Religiosity may help preserve the cortisol rhythm in women with stress-related illness.

Objective: Fibromyalgia has been characterized as a basic disorder of endocrine stress responses in which psychological stress has been linked both with etiology and symptom severity. This study investigated associations of religiosity and spirituality with psychological and physiological (endocrine) measures of stress in a sample of women with fibromyalgia.

Method: Ninety-one participants provided self-reports of religiosity and spirituality using the Duke University Religion Index (DUREL) and the Index of Core Spiritual Experiences (INSPIRIT).