Religion Gives Seniors a New Lease on Life

As people age, birthday cards cajole "Don't count the years, just bask in the candles' glow." But as the years add up, sometimes feelings of self-worth sink. What factors help keep senior citizens' self-esteem strong when dealing with retirement or declining health?

Dr. Neal Krause of the Institute of Gerontology at the University of Michigan found religious coping was the "most important" factor linked with healthy self-esteem in a study of 1,005 senior citizens randomly selected and interviewed across the U.S. Conversely, "feelings of self-worth tend to be lowest for those with very little religious commitment," he stated.

This study of adults older than 65 who did not reside in nursing homes also found that greater contact with friends boosted self-esteem. Higher education level was also slightly linked with an increased sense of self-worth. Persons with numerous chronic health problems, however, slid in self-esteem.

Yet, offsetting this potential decline in feelings of self-worth, religious coping bolstered self-esteem among these older adults. Specifically, the more strongly these persons agreed with the religious coping statements, the higher they ranked on the self-esteem measures, this study found.

Religious coping was measured by persons stating to what extent they agreed or disagreed with the following statements: "When dealing with difficult times in my life, I get much personal strength and support from God." Or, "Prayer helps me cope with the difficulties and stresses in my life." And also, "It is important to seek GodÌs guidance when making every important decision in life."

Krause noted answers to these "coping" questions made more of an impact on self-esteem than official membership in a church or synagogue or how often one attended religious services. The significant boost to self-esteem may reflect "the extent to which respondents have integrated their faith into their daily lives." he noted.

Even a small amount of religious coping can make a difference, he commented. "Older adults with very low levels of religious involvement are able to maintain a relatively high sense of self-esteem," he stated. Yet, "increasingly greater benefits are derived at successively higher levels of religious coping."

This confirms other studies finding religious commitment benefits the emotional health of older adults, noted Dr. David Larson, epidemiologist and president of the National Institute for Healthcare Research (NIHR).

Krause noted that researchers have paid relatively little attention to religious coping in published studies. The significance of these findings points to the need for further research in this area.

Reference: Krause, N. (1995). "Religiosity and Self-Esteem Among Older Adults." Journal of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences, 50B(5):236-246.