Society & Culture - Posted by A'ndrea Elyse Messer-Penn State on Thursday, September 23, 2010 12:08 - 7 Comments 
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(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...Religion: Good for body and soul?
People who leave strict religious groups are far more likely to report poor health than those who remain, perhaps due to the social bonding that accompanies involvement. (Credit: iStockphoto)
PENN STATE (US) — People who leave strict religious groups are almost twice as likely to say their health is worse than members who remain in the group.
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The text of this article by Futurity is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivatives License.
“Previous research showed some association between belonging to a religious group and positive health outcomes,” says Christopher Scheitle, senior research assistant in sociology at Penn State.
“We became interested in what would happen to your health if you left a religious group. Would people demonstrate any negative health outcomes?”
About 40 percent of members of strict religious groups reported they were in excellent health, according to the study. However, only 25 percent of members in those groups who switched to another religion reported they were in excellent health.
The percentage of the strict religious group members who dropped out of religion completely and said their health was excellent fell to 20 percent. The difference between switchers and non-switchers, in reference to health, is statistically significant for the strict groups.
Findings are reported in the current issue of the Journal of Health and Social Behavior.
The study also indicated that people who were raised and remained in strict religious groups were more likely to report they were in better health than people affiliated with other religious groups.
Scheitle defines strict religions, such as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Jehovah’s Witnesses, as exclusive groups with strict social, moral and physical guidelines for members.
Researchers suggest several possible reasons for the declining health conditions reported by former members.
Strict groups typically require members to abstain from unhealthy behaviors, such as alcohol and tobacco use. These groups also create both formal and informal support structures to promote positive health, Scheitle says.
The social bonds of belonging to the group might be another factor for better health.
“The social solidarity and social support could have psychological benefits,” Scheitle says. “That could then lead to certain health benefits.”
Religious beliefs may also promote better health by providing hope and encouraging positive thinking, so losing connection to these health benefits, may increase stressful situations.
“You could lose your friends or your family becomes upset when you leave, leading to psychological stress and negative health outcomes,” says Scheitle.
The study does not necessarily mean that leaving a group causes poor health.
Poor health actually could prompt a member to leave the group. Strict sectarian groups require active involvement in meetings, services and social events that hinder participation by unhealthy members.
An unhealthy member may also question membership in a group that promotes the belief in an all-powerful being who has failed to heal his or her condition.
For the study, Scheitle examined a total of 30,523 cases collected from 1972 through 2006 in the General Social Surveys. Of those, more than 10,000 switched to another religion and more than 2,000 dropped out of religion completely.
A total of 423 strict religious group members were studied with approximately 96 members switching to other religions and about 54 members no longer affiliated with any religion.
Scheitle says drawing deeper conclusions about the health issues from leaving a strict religious group would require more exact studies. Those longitudinal studies are new in the religious field, he adds.
More news from Penn State: http://live.psu.edu/
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7 Comments
Edwin Nirdlinger
krissy
i kinda doubt this one, sorry
G.Ritter
They are relying on the subject’s report of good or poor health; it would be more pertinent to have a study which documented state of “health”. If they are trying to document the subject’s feelings about their health, that is a different subject. From this summary, you can’t even determine what “good health” is; in one part it sounds like it could be oh, maybe a lot of colds; in another it seems like they’re talking about catastrophic illness.
The use of the term “strict religion” might be a misnomer. Many people adopt an individual strict interpretation of their religion that may enhance their health. “Fire Breathing Baptists” is a term I used to hear and run across in history. “Tea Totallers” are almost exclusively Methodists in my family. What I have noticed is that those who are respectful of others tend to have better health. Some of this might be due to religious training, but not all. More reasearch with larger numbers and psycological evaluation is needed.
I don’t believe this has anything to do with religion, is related to group participation. Humans are social animals and we gain strength through our friendship groups – we get a sense of belonging. You can have the same feeling from being in a sporting club or any social club where there is a shared set of beliefs.
Edwin Nirdlinger
Any conclusion can be drawn from a study which was poorly designed and had small numbers. Chris can think that group membership is important, Dr O’ that what’s important is respect for others, I that diet and lifestyle is the key, etc. The point is that studies should be well designed by people who understand the scientific method.
Also, the editors of Futurity should use more editorial authority in the choice of articles and, perhaps, in adding expert editorial comment.
bill gates
What is so wrong that????? what wrong with that?? plenty wrong with imaginery best-friend in sky…
Remember: there are many god, gods in the world.
Thor
Zeus
Apollo
Kitchen-gods in china
Mayan gods in mexico
Sun-god
Moon-god
Man in sky-god
Buffaloe in sky god
Hindus have 330- million gods
gods in china
gods in india
gods in Africa.
gods for every nation, every people and gods for the Fortune 500
gods like easter bunny, santa claus, batman, superman-gods
god
gooooood
gooooooooooooooood
gooooooooooooooooooood
gooooooooooooooooood
gooooooooooooooood
gooooooood
goooooood
gooood
gooood
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good
good
god
Yes, there is a God, next to the frozen chicken for sale at Wal-mart?
What wrong with that?
The two groups studied have strict guidelines regarding healthy eating habits. Seventh Day Adventists also emphasize a healthy life style. They were included in the book “The Blue Zone” for having an inordinate number of people who live to be over 100 y/o.
It would have been more interesting if other religious groups were studied. For instance, Orthodox Jews who emphasize niether healthy eating nor exercise.