Gender Differences in Spiritual Experiences, Religious Practices, and Congregational Support for Individuals with Significant Health Conditions

TitleGender Differences in Spiritual Experiences, Religious Practices, and Congregational Support for Individuals with Significant Health Conditions
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2011
AuthorsReid-Arndt, SA, Smith, ML, Yoon, DP, Johnstone, B
Journal TitleJournal of Religion, Disability & Health
Volume15
Pages175–196
ISSN1522-8967
Abstract

This study sought to identify gender differences among medical patients for their spiritual/religious beliefs/practices and their associations with health. Patients {(N} = 168) completed the Brief Multidimensional Measure of {Religiousness/Spirituality} {(BMMRS)}, and {SF-36} general health perception {(GHP)} and general mental health {(GMH)} scales. No gender differences were found in endorsement of spiritual experiences, religious practices, or congregational support. For men, religious/spiritual coping significantly correlated with {GHP} and {GMH}, and religious support significantly correlated with {GMH.} For women, measures of spiritual experiences, religious practices, and congregational support were significantly correlated with {GMH}, but no significant correlations with {GHP} were noted. Regression analyses revealed that the interaction between gender and {BMMRS} was a significant predictor for {GMH} and {GHP.} Follow-up analyses suggested that for women, {GMH} was associated with religious/spiritual coping, religious support, daily spiritual experiences, forgiveness, and organizational religion. In contrast, {GHP} was only significantly predicted by religious support and only for men. Although no gender differences were noted in endorsement of religious/spiritual experiences/practices, gender differences in relationships between spirituality beliefs/practices and health may exist among individuals with chronic health issues.

URLhttp://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/15228967.2011.566792
DOI10.1080/15228967.2011.566792

Add new comment

Filtered HTML

  • Allowed HTML tags: <a> <em> <strong> <cite> <blockquote> <code> <ul> <ol> <li> <dl> <dt> <dd>
  • Lines and paragraphs break automatically.

Plain text

  • No HTML tags allowed.
  • Web page addresses and e-mail addresses turn into links automatically.
  • Lines and paragraphs break automatically.