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Published on: September 28, 2018
Religious involvement and mortality: a meta-analytic review
M E McCullough1, W T Hoyt, D B Larson
1National Institute for Healthcare Research, Rockville, Maryland 20850, USA. mike@nihr.org
Summary
This meta-analysis found that higher religious involvement is linked to lower all-cause mortality. People with greater religious engagement had a significantly increased likelihood of survival in the study.
Area of Science:
- Social and Behavioral Sciences
- Public Health
- Epidemiology
Background:
- The relationship between psychosocial factors and health outcomes is a significant area of research.
- Religious involvement is a common psychosocial factor with potential implications for mortality.
- Previous studies have suggested a link between religiousness and longevity, but robust meta-analyses are needed.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantitatively synthesize evidence on the association between religious involvement and all-cause mortality.
- To assess the robustness and magnitude of this association across diverse populations.
- To explore potential moderator variables influencing the religious involvement-mortality link.
Main Methods:
- Conducted a meta-analysis of data from 42 independent samples.
- Examined the association between a standardized measure of religious involvement and all-cause mortality.
- Analyzed data to determine odds ratios and confidence intervals for mortality risk.
Main Results:
- A significant association was found between higher religious involvement and lower all-cause mortality (OR = 1.29, 95% CI: 1.20-1.39).
- Individuals with higher religious involvement were more likely to be alive at follow-up.
- The strength of the association varied with moderator variables, but the overall link remained robust.
Conclusions:
- Religious involvement is a significant protective factor against all-cause mortality.
- The observed association is comparable in magnitude to other established psychosocial risk factors.
- Findings were not attributable to publication bias, suggesting reliability.
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