Mental health and self-rated health among U.S. South Asians

The role of religious group involvement’

Bibliographic Data

ID12554641
AuthorsSamuel Stroope (0000-0003-1141-5319, Louisiana State University, corresponding author), Blake Victor Kent (0000-0003-0782-9041, National Consortium on Psychosocial Stress, Spirituality, and Health, Boston, MA, USA), Ying Zhang (0000-0001-6214-2440, National Consortium on Psychosocial Stress, Spirituality, and Health, Boston, MA, USA), Donna Spiegelman (0000-0003-4006-4650, National Consortium on Psychosocial Stress, Spirituality, and Health, Boston, MA, USA), Namratha R Kandula (0000-0003-2570-3426, National Consortium on Psychosocial Stress, Spirituality, and Health, Boston, MA, USA), Anna Boonin Schachter (0000-0003-3015-5014), Alka M Kanaya (0000-0002-8903-1457, University of California, San Francisco), Alka Kanaya (National Consortium on Psychosocial Stress, Spirituality, and Health, Boston, MA, USA), Alexandra E Shields (0000-0002-3706-1718, National Consortium on Psychosocial Stress, Spirituality, and Health, Boston, MA, USA)
Year2019
Volume27
Issue2
Pages388-406
Publication date2019-08-30
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueEthnicity and Health (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1355-7858 • E-ISSN: 1465-3419
PublisherTaylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/13557858.2019.1661358
PMID31466458
OpenAlexW2970951114
LanguageEN
Citations received17
References cited39

Objectives: Only one community-based study has assessed religious group involvement and health outcomes among South Asians in the U.S., with mixed results. Here, using a large, South Asian community-based sample, the effects of six religious group involvement predictors - religious tradition, attendance, group prayer, giving/receiving congregational emotional support, congregational neglect, and congregational criticism - were examined in relation to four health outcomes: self-rated health, positive mental health functioning, trait anxiety, and trait anger. Design: The study used a new religion/spirituality questionnaire in the Mediators of Atherosclerosis Among South Asians Living in America (MASALA), the largest study of mental and physical well-being among U.S. South Asians. Associations were assessed cross-sectionally using OLS regression in both the full sample ( N = 928) and a subsample of congregation members ( N = 312). Results: Jains reported better self-rated health compared to Hindus and Muslims. Group prayer involvement, when measured ordinally, was positively associated with self-rated health and mental health functioning. In reference group comparisons, individuals who participated in group prayer once/day or more had lower levels of anxiety and anger compared to several comparison groups in which individuals prayed less than once a day. Religious service attendance was associated with higher levels of anxiety. Giving/receiving congregational emotional support was positively associated with self-rated health and mental health functioning, and inversely associated with anxiety. Congregational criticism was associated with higher levels of anger and anxiety. Conclusions: This study provided a new assessment of religious group involvement and health in the U.S. South Asian population. Religious group participation was associated with mental and self-rated health in well-controlled models, indicating this is a fruitful area for further research. Group religious involvement may be a health-promoting resource for U.S. South Asians who are religiously active, but it is not an unalloyed boon

Anger · Anxiety · Attendance · Mental health · Prayer · Psychiatry · Clinical Psychology · Dietary Effects on Health · Food Security and Health in Diverse Populations · Psychology · Religion, Spirituality, and Psychology