Although several studies suggest that religious attendance is associated with better cognitive functioning in later life, researchers have generally failed to connect with any established life-course perspectives or theories of cognitive aging. Building on previous work, we examine the effects of life-course religious attendance on a range of cognitive functioning outcomes. We employ data from the religious life histories module of the 2016 Health and Retirement Study, a subsample of 516 adults aged 65 and older. Our key findings demonstrate that older adults who attended religious services for more of their life course tend to exhibit working memory and mental status and self-rated memory than older adults who attended less often. We contribute to previous research by reconceptualizing religious attendance as a cumulative life-course exposure, exploring the effects of religious attendance net of secular social engagement, and examining a wider range of cognitive functioning outcomes.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0164027520917059 | DOI Listing |
J Relig Health
January 2025
School of Social Work, Hadassah Academic College, Jerusalem, Israel.
Religious informal helpers may play a crucial role in recognizing and providing referrals to mental health professional for at-risk individuals, including those with mental illness, especially since members of religious communities tend to conceal their difficulties and to view religious leaders as a sole source of assistance. This quantitative study aimed to explore Jewish bathhouse attendants ("balaniyot") who assist women in their monthly immersion, a unique situation in which mental health symptoms (e.g.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTrop Med Infect Dis
December 2024
Sydney Children's Hospitals Network, Westmead, NSW 2145, Australia.
Mass gatherings are associated with the spread of communicable diseases. Some studies have suggested that acquisition of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) may be associated with attendance at specific mass gatherings. This systematic review aimed to synthesise evidence on the association between attendance at mass gatherings and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and assess the prevalence of AMR at mass gatherings.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Psychiatry Med
January 2025
Department of Public Health, Official University of Ruwenzori, Goma, North-Kivu Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Objective: Although religious leaders play an important role in providing informal mental health care to individuals struggling to seek religious and spiritual care, existing studies have not explored the magnitude of psychiatric symptoms and motivators to seek mental health services from religious leaders in religious listening centers and mental hospitals. This paper presents preliminary data from a survey aimed at assessing psychiatric symptoms and factors associated with access to spiritual services among 151 individuals at a religious listening center, as well as to determine the pathways of care among 150 patients attending a mental health clinic in conflict zones of the Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Method: Three hundred and one participants were screened for psychiatric symptoms and factors motivating access to religious leaders using a semi-structured questionnaire.
J Affect Disord
January 2025
Center for Anti-racism, Social Justice & Public Health, New York University School of Global Public Health, New York, NY, USA; Department of Biostatistics, New York University School of Global Public Health, New York, NY, USA. Electronic address:
Background: A knowledge gap exists in understanding the role of social isolation as a determinant of mental health among hybrid employees during the COVID-19 era.
Methods: Using 2024 Household Pulse Survey data, we investigated the relationship between social isolation and mental health among US hybrid employees. We assessed depression symptoms using the Patient Health Questionnaire-2 and anxiety symptoms using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-2.
Lancet Gastroenterol Hepatol
February 2025
Digestive Diseases Unit, Kettering General Hospital, University Hospital of Northamptonshire NHS Group, Kettering, UK; Department of Population Health Sciences, College of Life Sciences, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK.
Ramadan intermittent fasting can pose challenges and risks for some groups of patients. Based on a narrative literature review and our clinical expertise, we provide practical guidance for clinicians managing patients with gastrointestinal and hepatobiliary conditions who wish to fast during Ramadan. Following the established International Diabetes Federation and Diabetes and Ramadan International Alliance risk stratification framework, we categorised patients' risk as low or moderate, high, or very high.
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