Age differences in mental health from May through August 2020 among U.S. adults: trajectories and the role of pandemic, lifestyle, and social factors.

Using nationally representative data among U.S. adults, we assess age differences in changes in mental health both from 2018 to May 2020 and during the pandemic.

Religious Affiliation, Religious Service Attendance, and Mortality.

Very few studies have examined the effects of both religious affiliation and religiosity on mortality at the same time, and studies employing multiple dimensions of religiosity other than religious attendance are rare. Using the newly created General Social Survey-National Death Index data, our report contributes to the religion and mortality literature by examining religious affiliation and religiosity at the same time. Compared to Mainline Protestants, Catholics, Jews, and other religious groups have lower risk of death, but Black Protestants, Evangelical Protestants, and even those with no religious affiliation are not different from Mainline Protestants.

The general social survey-national death index: an innovative new dataset for the social sciences.

Background: Social epidemiology seeks in part to understand how social factors--ideas, beliefs, attitudes, actions, and social connections--influence health. However, national health datasets have not kept up with the evolving needs of this cutting-edge area in public health. Sociological datasets that do contain such information, in turn, provide limited health information.

Self-reported altruistic and reciprocal behaviors among homosexually and heterosexually experienced adults: implications for HIV/AIDS service organizations.

Prior studies find that gay men and lesbians volunteer in HIV/AIDS service organizations at high rates. However, no population-based study has investigated the mechanisms involved. Using data from the General Social Survey, a nationally representative biennial survey that in 2002 and 2004 interviewed 2031 sexually experienced adults, the authors examine levels of empathic concern, altruistic values, and the past year occurrence of altruistic and reciprocal behaviors among homosexually and exclusively heterosexually experienced adults.