L Upenieks
Biographic Data
| ID | 65852 |
|---|---|
| NAME | L Upenieks |
| GIVEN NAMES | L |
| FAMILY NAME | Upenieks |
| SIGNATURE | UPENIEKS L |
| AFFILIATIONS | Baylor University |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-1200-2471 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 65 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 125 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 65 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2017 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 6 |
Are all kind acts equal? Exploring the role of prosocial act characteristics in actor’s positive affect
In this paper, we use data from a longitudinal online study to examine how characteristics of prosocial behaviors influence the level of positive affect they produce. Although much work has found that prosocial behaviors benefit those who enact them, the question remains if and how these effects vary based on characteristics of those acts. Using models that adjust for co-occurrence among act characteristics, we find that positive affect produced …
Neighborhood Context, Divine Struggles, and Psychological Distress
Although researchers have consistently linked structural neighborhood disadvantage with poorer mental health, they continue to search for underlying mechanisms. In this article, we test whether the association between structural neighborhood disadvantage and psychological distress is mediated by perceived neighborhood disorder and divine struggles. Using longitudinal national survey data from the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS 2 and 3) study…
The Gospel of Meritocracy: Christian Nationalism, Economic Position, and Americans’ Beliefs About Getting Ahead in Life
What do Americans believe it takes to get ahead in life? We propose that viewing one’s nation as divinely favored and righteous in its foundations shapes one’s conception of our society as meritocratic, rewarding hard work rather than unearned privilege. Building on this idea, we theorize that “Christian nationalism,” a set of beliefs about America’s Christian foundations and the need to preserve those foundations, will incline Americans to endor…
Religious/spiritual struggles, patience, and anxiety: A longitudinal examination of virtue and vulnerability
Sanctified Bets? Religiosity, Gender, and Sports Gambling in the United States
Over the past decade, the gambling landscape in the United States has shifted dramatically, with sports betting becoming more accessible and widespread than ever. Sports gambling is linked to sanctified constructs and rituals involving masculinity, leisure, sport, nation, and religiosity, complicating traditional moral deterrents related to it. To investigate connections between religiosity and sports gambling, we drew on the National Sports and …
Gender Variations in the Indirect Effects of In-person and Virtual Religious Attendance on Psychological Distress during the Covid-19 Pandemic
Although numerous studies have established the indirect effect of in-person religious attendance on mental health through social support, it is unclear whether this process might extend to virtual attendance. In this study, we employ national survey data from the United States ( n = 1,701) to explore gender variations in the indirect effects of in-person and virtual religious attendance on psychological distress during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our …
Religiosity and U.S. Adult Support for Youth Tackle Football: Risk Aversion or Playing for the Glory of God
Beloved as the most popular sport in the United States, football is a prominent part of American culture and social interactions and is associated with both personal and social benefits. However, youth tackle football is increasingly recognized as problematic because of the health risks inherent to the sport. We draw upon large-scale national data ( N = 3,669) to assess how religiosity predicts attitudes toward kids playing tackle football and th…
Deifying College: How Does Religion Dignify Those Who Face Secular Inequities
Economic inequality in the United States has left behind those without four-year college degrees. But has it cost them their dignity? Restoring dignity may depend upon other sociocultural factors that fundamentally influence how individuals valorize or sanctify their own lives. We ask whether religion – in terms of distinct facets of relationships with God – might be able to help offset some of the dignity lost to flagging material or social pros…
Fear of a Dying Planet and Fear of a Dying God: Beliefs About God and Attitudes toward Climate Change in the United States
Objective Beliefs about the nature of God have been associated with a variety of social and political attitudes in the sociological literature. This study examined how a sense of attachment to God, accountability to God, and the belief in a God who is invested in the national success of the United States—a “patriotic God”—are associated with the pressing concern of attitudes toward climate change. Methods Drawing on data from the 2021 Values and …
Catholic Sacraments of Initiation along with Religious and Spiritual Pathways to Well-Being in Emerging Adulthood: Longitudinal Evidence from the United States
Recent evidence suggests that participation in Catholic sacramental life has declined over the last few decades, which indicates diminished fidelity to significant elements of the faith. Against this backdrop, this study draws on nationally representative longitudinal data from the National Study of Youth and Religion (NSYR) to test for an association between receipt of two Sacraments of Initiation in the Catholic faith (First Eucharist, Confirma…
Belief in Divine Support and Sense of Mattering: The Image of God as a Moderator
The purpose of this study is to examine how belief in divine support is associated with sense of mattering, and how this association is contingent upon various images of God including authoritative, benevolent, critical, and distant God. Employing OLS regression analyses with data from the 2017 Baylor Religion Survey ( n = 1,375), this study demonstrates that belief in divine support is positively associated with sense of mattering. Yet, a distan…
Parental Sanctification, God Images, and Parental Happiness and Satisfaction in the United States
The goal of this study was to assess the relationship between non-theistic parental sanctification and well-being among parents, and whether parents' primary images of God (authoritative, benevolent, critical, and distant) modified this relationship among American parents. Drawing on nationally representative data from the 2014 Baylor Religion Survey (N = 1078), our cross-sectional results suggest that non-theistic sanctification was linked to gr…
Masculine Discrepancy Stress, Subjective Well-Being, and the Buffering Role of Religiosity
Although several studies have reported an inverse association between masculine discrepancy stress—the perceived failure to conform to internalized normative expectations of masculinity—and well-being, researchers have yet to consider the potential moderating or buffering role of religiosity. Regression analyses of data collected from a national sample of men ( n = 2,018), the 2023 Masculinity, Sexual Health, and Politics survey indicated that ma…
Life Course Religious Attendance and Cognitive Health at Midlife: Exploring Gendered Contingencies
A growing body of literature suggests that religious attendance might mitigate processes of cognitive decline associated with aging. However, few studies have made adequate linkages with the life course perspective. We draw from over 35 years of prospective panel data from the National Longitudinal Study of Youth (1979–2015) to assess the associations of cumulative exposures to religious attendance over the life course (childhood and midlife) for…
Adverse Childhood Experiences Among Seminarians: Personal Experiences of Trauma and Implications for Pastoral Well-Being and Ministerial Training
Recent research has shown Mainline Protestant clergy evidence poor mental health. In accounting for this, research has focused on occupational factors that impact health, with less attention paid to the role of selection into ministry as it relates to health. We investigate one possible selection characteristic, adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), among a sample of 535 seminarians attending a Mainline seminary. Compared with a demographically m…
Religious Doubt and Mental Well-Being in Later Life: Is Humility a Protective Resource
This study sought to integrate the study of virtue into the study of religious doubt and mental health by considering how a salient virtue, humility, may moderate the relationship between religious doubt and lower mental well-being. Drawing on data from a national sample of midlife and older adults ( N = 1,443) from the United States, regression results suggest that religious doubts were associated with greater depression and lower life satisfact…
Working Only for the Weekend? How Workplace Social Connections Impact Workers’ Sense of Mattering and Mental Health
The growing field of mattering has established that a sense that we matter is crucial to well-being and that it is informed by interactions with close others. However, few studies investigate how mattering may be shaped by our work relationships. Since many adults spend much of their time performing paid work, addressing this research gap may provide insights for enhancing employee well-being. This study uses data from the 2021 Baylor Religion Su…
The Nature of Power: Elaborating the Association between Divine Control and Mental Health
Over the last decade, we have witnessed a resurgence of research on religious cognitions and mental health, including, most notably, perceptions of divine control. Although prior work on divine control tends to assume a loving or benevolent image of God, this is only one potential representation. Using nationwide data from the 2017 Baylor Religion Survey ( n = 999), we test whether the mental health benefits of perceived divine control vary accor…
Christian nationalism, religious struggles, and the structural amplification of emotional distress
Objective Although studies have linked Christian nationalist beliefs with greater emotional distress, little is known about the potential underlying mechanisms or subgroup variations. Informed by the strain‐struggles‐distress model and the concept of structural amplification, we tested whether religious/spiritual (R/S) struggles mediate and moderate the association between Christian nationalist beliefs and emotional distress. Methods Regression m…
Varying Beliefs in God and the Self-Concepts of Mattering and Dignity in a US Sample
The concepts of mattering and dignity have increasingly gained traction within the sociology of religion literature, as meaningful connections have been found between some measures of religiosity and these self-concept measures. Yet, questions remain regarding the connection between belief in God, religious doubts, or non-belief and the self-concept, as many prior studies presuppose religious faith or lack differentiation between different levels…
Childhood Abuse and the Mental Health of Seminary Students: The Mediating Role of R/S Struggles
Seminary students have been found to be at a higher risk of experiencing abuse in childhood compared with the general U.S. population, as well as demonstrate mental health struggles. This study aims to understand how R/S struggles might explain the relationship between childhood abuse (emotional, physical, and sexual) among a sample of seminary students, a group that is at a higher risk of experiencing emotional and physical abuse in childhood co…
Occupational Stressors and Flourishing among Roman Catholic Priests: "The Eucharist as the "Source and Summit
The main objective of this study is to examine the trials and tribulations in the lives of priests through an examination of work-related stressors, including feeling disrespected in one's role as a priest, feelings of overwork, thoughts of leaving the priesthood, and a lack of trust in one's Bishop, who plays a central role in the daily lives of Catholic priests. This study also assesses how a priest's relationship with the Eucharist may buffer …
See You Sunday?' Effects of Attending a Specific Weekend Religious Service on Emotional Well-Being: A State/Trait Analysis of the SoulPulse Study
Most studies of religious service attendance and emotional well-being are only capable of evaluating 'trait' aspects of religious attendance, or long-term patterns and habits that form an attendance routine. Methodological limitations make it difficult to capture the immediate (i.e., 'state') effects of attending a specific religious worship service. Using the SoulPulse Study, a 2-week microlongitudinal study consisting of two daily cell phone su…
Masculine God Imagery and Sense of Life Purpose: Examining Contingencies with America's 'Four Gods
Though God imagery has been extensively studied within sociological and psychological traditions, much less attention has been paid to gendered God concepts and their connections to well-being. Previous work has suggested that God images may reflect ontological assumptions that inform interpretations of the world as well as one's place within it. We argue that the relationship between masculine God imagery and a sense of life purpose may vary by …
Prone to wellness? Dispositional awe, religion/spirituality, and well-being among academic scientists
Vicarious Discrimination, Psychosocial Resources, and Mental Health among Black Americans
Does hearing about or witnessing someone else experience discrimination harm individuals’ mental health? Using data from the Nashville Stress and Health Study, we answer this question by examining how vicarious discrimination impacts depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and anger among black Americans. We also test whether mastery and self-esteem moderate the association between vicarious discrimination and each mental health outcome. Findings …
Do Racial Differences in Coping Resources Explain the Black-White Paradox in Mental Health? A Test of Multiple Mechanisms
A central paradox in the mental health literature is the tendency for black Americans to report similar or better mental health than white Americans despite experiencing greater stress exposure. However, black Americans' higher levels of certain coping resources may explain this finding. Using data from the Nashville Stress and Health Study (n = 1,186), we examine whether black Americans have higher levels of self-esteem, social support, religiou…
The Belief in Divine Control and the Mental Health Effects of Stressful Life Events: A Study of Education-Based Contingencies
One of the most widely replicated findings within the mental health literature is that the experience of stressful life events (e.g., the death of a loved one, serious illness, divorce, loss of a job) are consistently associated with higher depressive symptoms. However, the magnitude of these effects varies such that some people invariably experience negative mental health consequences following the experience of significant life stressors, but m…
Religious Attendance and Physical Health in Later Life: A Life Course Approach
Existing research on the life course origins of adult health has extensively examined the influence of childhood socioeconomic conditions, family structure, and exposure to trauma. Left unexplored are the potential long-term health effects of sociocultural exposures, such as religiosity at earlier phases of the life course. Integrating life course models of health with literature on the health-protective effects of adult religiosity, we consider …
Changes in Religiosity and Reliance on God during the Covid-19 Pandemic: A Protective Role under Conditions of Financial Strain
Background The COVID-19 pandemic was one of the most devastating disasters of the twenty-first century and has exacted a steep health and economic toll. During times of suffering caused by the pandemic, religion/spirituality may prove to be a consistent and valuable coping resource. Purpose We situate changes in religious importance and reliance on God as key aspects of religious life that may be important coping mechanisms in response to pandemi…
Mattering to God and to the Congregation: Gendered Effects in Mattering as a Mechanism Between Religiosity and Mental Health
A vast literature suggests favorable links between religiosity and mental health. Yet, the concept of 'mattering' is an underexplored concept in the sociology of religion. Using a sample of U.S. adults from the 2017 Baylor Religion Survey, we investigate whether any associations between several aspects of religiosity (worship attendance, prayer, attachment to God, and God image) and mental health may be mediated by perceptions of mattering, and w…
The Divergent Mental Health Effects of Dashed Expectations and Unfulfilled Aspirations: Evidence from American Lawyers’ Careers
Considerable work has shown that optimistic future orientations can be a resource for resilience across individuals’ lives. At the same time, research has shown little downside to “shooting for the stars” and failing. Here, we bring these competing insights to the study of lawyers’ careers, investigating the relationship between mental health and failure in achieving desired career advancement. To do this, we differentiate between expectations an…
Gaining Faith, Losing Faith: How Education Shapes the Relationship between Religious Transitions and Later Depression
Using the life course perspective, we assess the 'resources' and 'risks' to mental health associated with transitions in religious attendance between early life and midlife and how this process may be influenced by education. Drawing on over 35 years of prospective panel data from the National Longitudinal Study of Youth, baseline models suggest that stable, frequent attendance accumulated between adolescence to midlife and increases to frequent …
Consequences of Financial Strain for Psychological Distress among Older Adults: Examining the Explanatory Role of Multiple Components of the Self-Concept
Guided by a sociological perspective on mental health encapsulated in a stress process perspective, the authors examine the role of mastery, self-esteem, and mattering in explaining how financial strain is associated with symptoms of depression, anxiety, and anger in older adults. Analyses focus on the Caregiving, Aging, and Financial Experiences study, a national longitudinal survey of Canadian older adults conducted in the fall of 2021 and 2022…
Socially Distant? Social Network Confidants, Loneliness, and Health during the Covid-19 Pandemic
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, many nations around the world instituted strict social distancing measures. Although necessary to deter the spread of the virus, these measures may also have had adverse health repercussions by increasing social isolation. Using a national longitudinal study from Canada, in which respondents were surveyed in March 2020 at the beginning of stay-at-home orders and again two months later in May, we show that, at…
Religious/spiritual struggles and well-being during the Covid-19 pandemic: Does "talking religion" help or hurt
Background Research to date has suggested that religion might be a source of comfort and strength in times of crisis brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, but it may also be a form of stress if spiritual struggles are experienced. We posit the discussion of religious and spiritual matters as a potential feature of religious life that may be helpful or harmful for dealing with the impacts of spiritual struggles. Purpose This study has two object…
Couple Religiosity and Well-Being Among Older Adults in the United States
Objectives: This article evaluates whether couples' religious similarity is consequential for the health of older married men and women. Alternatively, we examine whether women's religiosity alone is health-protective to their husbands . Methods: Using dyadic data from the US National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project, a representative sample of 913 individuals ages 62-91 plus their marital partners, we perform latent-class analysis to separ…
Masculine God Imagery and Sense of Life Purpose: Examining Contingencies with America's 'Four Gods
Though God imagery has been extensively studied within sociological and psychological traditions, much less attention has been paid to gendered God concepts and their connections to well-being. Previous work has suggested that God images may reflect ontological assumptions that inform interpretations of the world as well as one's place within it. We argue that the relationship between masculine God imagery and a sense of life purpose may vary by …
Perceptions of Increases in Cost of Living and Psychological Distress Among Older Adults
Objectives: This article examines whether older adults' perceptions of an increase in their cost of living during a time of rapid inflation are associated with multiple aspects of psychological distress, as well as whether mastery buffers these associations. Methods: Data were derived from a two-wave longitudinal survey of older adults gathered in 2021 and 2022 ( N = 4,010). Multiple regression models examined symptoms of depression, anxiety, and…
Age Differences in Mental Health During the Covid-19 Pandemic: Assessing the Moderating Role of Attachment to God
Objectives: This study examined age differences in mental health problems (depression and anxiety) during the COVID-19 pandemic using nationally representative data from the United States. Drawing from a life course perspective, we also assessed if a secure attachment to God conditioned the relationship between age and mental health. Methods: Data were from the 2021 Values and Beliefs of the American Public Study ( N = 1168), collected roughly 1 …
Religiosity over the Life Course and Flourishing: Are There Educational Differences
Background Human flourishing offers a more inclusive and comprehensive assessment of well-being beyond the absence of mental illness. Research on religion and well-being has generally focused on singular measure of mental or physical well-being and emphasized different stages rather than longer stretches of the life course. This study seeks to address these gaps. Purpose We focus on the interaction between transitions in religiosity and education…
Love thy Aged? A State-Level Analysis of Religiosity and Mobility in Aging Populations During the Novel Coronavirus (Covid-19) Pandemic
Objectives: We test whether the association between state religiosity and distance traveled is moderated by population age during the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Methods: Mobility is operationalized as the state-level average median distance traveled from February 24 to May 4 across the contiguous United States. Shelter-in-place rates are operationalized as the state-level percentage of users staying home. State religiosity is measured…
The contextual effect of trust on perceived support: Evidence from Roma and non‐Roma in East‐Central Europe
In recent years, trust has been conceptualized as an important source of social capital, setting off cross‐disciplinary research on both the benefits and predictors of trust at the individual and contextual level. In this paper, we turn to the individual outcomes of living in a trustful context, and explore the relationship between trust, itself one of the main components of social capital, and social support, seen as one of the most important ef…
Varying Beliefs in God and the Self-Concepts of Mattering and Dignity in a US Sample
The concepts of mattering and dignity have increasingly gained traction within the sociology of religion literature, as meaningful connections have been found between some measures of religiosity and these self-concept measures. Yet, questions remain regarding the connection between belief in God, religious doubts, or non-belief and the self-concept, as many prior studies presuppose religious faith or lack differentiation between different levels…
Occupational Stressors and Flourishing among Roman Catholic Priests: "The Eucharist as the "Source and Summit
The main objective of this study is to examine the trials and tribulations in the lives of priests through an examination of work-related stressors, including feeling disrespected in one's role as a priest, feelings of overwork, thoughts of leaving the priesthood, and a lack of trust in one's Bishop, who plays a central role in the daily lives of Catholic priests. This study also assesses how a priest's relationship with the Eucharist may buffer …
See You Sunday?' Effects of Attending a Specific Weekend Religious Service on Emotional Well-Being: A State/Trait Analysis of the SoulPulse Study
Most studies of religious service attendance and emotional well-being are only capable of evaluating 'trait' aspects of religious attendance, or long-term patterns and habits that form an attendance routine. Methodological limitations make it difficult to capture the immediate (i.e., 'state') effects of attending a specific religious worship service. Using the SoulPulse Study, a 2-week microlongitudinal study consisting of two daily cell phone su…
Pictures of you: God images, gun ownership, and empowerment in the United States
Objective In the current study, we seek to shed new light on the role of religion in American gun culture by considering whether images people hold of God affect the probability of gun ownership and the experience of empowerment through guns for religious Americans (i.e., the extent to which owners derive security, identity, and status from their guns). Methods We analyze nationally representative data from the 2021 Baylor Religion Survey in the …
Matters of the Heart: Childhood Maltreatment, Religious Transitions, and Cardiovascular-Related Problems over the Life Course
We illustrate the importance of incorporating the role of stability and change in religious attendance across the life course and suggest directions for future research
Beliefs about Legality and Benefits for Mental Health
Research on mental health pays increasing attention to the influence of social institutions on subjective well-being over the life course. Yet little research has considered how belief in the promise of legal institutions may have beneficial effects for well-being. Through structural equation models of longitudinal data, our findings suggest that belief in the neutrality and fairness of legal institutions has salutary effects for mental health ne…
Rest for Your Souls? Religion, Meaning, and Purpose in Life, and Sleep Quality in the United States
Although vibrant interdisciplinary literature has extensively documented the importance of quality sleep for health and longevity, many Americans struggle with sleep disorders. One factor which has received far less research attention to date in predicting sleep quality is religion/spirituality. The current study uses nationally representative data from the 2017 Baylor Religion Survey to assess how three dimensions of religion/spirituality, inclu…
Stuck in the Middle with You?” Supervisory Level and Anger about Work
Although sociologists have long been interested in the stratification of emotions, the occupational stratification of anger has been investigated in only a few general population studies. Through analyses of data representative of workers in Toronto, we evaluate the hypothesis that workplace hierarchical position, defined by supervisory level, has an inverted u-shaped association with the frequency of anger about work. We also evaluate the more s…
Love thy Aged? A State-Level Analysis of Religiosity and Mobility in Aging Populations During the Novel Coronavirus (Covid-19) Pandemic
Objectives: We test whether the association between state religiosity and distance traveled is moderated by population age during the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Methods: Mobility is operationalized as the state-level average median distance traveled from February 24 to May 4 across the contiguous United States. Shelter-in-place rates are operationalized as the state-level percentage of users staying home. State religiosity is measured…
The contextual effect of trust on perceived support: Evidence from Roma and non‐Roma in East‐Central Europe
In recent years, trust has been conceptualized as an important source of social capital, setting off cross‐disciplinary research on both the benefits and predictors of trust at the individual and contextual level. In this paper, we turn to the individual outcomes of living in a trustful context, and explore the relationship between trust, itself one of the main components of social capital, and social support, seen as one of the most important ef…
Religious Attendance and Physical Health in Later Life: A Life Course Approach
Existing research on the life course origins of adult health has extensively examined the influence of childhood socioeconomic conditions, family structure, and exposure to trauma. Left unexplored are the potential long-term health effects of sociocultural exposures, such as religiosity at earlier phases of the life course. Integrating life course models of health with literature on the health-protective effects of adult religiosity, we consider …
God, Father, Mother, Gender: How Are Religiosity and Parental Bonds During Childhood Linked to Midlife Flourishing
Does Childhood Religiosity Delay Death
Uncertainty in Faith, Fear of Death? Transitions in Religious Doubt and Death Anxiety in Later Life
While religiosity is usually associated with lower death anxiety, holding doubts about one's faith are associated with higher death anxiety. Using longitudinal data from the Religion, Aging, and Health Study (2001-2004), this study examines within-individual changes in religious doubt and death anxiety. Results from lagged dependent variable models suggest that compared to older adults who did not experience any doubt about their faith, those hol…
Socially Distant? Social Network Confidants, Loneliness, and Health during the Covid-19 Pandemic
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, many nations around the world instituted strict social distancing measures. Although necessary to deter the spread of the virus, these measures may also have had adverse health repercussions by increasing social isolation. Using a national longitudinal study from Canada, in which respondents were surveyed in March 2020 at the beginning of stay-at-home orders and again two months later in May, we show that, at…
Marital Strain and Support and Subjective Well-Being in Later Life: Ascribing a Role to Childhood Adversity
Objectives: We integrate the life course perspective with the stress-process model to offer a framework for how childhood conditions moderate the relationship between marital support/strain and subjective well-being in older adulthood for men and women. Methods: Drawing on longitudinal data from the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (NSHAP), we use a series of lagged dependent-variable models and stratify the sample by gender. Resul…
Couple Religiosity and Well-Being Among Older Adults in the United States
Objectives: This article evaluates whether couples' religious similarity is consequential for the health of older married men and women. Alternatively, we examine whether women's religiosity alone is health-protective to their husbands . Methods: Using dyadic data from the US National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project, a representative sample of 913 individuals ages 62-91 plus their marital partners, we perform latent-class analysis to separ…
Through Him and With Him? A Longitudinal Study of How God-Mediated Control Beliefs Shape the Relationship between Divine Forgiveness and Physical Health in Later Life
Objectives: While there has been a recent surge in research on forgiveness and health, much less is known about the relationship between divine forgiveness and health. Methods: Using longitudinal data from the 2001-2004 Religion, Aging, and Health Survey from the United States, the current study assesses how changes in beliefs in God-mediated control, a perceived collaborative relationship with a divine power, affect the association between divin…
The Divergent Mental Health Effects of Dashed Expectations and Unfulfilled Aspirations: Evidence from American Lawyers’ Careers
Considerable work has shown that optimistic future orientations can be a resource for resilience across individuals’ lives. At the same time, research has shown little downside to “shooting for the stars” and failing. Here, we bring these competing insights to the study of lawyers’ careers, investigating the relationship between mental health and failure in achieving desired career advancement. To do this, we differentiate between expectations an…
The Belief in Divine Control and the Mental Health Effects of Stressful Life Events: A Study of Education-Based Contingencies
One of the most widely replicated findings within the mental health literature is that the experience of stressful life events (e.g., the death of a loved one, serious illness, divorce, loss of a job) are consistently associated with higher depressive symptoms. However, the magnitude of these effects varies such that some people invariably experience negative mental health consequences following the experience of significant life stressors, but m…
Gaining Faith, Losing Faith: How Education Shapes the Relationship between Religious Transitions and Later Depression
Using the life course perspective, we assess the 'resources' and 'risks' to mental health associated with transitions in religious attendance between early life and midlife and how this process may be influenced by education. Drawing on over 35 years of prospective panel data from the National Longitudinal Study of Youth, baseline models suggest that stable, frequent attendance accumulated between adolescence to midlife and increases to frequent …
Mattering to God and to the Congregation: Gendered Effects in Mattering as a Mechanism Between Religiosity and Mental Health
A vast literature suggests favorable links between religiosity and mental health. Yet, the concept of 'mattering' is an underexplored concept in the sociology of religion. Using a sample of U.S. adults from the 2017 Baylor Religion Survey, we investigate whether any associations between several aspects of religiosity (worship attendance, prayer, attachment to God, and God image) and mental health may be mediated by perceptions of mattering, and w…
Give Thanks in All Circumstances? Gratitude Toward God and Health in Later Life after Major Life Stressors
Gratitude is foundational to well-being throughout the life course, and an emerging body of work suggests that older adults may be more inclined to attribute gratitude to a non-human target (God). Drawing on life course theory and Erikson’s lifespan development framework, we use data from a national sample of Christian older adults from the United States (N = 1,005) to examine whether gratitude toward God buffers the noxious health effects of the…
Keeping “In Touch”: Demographic Patterns of Interpersonal Touch in Later Life
Touch is an important element of human social interaction linked to various dimensions of well-being, but we know little of how it is distributed among older adults. This study considers whether greeting/affectionate touch is a function of characteristics such as race, gender, and socioeconomic status. Data come from Wave 1 (2005–2006) of the NSHAP study from the United States. Results reveal that women experienced more frequent touch relative to…
Aspiring to Do All Things Through Him Who Strengthens? Quixotic Hope, Religiosity, and Mental Health in Emerging Adulthood
Beliefs about the probability of educational success tend to be very optimistic in the United States. However, scholars are beginning to uncover mental health consequences associated with quixotic hope—the unrealistic outstripping of expectation by aspiration. Using longitudinal data from Waves 1 and 3 of the National Study of Youth and Religion, this study asks, (1) does religiosity promote or diminish the likelihood of quixotic hope? and (2) do…
A protective rung on the ladder? How past and current social status shaped changes in health during Covid-19
An emerging body of work has started to document population health consequences of the social and economic transformations during the COVID-19 pandemic. We consider an individual's relative social position in the stratification system-subjective social status (SSS)-and assess how past (childhood) and current SSS predict change in self-rated health during the pandemic. Using two waves of data from the Canadian Quality of Work and Economic Life Stu…
Do Beliefs in Christian Nationalism Predict Mental Health Problems? The Role of Religious (Non)Involvement
An area that has received little attention in the stress process model of mental health is belief systems and values. A belief system that has been the focus of considerable recent research attention is Christian nationalism, an ideology that advocates a fusion of American civic life with a particular type of Christian identity and culture. Using nationally representative data from the United States (2017 Baylor Religion Survey), the author exami…
Unfair Treatment by the Police and Race: Is Religiosity a Protective Resource for Well-Being
A growing body of work documents the relationship between criminal justice and health has emerged in recent years, including the association between unfair treatment by the police (UTBP) and violent/racialized policing and health outcomes. However, little is known about the resources that could reduce the harmful consequences to well-being of UTBP. Using data from the Nashville Stress and Health Study, we consider both depressive symptoms and all…
Age Differences in Mental Health During the Covid-19 Pandemic: Assessing the Moderating Role of Attachment to God
Objectives: This study examined age differences in mental health problems (depression and anxiety) during the COVID-19 pandemic using nationally representative data from the United States. Drawing from a life course perspective, we also assessed if a secure attachment to God conditioned the relationship between age and mental health. Methods: Data were from the 2021 Values and Beliefs of the American Public Study ( N = 1168), collected roughly 1 …
Matters of the Heart: Childhood Maltreatment, Religious Transitions, and Cardiovascular-Related Problems over the Life Course
We illustrate the importance of incorporating the role of stability and change in religious attendance across the life course and suggest directions for future research
Vicarious Discrimination, Psychosocial Resources, and Mental Health among Black Americans
Does hearing about or witnessing someone else experience discrimination harm individuals’ mental health? Using data from the Nashville Stress and Health Study, we answer this question by examining how vicarious discrimination impacts depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and anger among black Americans. We also test whether mastery and self-esteem moderate the association between vicarious discrimination and each mental health outcome. Findings …
Religious/spiritual struggles and well-being during the Covid-19 pandemic: Does "talking religion" help or hurt
Background Research to date has suggested that religion might be a source of comfort and strength in times of crisis brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, but it may also be a form of stress if spiritual struggles are experienced. We posit the discussion of religious and spiritual matters as a potential feature of religious life that may be helpful or harmful for dealing with the impacts of spiritual struggles. Purpose This study has two object…
Psychology (61 works) · Social Psychology (51 works) · Religion, Spirituality, and Psychology (41 works) · Sociology (28 works) · Medicine (27 works) · Psychiatry (27 works) · Clinical Psychology (26 works) · Mental health (26 works) · Political science (22 works) · Religiosity (22 works)