Department of Sociology, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, USA.
National Consortium on Psychosocial Stress, Spirituality, and Health, Boston, MA, USA.
Ethn Health. 2022 Feb;27(2):388-406. doi: 10.1080/13557858.2019.1661358. Epub 2019 Aug 30.
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. 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 ( = 928) and a subsample of congregation members ( = 312). 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. 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.
只有一项基于社区的研究评估了美国南亚人群体对宗教团体的参与度及其与健康结果之间的关系，但结果不一。本研究使用一个大型的南亚人社区样本，考察了宗教团体参与度的六个预测因素（宗教传统、参与宗教活动、集体祈祷、获得/给予团体情感支持、团体忽视和团体批评）与四项健康结果（自我评估健康、积极心理健康功能、特质焦虑和特质愤怒）之间的关系。该研究使用了一种新的宗教/灵性问卷，对在美国生活的南亚人动脉粥样硬化的中介因素（MASALA）进行了研究，这是美国南亚人群体心理健康和身体健康最大规模的研究。在整个样本（n=928）和一个团体成员的子样本（n=312）中，使用 OLS 回归进行了横断面评估。与印度教徒和穆斯林相比，耆那教徒的自我评估健康状况更好。当按顺序测量时，集体祈祷的参与与自我评估健康和心理健康功能呈正相关。在参考组比较中，与每天参加一次或更多次集体祈祷的几个比较组相比，每天参加一次以下集体祈祷的个体焦虑和愤怒水平较低。宗教活动的参与与更高水平的焦虑相关。给予/获得团体情感支持与自我评估健康和心理健康功能呈正相关，与焦虑呈负相关。团体批评与更高水平的愤怒和焦虑有关。本研究对美国南亚人群体的宗教团体参与度与健康状况进行了新的评估。在控制良好的模型中，宗教团体参与与心理健康和自我评估健康相关，这表明这是一个值得进一步研究的领域。对于积极参与宗教活动的美国南亚人来说，团体宗教参与可能是一种促进健康的资源，但它并非完全是有益的。
