, polymorphonuclear leukocytes, depression, negative life events, religiosity and health, aging and immunity, physical function, race, sex differences
MeSH terms
Adaptation, Psychological, Adult, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Aging, Female, Humans, Male, Psychoneuroimmunology, Quality of Life, Religion and Psychology, Geriatric Assessment, Interleukin-6, Inflammation Mediators

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