Ellison C G
Duke University.
J Health Soc Behav. 1991 Mar;32(1):80-99.
This study examines the multifaceted relationships between religious involvement and subjective well-being. Findings suggest that the beneficent effects of religious attendance and private devotion reported in previous studies are primarily indirect, resulting from their respective roles in strengthening religious belief systems. The positive influence of religious certainty on well-being, however, is direct and substantial: individuals with strong religious faith report higher levels of life satisfaction, greater personal happiness, and fewer negative psychosocial consequences of traumatic life events. Further, in models of life satisfaction only, the positive influence of existential certainty is especially pronounced for older persons and persons with low levels of formal education. Finally, there are persistent denominational variations in life satisfaction, but not in happiness: nondenominational Protestants, liberal Protestants, and members of nontraditional groups such as Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses report greater life satisfaction than do their unaffiliated counterparts, even with the effects of other dimensions of religiosity held constant. Several directions for additional research on religion and psychological well-being are discussed.
本研究考察了宗教参与和主观幸福感之间的多方面关系。研究结果表明，先前研究中所报告的宗教礼拜和个人虔诚的有益影响主要是间接的，这是由于它们在强化宗教信仰体系中各自所起的作用。然而，宗教确定性对幸福感的积极影响是直接且显著的：拥有坚定宗教信仰的个体报告的生活满意度更高、个人幸福感更强，且创伤性生活事件带来的负面心理社会后果更少。此外，仅在生活满意度模型中，存在确定性对老年人和受教育程度低的人有着尤为显著的积极影响。最后，在生活满意度方面存在持续的教派差异，但在幸福感方面则不然：无教派新教徒、自由派新教徒以及摩门教和耶和华见证人等非传统团体的成员，即使在宗教信仰其他维度的影响保持不变的情况下，其生活满意度也高于未加入任何教派的同龄人。文中还讨论了宗教与心理健康方面进一步研究的几个方向。
