The Role of Well-Being, Spirituality, and Religiosity for Successful Aging in Late Life: A Brief Review

Much research has highlighted the aging process as a global, multi-faceted issue, focusing on modifiable factors that can improve physical health and psychosocial well-being in late life. This is particularly true for both developed and developing countries, which are likely to face long-term issues in health and psychosocial care as the aging of their population increases. Within the theoretical framework of successful aging and developmental psychology, this paper aims to review recent advances in our knowledge of middle and late-life well-being in order to better understand the role of well-being and spirituality/religiosity across adulthood. The results of the selected studies allow us to conclude that subjective, hedonic, and eudemonic well-being and religious practices are significant determinants shaping the overall psychological well-being, life satisfaction, and social functioning of the older population. Limitations and implications of the study will also be discussed.

Depression Among Arab Students in Israel： The Contribution of Religiosity, Happiness, Social Support and Self-control

This study examines the correlation ~mong a number of personal and environmental resources that can recluce u^pz-~on, These are： religiosity, happiness, social support, and self-controL The participants in the study consisted of 219 Arab students from teacher training colleges in the Triangle region in central Israel. The findings indicate that all the resources that were examined contribute to reducing the level of depression; in other words, significant negative correlations were found between the level of religiosity, happiness, social support and self-control on the one hand, and the level of depression on the other hand. These findings are consistent with those of other studies conducted elsewhere in the world on different populations CChristian and lewish, as well as Muslim）. The present study and its findings are, however, the first to address the understanding of depression among the populace in question. The findings were discussed in accordance with a number of different theories.

Potential influences of religiosity and religious coping strategies on people with diabetes

Diabetes is a significant health issue that threatens patients’overall wellbeing and quality of life.Critical public health concerns center on creating the best approach for diabetes management.Patients and caregivers have different approaches to diabetes management;however,this and the associated physiological,physical and mental health issues remain challenging.This review explores the potential influences of religiosity and religious coping strategies on people with diabetes.This study used a literature review approach to investigate how religiosity and religious coping strategies can influence the effective management of diabetes among patients.Based on the literature search,the researchers were able to identify and cite published papers that were analyzed using the descriptivenarrative analysis.An important goal of the descriptive-narrative analysis was to provide descriptions of the selected literature and take implications from the literature.The results of studies reviewed show some religious coping strategies for managing chronic diseases such as diabetes.The studies did establish a relationship between religiosity and diabetes management and suggest that religious coping strategies could positively impact the management of diabetes;however,they reported some adverse effects.Hence,we propose a pathway for the development of religion-oriented interventions and support framework for the management of diabetes.

Coping with Trauma:The Relationship between Religiosity,Spirituality,and Post-Traumatic Symptoms among Civilians Exposed to Ongoing Rocket-Fire

Living under ongoing shelling and missile attacks could cause a widespread of disruption of everyday life and emotional distress.Coping with such distress could be associated with the personal resources of religion and spirituality.The present study aimed to examine the relationships between religiosity and spirituality with Post Traumatic stress Disorder(PTSD)symptoms among a civilian population frequently exposed to missile and rocket threats.One hundred and twenty-four(N=124)civilian participants living within 10 km from shelling and missile attacks fired towards them,completed demographic,religiosity,spirituality,and PTSD questionnaires.The study findings demonstrate that religiosity is associated with higher levels of PTSD symptoms while spirituality is associated with lower levels of PTSD symptoms.When dividing the sample into two groupsreligious and secular,no association was found between religiosity and PTSD symptoms among the religious group,whereas among the secular group,there was a positive association.Spirituality was negatively associated with PTSD symptoms among both groups.This study may offer a significant contribution to models of intervention following continued exposure to trauma,emphasizing the importance of spiritually and sensitivity to religion while coping with PTSD symptoms.Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Exploring the Multivariate Relationships between Adolescent Depression and Social Support, Religiosity, and Spirituality in a Faith-Based High School

Depression is one of the most common psychological disorders that affect adolescents. In this study, we investigated how depression in adolescents relates to social support, religiosity, and spirituality in multivariate analyses. We also investigated whether age, gender and ethnicity are predictors of depression among adolescents in a faith-based high school. We measured social support using the Child and Adolescent Social Support Scale (CASSS), religiosity with the Duke University Religion Index (DUREL);spirituality with the Spiritual Well-Being Scale (SWBS);and depression with the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale for Children (CES-DC). Results of the bivariate analyses showed a significant negative association between depression and social support, religiosity, and spirituality (p –0.548, p = 0.00) was negatively related to depression in adolescents. The study found significant gender differences only in religiosity, while significant ethnic differences were only found in social support. Implications to education, practice, research and future directions of study are discussed.

The Role of Religiosity in HIV Prevention in Uganda: A Case-Control Study among Muslim and Christian Youth in Wakiso District

Background: In Uganda's HIV prevention strategy religious institutions are encouraged to deliver HIV prevention messages to the general public and to integrate HIV prevention into faith-based activities such as worship, funerals and marriage ceremonies. However, there is limited data on the relationship between religiosity and HIV prevalence. Objectives: The main objective was to assess the association between religiosity, HIV-risk behaviors and HIV prevalence. Methods: A case-control study was done among Muslim and Christian youth. Cases were defined as HIV positive youth and controls were HIV negative youth. Respondents were interviewed and then tested for HIV. A religiosity index was constructed to assess the association between religiosity, HIV-risk behaviors and HIV infections. Results: Higher levels of religiosity were significantly associated with abstaining from sex, avoiding drinking alcohol and avoiding narcotics. Higher levels of religiosity were also associated with lower HIV-infections. HIV infections were significantly associated with low religiosity, having one or both parents dead, and having multiple sexual partners. Conclusions: Religiosity appears to have an important role in HIV prevention among many Ugandans. These should be encouraged and made to feel proud of using religiosity in their HIV prevention efforts. Their numbers should also be increased. Religious leaders should be energized by the study findings and they should be supported to take the lead in the efforts of using religiosity for HIV prevention. All Ugandans should use the power of God within each of them for HIV prevention in line with their motto: 'For God and my country'. Religiosity for HIV prevention is readily available, accessible and affordable to the majority of Ugandans. This option should be supported by all stakeholders including government, non-governmental organizations, faith-based organizations and external support agencies, by mobilizing appropriate human, technical and financial resources to accelerate its implementation.

COVID-19 Vaccine Rejection among Muslims in Turkey: Religiosity and Fear of Death

This study aimed to examine the relationship between COVID-19 vaccine refusal and religiosity and fear of death among Muslims living in Turkey. This cross-sectional study was conducted online with 1046 adults aged 18 and older. The Ok-Religious Attitude Scale (Islam) (ORASI) (8 items) and Thorson-Powell Death Anxiety Scale (TPDAS) (20 items) were used as data collection instruments. The data were analyzed using the Pearson chi-square test, Student’s t-test, and binary logistic regression. A p-value of 0.05). In binary logistic regression analysis, vaccine rejection was 7.19 times higher among single people, 50.55 times higher among workers and tradesmen, and 3.36 times higher among people who did not have COVID-19. As religiosity increased, the risk of vaccine refusal decreased 1.037-fold.

Chinese Religiosity and Chinese Science of Nature

Fung Yu-lan has suggested that Chinese philosophers have been unreceptive to modern science. This suggestion, however, has not been substantiated. This essay is an attempt to provide a justification of Fung＇s assertion through an existential analysis of the Chinese concepts of nature. The essay will examine Chinese existential concerns prevailing in Daoism and Confucianism, and these systems＇ distaste for the type of scientific study which has become prevalent in the modern world. I also intend to defend the claim that the ultimate concern of the Zhuangzi and the Zhongyong is completely contrary to the one that sustains modern science. A brief comparative discussion between Xu Guangqi and Galileo Galilei will be used to support this claim. My discussion will raise the contention that, to have a better understanding of the development of modern science in China, we have to understand the attitude toward religion that has underpinned modern science.

Religiosity and bank earnings management:Revisiting international evidence

The modernization theory forecasts a sharp declining effect of institutionalized religion on human behavior owing to the extensive economic development.However,this prediction is rejected and proved that religious values and beliefs have a pervasive influence on individual conduct.Based on this salient evidence,we examine the influence of religious social norms on bank earnings management behavior with regard to ongoing economic development.We use 20,715 bank-year observations from 1318 listed banks of eight geographical regions.We,further,employ an updated dataset of 2007-2021 to resemble the economic prosperity time period.Our study discards the prediction of the modernization theory and reveals that banks located in countries with high religiosity are less likely to manage their reported earnings.While comparing conventional banks with Islamic ones,conventional banks are found to be less prone to the earnings management practice than that of their Islamic counterparts.We also find religiosity to have a greater magnitude of effect on the accounting manipulation in the crisis period than in the post-crisis one.The cross-regional differences in religious values bring differential effects on this unethical practice.Our results are robust with the alternative measures of earnings management and alternative model specifications.

State,Communal,and Individual Identities in Iran

Cultural identity in Iran is comprised of four primary elements,each of which have proven to be highly resonant in the country political history.The vexing issue of modernity,and where individuals and collectivities are placed in relation to it,has been one of the most prominent of these elements of Iranian identity.A second constitutive factor has been the role of the state as a deliberate crafter of cultural,in turn directly influencing the salience,interpretation,extent,and direction of modernity,or its antithesis,in Iran.Equally defining has been the role and significance of religion,which has emerged as a marker of individual and collective,as well as political,identities.Nationalism,and its compelling impulse across Iranian society especially from the early 1900s and continuing until today,has also emerged as an integral and inseparable feature of Iranian identity.Together,these four elements―modernity,a culturally intrusive state,religion and religiosity,and nationalism―constitute fluid yet constant,sometimes complementary and sometimes competing,dimensions of Iranian identity.

The Black American Church: A Reactionary and Ideological Apparatus of Slavery

This work argues that Denmark Vesey,Nat Turner,Gabriel Prosser,David Walker,Henry Highland Garnet,amongst a few others were the reactionary(dialectical)exceptions to the black church,not the norm,an(ideological)institution established to interpellate and indoctrinate blacks to accept their conditions in slavery.In other words,the aforementioned were the enslaved who used Christian dogma to(negative dialectically)respond to the barbarity of slavery by violently convicting white Christian society for not living up to its values,ideas,and ideals given the treatment of African people by so-called Christians.In the latter sense it was reactionary;in the former,it was an ideological apparatus of domination and control for the institution of slavery.The contemporary attempt to racially vindicate the black church as a sui generis revolutionary institution overflowing with Africanisms is ahistorical and ideological reaped in pseudoscientific propositions stemming from postmodern and post-structural theories.

Ritual Immersion in a Mikveh Is Associated with Increased Risk of Group B Streptococcal Carrier State in Israeli Parturient Women

Purpose: Group B Streptococcus (GBS) infection is a major cause of neonatal sepsis. The objective of this study was to estimate the prevalence and risk factors for GBS carriership among parturient women in Jerusalem. Methods: A cross-sectional study of 436 parturient Jewish women at Hadassah-Hebrew University Medical Center, Mount Scopus. The study included patient interview and vagino-rectal swab for culture. Main outcome measures were the prevalence of GBS carriership among study population. Results: Of the 436 participants, 77 had a positive culture for GBS, giving a carrier rate of 17.7%. No differences were found between carriers and non-carriers in age, BMI or parity. Orthodox Jewish women had a significantly higher carrier rate compared with secular Jewish women (20.6% vs. 12.8% respectively), yielding an age, education and BMI adjusted odds ratio (OR) of 1.9 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.06 - 3.40). Similarly, ritual immersion was associated with increased risk of carrier state with an adjusted OR of 2.01 (95% CI: 1.03 - 3.92, P = 0.039). Conclusions: Our study suggests an association between ritual immersion in the Mikveh and GBS carriership.

Muslim Fundamentalism: Psychological Orientations and Counter-Narratives

The current study attempted to formulate a conceptualization of Muslim fundamentalism as well as its counter-narratives as grounded in religious experience of Pakistani Muslims.Open ended interviews were conducted with 133 Pakistani Muslim men and women of prominent local religious affiliations.Analysis revealed a grounded theory model of Muslim fundamentalism highlighting cognitive,and social psychological processes involved.Participants saw their religion as a complete code of conduct and inferred various meanings from completeness of Islam as finalized,closed to inquiry as well as rejecting of other cultures and religious traditions.The major inter-related themes of the model were totalitarianism,closed mindedness,binary thinking,hyper-exotericism,ambiguity intolerance,authoritarianism,punitive approach,violent tendencies,labelling,diversity intolerance and paranoia or threat perceiving attitude.The interplay of these factors is discussed in the light of earlier research on fundamentalism.The research also revealed strong counter narratives to fundamentalist stance which formulated the major themes of esoteric religiosity,open mindedness,pluralism,and Islam and civil society.The study carries implications for religious education of Muslims and their socialization with believers of other religious traditions.

Contemporary Dilemmas of the Ecumenical Movement

Humanity has experienced many tragedies in the micro- and macro-social aspect, and also crystallized in several movements, which in the face of postmodern drama of a man are trying to create a friendly atmosphere around relationships. One of them became an ecumenical movement that promotes openness among societies, respect for differences and encourages the dialogue. Suggested by the author＇s loss of interest in ecumenical ideas and lack of reception of inter-church documents, it results from the reduction of the role of religion in the institutional dimension. This is reflected in the processes of secularization and privatization, and consequently resignations of large social groups of being part to any church. Modern man is a result of pluralistic reality in a way that an individual is individually looking for religious and non-religious references and systematically distances himself from the models of religiosity proposed by the Churches. In this context, the proposed ecumenical movement, i.e., legitimized by religious institutions, loses its importance and is identified only as treatment that restores the prestige of Churches.

Religious Involvement, Inflammatory Markers and Stress Hormones in Major Depression and Chronic Medical Illness

Background: Religious practices/experiences (RPE) may produce positive physiological changes in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) and chronic medical illness. Here, we report cross-sectional relationships between depressive symptoms, RPE and stress biomarkers (pro-/anti-inflammatory measures and stress hormones), hypothesizing positive associations between depressive symptoms and stress biomarkers and inverse associations between RPE and stress biomarkers. Methods: We recruited 132 individuals with both MDD and chronic illness into a randomized clinical trial. First, stress biomarkers in the baseline sample were compared to biomarker levels from a community sample. Second, relationships between depressive symptoms and biomarkers were examined, and, finally, relationships between RPE and biomarkers were analyzed, controlling for demographics, depressive symptoms, and physical functioning. Results: As expected, inflammatory markers and stress hormones were higher in our sample with MDD compared to community participants. In the current sample, however, depressive symptoms were largely unrelated to stress biomarkers, and were unexpectedly inversely related to proinflammatory cytokine levels (TNF-α, IL-1β). Likewise, while RPE were largely unrelated to stress biomarkers, they were related to the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-1RA and the stress hormone norepinephrine in expected directions. Unexpectedly, RPE were also positively related to the proinflammatory cytokine IFN-γ and to IFN-γ/IL-4 and IFN-γ/IL-10 ratios. Conclusions: Little evidence was found for a consistent pattern of relationships between depressive symptoms or religiosity and stress biomarkers. Of the few significant relationships, unexpected findings predominated. Future research is needed to determine whether religious interventions can alter stress biomarkers over time in MDD.

Role of Religion and Media Consumption in National Identity Formation of Youth in Pakistan

This research intends to study the relationship between faith, media exposure, and national identity construction of youth in Pakistan. The purpose is to ascertain the level of influence of foreign and local media consumption on national identity formation in terms of collective self-esteem and self-image of youth with high and low level of religiosity. A survey has been conducted from students （n = 321） between the age group of 16-19 living in Lahore. The results of this study revealed that respondents with high religiosity did not prefer to consume foreign media （r = -0.435＊＊ p 〈 0.01） whereas they did not show much preference to consume Pakistani media, either （r = 0.138＊, p 〈 0.05）. The level of religiosity and positive national identity had a strong and significant positive correlation （r = 0.619＊＊, p 〈 0.01）. This study also found that those respondents who preferred to consume foreign media texts demonstrated lower self-esteem and negative self-image as Pakistanis as compared to those who did not prefer foreign media consumption （r = -0.427＊＊, p 〈 0.01）. The researcher assumed that being Pakistani, a respondent would prefer to consume more national media texts over foreign and would have more positive national identity. However, results did not support this premise （r = 0.159＊＊, p 〈 0.01） due to the fact that the respondents did not show preference to consume Pakistani media at first hand. The study also connects theoretical understanding of faith and identity in Pakistani perspective along with an additional factor of media consumption. Thus, it strengthens the argument that strong faith positively contributes towards consolidating an individual＇s identity construction process. However, the results demonstrate that media tend to play a limited role in the process of identity construction compared to family and peers among Pakistani youth.

Are Mikvehs Responsible for GBS Carriers among Orthodox Jewish Women?—A Prospective Observational Study

Background: Maternal colonization with group B streptococcus (GBS) is an important risk factor for neonatal sepsis. A “mikveh” is a pool of water for ritual immersion by Jewish women. It had been reported to be a risk factor for GBS colonization. Objective: To determine whether there is an association between ritual immersion in the mikveh pools and GBS carriership. Methods: Water samples and bacterial swabs were taken from eight mikveh pools centers at two separate occasions and tested for GBS growth. For determination of the total number of live, aerobic bacteria, each sample was grown on strep selective agar for 48 hours at 37°C and CO2 5%. Results: All the samples were tested. No trace of GBS was found in any of the samples. Conclusions: The findings of this study refute earlier findings and suggest that there is no association between ritual immersion in mikvehs and GBS carriership.

Hegel and the Antidialectic

This work,using the case study of the Haitian Revolution,positions Paul C.Mocombe’s theory of antidialectic within Hegel’s dialectical reasoning.Mocombe posits that the antidialectical position in Hegel’s dialectic is the position of each self-consciousness when they initially encounter each other at the onset of the master/slave dialectic.Whereas,the master seeks to move to the dialectical position in order to dominate and eliminate the original(antidialectical)position of the slave,the slave remains in this antidialectical position so long as they seek to fight against their enslavement for the purpose of maintaining and reproducing their original,antidialectical,position,which is social,political,economic,and ideological.In any other instances,they(the slaves)are either in the dialectical,seeking to maintain the status quo,or negative dialectical,seeking to integrate the status quo on equal footing with the master,positions.

The Haitian Revolution:An Insignificant Revolution?

This work posits that the Haitian Revolution became an insignificant Revolution the minute that it was usurped by the Affranchis class,the mulatto elites and petit-bourgeois creole blacks,seeking equality of opportunity,recognition,and distribution with their former colonial masters,from the Africans who commenced the event on the night of August 14th,1791.Whereas the Africans,I conclude,sought total freedom from the mercantilist and liberal order of the whites,which made the Haitian Revolution significant,the vindicationism sought by the Affranchis class undermined the agential initiatives of the Africans rendering the Revolution revolutionarily insignificant.

Validating New Technologies to Treat Depression, Pain and the Feeling of Sentient Beings: A Reply to “Neuroscience for the Soul”

The primary assumption of Neuroscience is that all experiences are strongly correlated with or caused by the specifics of brain structures and their particular dynamics. The profound experiences attributed to the “sensed presence” and their cultural anthropomorphisms such as deities and gods are persistent reports in human populations that are frequently associated with permanent changes in behavior, reduced depression and alleviation of pain. The majority of traditional clinical observations and modern imaging techniques have emphasized the central role of right temporal lobe structures and their directly related networks. The experimental simulation of sensed presences which can result in attributions to spiritual, deity-based or mystical sources within the clinical laboratory by the application of physiologically-patterned magnetic fields across the temporal lobes through our God Helmet requires the same precision of technology that is essential for synthesizing molecular treatments for modifying anomalous behavior, depression and pain. Despite the clinical utility of these simulated conditions within Neuroscience and Medicine, misinformation concerning the bases and efficacy of this new technology persist. Here we present detailed technical clarifications and rebuttals to refute these misconceptions. A Hegelian approach to this delay of development and impedance provides a context through which the ultimate synthesis and application of this technology may be accommodated in the near future.