Religion, Health, and Aging: A Review and Theoretical Integration (Contributions to the Study of Aging)

Harold G. Koenig, Mona Smiley, Jo Ann Ploch Gonzales / Hardcover / Greenwood Press / 1988

Description:
Now a classic, this book was one of the first to lay out the role of religion in later life for health professionals. For its time, Religion, Health, and Aging was a comprehensive and scientific review of the research during the past fifty years on the relationship between religion and health in later life, with the goal of helping professionals gain awareness of the importance of religious and spiritual factors in the lives of many older people. The widespread interest in religion among the elderly is evidence for its value as a coping strategy and personal resource. Unlike any other in the field, this volume synthesizes both past research and findings during the 1980's, including unpublished data, into a model of how religion might interact with other variables to help determine adaptation to stress in later life. Many of these precepts have been reinforced and refined by more recent research done since its publication.