The purpose of this studywas to see if feeling grateful to God reduces the deleterious effects of stress on health in late life. In addition, an effort was made to test for gender differences in this process. Three main findings emerged from the analysis of data provided by a nationwide sample of older adults. First, the data suggest that olderwomen are more likely to feel grateful to God than older men. Second, the results revealed that the effects of stress (e.g., living in a deteriorated neighborhood) on health are reduced for older people who feel more grateful to God. Finally, the analyses indicated that the potentially important stress-buffering properties of gratitude toward God emerge primarily among older women but not older men.
Aiken, Leona S. and Stephen G. West. 1991. Multiple Regression: Testing and Interpreting Interaction Effects. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
2.
Aneshensel, Carol S.2002. Theory-Based Data Analysis for the Social Sciences. Thousand Oaks, CA: Pine Forge.
3.
Antonucci, Toni C.2001. “Social Relations: An Examination of Social Networks, Social Support, and Social Control.” Pp. 427-453 in Handbook of the Psychology of Aging, edited by James S. Birren and K. Warner Schaie. San Diego, CA: Academic Press.
4.
Barna, George. 2002. The State of the Church 2002. Ventura, CA: Issachar Resources.
5.
Carp, Francis M.1994. “Assessing the Environment.”Annual Review of Gerontology and Geriatrics14:302-323.
6.
Edwards, Jonathan. 1746/2004. The Religious Affections. Carlisle, PA: The Banner of Truth Trust.
7.
Ellison, Christopher G. and Jeffrey S. Levin. 1998. “The Religion-Health Connection: Evidence, Theory, and Future Directions.”Health Behavior and Education25:700-720.
8.
Emmons, Robert A.2004. “The Psychology of Gratitude: An Introduction.” Pp. 3-16 in The Psychology of Gratitude, edited by Robert A. Emmons and Michael E. McCullough. New York: Oxford University Press.
9.
Emmons, Robert A. and Cheryl A. Crumpler. 2000. “Gratitude as a Human Strength: Appraising the Evidence.”Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology19:56-69.
10.
Emmons, Robert A. and Michael E. McCullough. 2003. “Counting Blessings Versus Burdens: An Experimental Investigation of Gratitude and SubjectiveWell-Being in Daily Life.”Journal of Personality and Social Psychology84:377-389.
11.
Emmons, Robert A., Michael E. McCullough, and Jo-Ann Tsang. 2003. “The Assessment of Gratitude.” Pp. 327-341 in Positive Psychological Assessment: A Handbook of Models and Measures, edited by Shane J. Lopez and C. R. Snyder. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
12.
Erikson, Eric. 1959. Identity and the Life Cycle. New York: International University Press.
13.
Fetzer Institute/National Institute on AgingWork Group. 1999. Multidimensional Measurement of Religiousness/Spirituality for Use in Health Research. Kalamazoo, MI: Fetzer Institute.
14.
Federal Interagency Forum on Aging Related Statistics. 2004. Older Americans 2004: Key Indicators of Well-Being.Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.
15.
Gardner, Wendi L. and Shira Gabriel. 2001. “Gender Differences in Relational and Collective Interdependence: Implications for Self-Views, Social Behavior, and Subjective Well-Being.” Pp. 169-191 in The Psychology of Gender, edited by Alice H. Eagly, Anne E. Beall, and Robert J. Sternberg. New York: Guilford.
16.
Gottlieb, Benjamin H.1997. “Conceptual and Measurement Issues in the Study of CopingWith Chronic Stress.” Pp. 3-40 in Coping with Chronic Stress, edited by Benjamin H. Gottlieb. New York: Plenum.
17.
Harpham, Edward J.2004. “Gratitude in the History of Ideas.” Pp. 19-36 in The Psychology of Gratitude, edited by Robert A. Emmons and Michael E. McCullough. New York: Oxford University Press.
18.
Idler, Ellen L.1999. “Self-Assessments of Health: The Next Stage of Studies.”Research on Aging21:387-391.
19.
Koenig, Harold G.1994. Aging and God: Spiritual Pathways to Mental Health in Midlife and Later Years. New York: Haworth Pastoral Press.
20.
Koenig, Harold G., Michael E. McCullough, and David B. Larson. 2001. Handbook of Religion and Health. New York: Oxford University Press.
21.
Krause, Neal. 1996. “Neighborhood Deterioration and Self-Rated Health in Late Life.”Psychology and Aging11:342-352.
22.
Krause, Neal. 1998. “Neighborhood Deterioration, Religious Coping, and Changes in Health During Late Life.”The Gerontologist38:653-664.
23.
Krause, Neal. 2002. “Church-Based Social Support and Health in Old Age: Exploring Variations by Race.”Journal of Gerontology: Social Sciences57B:S332-S347.
24.
Krause, Neal. 2003. “Neighborhoods, Health, andWell-Being in Late Life.”Annual Review of Gerontology and Geriatrics23:223-249.
25.
Levin, Jeffrey S.2002. “Is Depressed Affect a Function of One's RelationshipWith God? Findings From a Study of Primary Care Patients.”International Journal of Psychiatry in Medicine32:379-393.
26.
Levin, Jeffrey S., Robert J. Taylor, and Linda M. Chatters. 1994. “Race and Gender Differences in Religiosity Among Older Adults: Findings From Four National Surveys.”Journal of Gerontology: Social Sciences49:S137-S145.
27.
Mattlin, Jay A., Elaine Wethington, and Ronald C. Kessler. 1990. “Situational Determinants of Coping and Coping Effectiveness.”Journal of Health and Social Behavior31:103-122.
28.
McAdams, Dan P. and Jack J. Bauer. 2004. “Gratitude in Modern Life: Its Manifestations and Development.” Pp. 81-99 in The Psychology of Gratitude, edited by Robert A. Emmons and Michael E. McCullough. New York: Oxford University Press.
29.
McCraty, Rollin and Doc Childre. 2004. “The Grateful Heart: The Psychophysiology of Appreciation.” Pp. 230-255 in The Psychology of Gratitude, edited by Robert A. Emmons and Michael E. McCullough. New York: Oxford University Press.
30.
McCullough, Michael E., ShelleyD. Kilpatrick, Robert A. Emmons, and David B. Larson. 2001. “Is Gratitude a Moral Affect?”Psychological Bulletin127:249-266.
31.
McCullough, Michael E., Jo-Ann Tsang, and Robert A. Emmons. 2004. “Gratitude in Intermediate Affective Terrain: Links of Grateful Moods to Individual Differences and Daily Emotional Experiences.”Journal of Personality and Social Psychology86:295-309.
32.
McFadden, Susan H.2003. “Older Adults’Emotions in Religious Contexts.” Pp. 47-58 in Aging, Spirituality, and Religion, edited by Melvin A. Kimble and Susan H. McFadden. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press.
33.
McMillen, J. Curtis. 1999. “Better for It: How People Benefit From Adversity.”Social Work44:455-468.
34.
Pargament, Kenneth I., Harold G. Koenig, and Lisa M. Perez. 2000. “TheMany Methods of Religious Coping: Development and Initial Validation of the RCOPE.”Journal of Clinical Psychology56:519-543.
35.
Pargament, Kenneth I., Harold G. Koenig, Nalini Tarakeshwar, and June Hahn. 2001. “Religious Struggle as a Predictor of Mortality Among Medically Ill Elderly Patients.”Archives of Internal Medicine161:1881-1885.
36.
Park, Nansook, Christopher Peterson, and Martin E. P. Seligman. 2004. “Strengths of Character and Well-Being.”Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology23:603-619.
37.
Pearlin, Leonard I., Elizabeth G. Menaghan, Morton A. Lieberman, and Joseph T. Mullan. 1981. “The Stress Process.”Journal of Health and Social Behavior22:337-356.
38.
Peterson, Christopher and Martin E. P. Seligman. 2004. Character Strengths and Virtues: A Handbook and Classification. New York: Oxford University Press.
39.
Poloma, Margaret M. and George H. Gallup. 1991. Varieties of Prayer: A Survey Report. Philadelphia: Trinity Press International.
40.
Royce, Josiah. 1912/2001. The Sources of Religious Insight. Washington, DC: Catholic University of America Press.
41.
Ryff, Carol D. and Burton Singer. 1998. “The Contours of Positive Human Health.”Psychological Inquiry9:1-28.
42.
Seligman, Martin E. P. and Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. 2000. “Positive Psychology: An Introduction.”American Psychologist55:5-14.
43.
Simmel, Georg. 1950. The Sociology of Georg Simmel. Glencoe, IL: Free Press.
44.
Solomon, Robert C.1995. “The Cross-Cultural Comparison of Emotion.” Pp. 253-294 in Emotions in Asian Thought, edited by Joel Marks and Roger T. Ames. Albany: State University of New York Press.
45.
South, Scott J. and Kyle D. Crowder. 1997. “Escaping Distressed Neighborhoods: Individual, Community, and Metropolitan Influences.”American Journal of Sociology102:1040-1084.
46.
Tedeschi, Richard G. and Lawrence G. Calhoun. 2004. “Posttraumatic Growth: Conceptual Foundations and Empirical Evidence.”Psychological Inquiry15:1-18.
