The Department of Psychology of the College of the Holy Cross seeks an Academic Research Enhancement Award (AREA) to fund a longitudinal study of personal religiosity, social support, and adaptation to late-life stress. Analyses will utilize data collected over a two-year period: a sample of 250 elders will be drawn from Worcester, Massachusetts city census data and assessed at two times (12 months apart) using structured interview. Data pertaining to demographics, life stress, personal religiosity (religious participation, religious beliefs, religious experience, religious knowledge, and religious consequences), social support and other social resources, and mental and physical health will be obtained. Age will be stratified (65-74 years, 75-84, and 85 and older) as will religious denomination (Catholic, Protestant, and Jewish). Non-cognitively impaired individuals living in residential care facilities will be oversampled. In this manner, a sample of older adults representing a broad spectrum of religious practice and belief, health and functional ability, stress and social support will be obtained. Data analyses will focus on the unique and shared effects of religiosity and social support on mental and physical health following common late-life health and psychosocial stressors.
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| Futterman, Andrew; Holland, Jason M; Brown, Patrick J et al. (2010) Factorial validity of the Texas Revised Inventory of Grief-Present scale among bereaved older adults. Psychol Assess 22:675-87 |
