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Religiosity/spirituality and mortality. A systematic quantitative review
Yoichi Chida1, Andrew Steptoe, Lynda H Powell
1Psychobiology Group, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London, London, UK. y.chida@ucl.ac.uk
Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics
|January 15, 2009
Summary
Religiosity and spirituality are linked to lower mortality rates in healthy individuals, but not in those with existing diseases. This protective effect is independent of lifestyle factors and social support.
Area of Science:
- Epidemiological research
- Psychological factors
- Public health
Background:
- Growing interest in the link between religiosity/spirituality and physical health.
- Systematic review of prospective observational cohort studies.
- Investigating religiosity/spirituality as a potentially protective psychological factor.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review and meta-analyze prospective studies on religiosity/spirituality and mortality.
- To determine the association between religiosity/spirituality and mortality in different populations.
- To explore factors influencing this association.
Main Methods:
- Systematic search of Medline, PsycINFO, Web of Science, and PubMed databases.
- Data extraction by two independent reviewers on study characteristics, quality, and associations.
- Random effects meta-analyses, subgrouping, and sensitivity analysis were performed.
Main Results:
- 69 studies in healthy populations and 22 in diseased populations were analyzed.
- Religiosity/spirituality associated with reduced mortality in healthy individuals (HR=0.82, P<0.001), but not in diseased individuals (HR=0.98, P=0.19).
- Protective effect in healthy populations was independent of behavioral factors, negative affect, and social support; organizational activity and multi-dimensional aspects showed greater survival benefits.
Conclusions:
- Religiosity/spirituality appears to have a favorable effect on survival in healthy populations.
- Publication bias suggests caution in interpreting the results.
- Further research may clarify the mechanisms and extent of this association.
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