Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, 1420 Washington Heights, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2029, USA.
J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci. 2011 Mar;66(2):207-16. doi: 10.1093/geronb/gbq086. Epub 2010 Nov 12.
The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between religiously based beliefs about suffering and health among older Mexicans.
A nationwide survey of older Mexican Americans was conducted (N=1,005). Questions were administered to assess beliefs about finding positive outcomes in suffering, the benefits of suffering in silence, other dimensions of religion, and health.
The findings suggest that older Mexican Americans who use their faith to find something positive in the face of suffering tend to rate their health more favorably. In contrast, older Mexican Americans who believe that it is important to suffer in silence tend to rate their health less favorably.
Moving beyond measures of church attendance to explore culturally relevant beliefs about suffering provides important insight into the relationship between religion and health among older Mexican Americans.
本研究旨在探讨老年墨西哥裔美国人中基于宗教的苦难观与健康之间的关系。
对老年墨西哥裔美国人进行了一项全国性调查（N=1005）。调查中设置了一些问题，用以评估他们对苦难中寻找积极结果、默默承受苦难的益处、宗教的其他维度以及健康等方面的信念。
研究结果表明，面对苦难时，运用信仰从中寻找积极因素的老年墨西哥裔美国人往往对自己的健康状况评价更为有利。相比之下，那些认为默默承受苦难很重要的老年墨西哥裔美国人往往对自己的健康状况评价较差。
超越对教堂出勤率的衡量，探索与苦难相关的文化信仰，为了解老年墨西哥裔美国人的宗教与健康之间的关系提供了重要的视角。
