Life Stress and Complexity of Religious Identity

TL;DR

This study explores how life stress and personality traits influence whether older adults have a complex or straightforward approach to religion.

Contribution

The paper identifies specific demographic and health factors linked to complex versus straightforward religious identity in older adults.

Findings

More education, being female, and fewer functional impairments are associated with complex religiousness.

Older age, infirmity, and chronic stressors are linked to straightforward religiousness.

Discriminant function analyses predicted group membership based on these factors.

Abstract

This study, using a random sample of 274 older adults and a “snowball” sample of 80 African American older adults (aged 57-100) living in Massachusetts, explores causes of having “straightforward” vs. “complex” orientation to religion in later life. Individual interviews included standard measures of religious affiliation, religious belief and behavior, religious doubts, physical and psychiatric health, life stresses and coping strategies, and social support networks. Personality characteristics were completed two times, 12 months apart, as a part of religious involvement and chronic stress in later life. Fifty-one individuals were identified in both samples with high levels of religious involvement and religious doubt – indicating cognitively complex, reflective religiousness (Batson, 1976). By contrast, 42 older adults were identified having extremely elevated levels of religious involvement with little if any religious doubt – indicating a more “straightforward” form of religiousness. Using a list of potential “causal” factors derived from interview data, discriminant function analyses were conducted to predict membership in either complex or straightforward religious groups. Initial analyses indicated that more education, being female, aged less than 80 years old, fewer functional impairments, onset of less severe, acute social stressors (e.g., breakup of relationships, loss of income) were associated with “complex” religiousness. By contrast, older age (> 80 yrs), increased infirmity, serious chronic stressors, and social isolation were associated with displaying more “straightforward” religiousness. These results are discussed considering our ongoing study of religious development using qualitative interview methods and previous research on cognitive and emotional complexity in later life (Labouvie-Vief, 2016).