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Wagner, B.M. (1997). Family risk factors for child and adolescent suicidal behavior. Psychological Bulletin, 121, 246-298.
Wahass, S., Kent, G. (1997). Coping with auditory hallucinations: A cross-cultural comparison Between Western (British) and non-Western (Saudi Arabian) patients. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 185, 664-668. (C/S, convenience sample of 33 Brits and 37 SA inpatients and outpatients with schizophrenia; SA used religion (prayer, reading Koran/Bible, listening to religious cassettes) (43% vs 3%, p<.01, uncontrolled) to cope with hallucinations (stop voices, lessen distress, reduce loudness, or disbelieve) whereas Brits used distraction/physiologically-based approaches) (R-6)
Waisberg, J.L., & Porter, J.E. (1994). Purpose in life and outcome of treatment for alcohol dependence. British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 33, 49-63. (clinical trial involving 55 inpatients in treatment Program A (focuses on skill acquisition - group therapy, medical information, relaxation training, assertivenss training marital therapy, exercise, nutrition, spiritual aspects, goal planning, films & family programs) for substance abuse (89% alcoholics); 40 inpatients in treatment Program B (which focused on direct teaching of spiritual values, including confrontation of patients by staff and fellow alcoholics); 36 people on the waiting list for treatment at facility (control group); patients in Program A were significantly older, had higher yearly incomes, and were less likely to have legal problems than persons in Program B; results indicated that Purpose in Life significantly increased for subjects in both treatment programs to the same degree; lower dropouts and a high proportion of abstinent subjects after treatment was found for Program A; sense of purpose in life at the end of treatment was predictive of better outcomes 3 months following treatment).
Waite, L. J. (1995). This marriage matter? Demography, 32, 483-507
Walden, R.T., Schaefer, L.E., Lemon, F.R., Sunshine, A., Wynder, E.L. (1964). Effect of environment on the serum cholesterol-triglyceride distribution. American Journal of Medicine, 35, 269-276. (C/S survey of convenience sample of 145 white SDAs in Loma Linda, CA (53 males, 92 females); compared with 433 NYC adults; in SDA males mean serum cholesterol (SC) levels average 13% less than NYC men; among SDA women, mean SC levels average 21% lower than age-matched NYC women; differences in dietary habits probably account for most of the differences observed here)
Waldfogel S, Wolpe PR (1993). Using awareness of religious factors to enhance interventions in consultation-liaison psychiatry. Hospital and Community Psychiatry 44:473-477 (Q)
Waldfogel, S. (1997). Spirituality in medicine. Primary Care, 24,963-976. (About meditation)
Waldfogel S, & Meadows, S. (1996). Religious issues in the capacity evaluation. General Hospital Psychiatry, 18, 173-182. (examines difficulties in the capacity evaluation of pts with strong religious beliefs, reviewing the legal protection for treatment refusal on religious grounds; clinical cases illustrate how conflicts among religious, psychiatric, and legal issues can be resolved)
Wall, K (1994). Prescription: prayer. Physician, 6, 17. Summarizes that many physicians are taking advantage of a prayer service offered by General Injectables and Vaccines, Inc. (GIV), a pharmaceutical company in Bastian, VA. Company says motive is customer service. 4 GIV employees log phone requests full time, while 25 commit to pray for requests daily or weekly. Mentions that at least 2 prayer and healing research studies were going to be run by GIV (1-800-772-9123) in 1995.
Wallis, C. (1996). Faith & healing. Time Magazine, vol 147, no. 26, pp 58-68
Wallace, J.G. (1972). Drinkers and abstainers in Norway. Quarterly Journal of Studies on Alcohol, Suppl 6, 129-151. (C/S survey of a representative sample of 4,000 persons of all ages in Norway (2040 men, 1914 women); asked if in past year they had drank beer, wine, or spirits; religious involvement assessed on index assessing church attendance, attendance at church meetings, and amount of listening to broadcast services (0=no to 4=high involvment); also examined parents' religious involvement of parents when subject was a child; found that abstinence was higher and drinking lower among those scoring higher on a Religious Index and those with both religious parents; Religious Index was best predictor of abstinence among 11 predictors, with RI explaining 25% of drinking frequency (R 10)
Wallace, JM, & Forman, T. A. (1998). Religion's role in promoting health and reducing the risk among American youth. Health Education and Behavior, 25, 721-741. (Random sample of 5000 students from 135 high schools across the United States (part of University of Michigan's Monitoring the Future Project); religious variables include religious importance, religious attendance and denominational affiliation (from no affiliation to conservative affiliation). Outcome variables included unintentional and intentional injury behaviors such as caring a weapon to school, engaging in interpersonal violence, seat belt use, drinking while driving, driving while drinking. Substance use was also examined in terms of cigarette smoking, binge drinking, and annual marijuana use. Lifestyle behaviors included dietary, exercise, and sleep. Religious importance was inversely related to carrying a weapon to school (p<=.05), interpersonal violence (p<=.01), driving while drinking (p<=.001), riding while drinking (p<=.001), and seat belt use (p<=.001). Similar differences were noted forks a great use, binge drinking, marijuana use, dietary, exercise, and sleep patterns (all p<.01-.001). Except for caring a weapon to school, frequency of religious attendance was associated with fewer intentional and unintentional injury behaviors, less substance use, and better lifestyle behaviors (all p<.001).
Walls CT, Zarit SH (1991). Informal support from black churches and the well-being of elderly blacks. Gerontologist 31:490-495. (C/S survey of 98 subjects recruited from Black churches in central Pennsylvania; well-being by PGCMS; spiritual dimension measured by King & Hunt (1975) Dimension of Religion scale and Social Integration of the Aged in the Church scale (Moberg 1965) measured organized religiousness; regression analysis revealed that family networks provided greater support than did church networks; perceptions of social support from church, but not personal religiosity or involvement in organized religious activity, predicted well-being)
Walls, G.B. (1980). Values and psychotherapy: A comment on "psychotherapy and religious values." Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 48, 640-644. (negative comment on religion & psychotherapy - stresses the "positive" aspects of humanistic values and condemns the assertion of absolutes without justification, based on divine authority)
Walker, L., & Walker, L.D. (1990). "Anniversary Reaction": Important events and timing of death in a group of Roman Catholic Priests. Omega , 21, 69-74. (no meaningful patterns of death could be identified arund any anniversary -- including major holidays -- for all priests born between 1830-1860 (n=1083 priests) in diocese of Brooklyn, NY)
Walker SR, Tonigan JS, Miller WR, Corner S, Kahlich L. (1997). Intercessory prayer in the treatment of alcohol abuse independence: a pilot investigation. Alternative Therapies in Health & Medicine, 3 (6), 79-86.
Walsh A (1980). The prophylactic effect of religion on blood pressure levels among a sample of immigrants. Social Sciences and Medicine 14B:59-63. (C/S of convenience sample of 75 subjects who were recent immigrants from 19 different countries to Toledo, Ohio (55% male, 69% Catholic); assimilation and anomie were measured using standard scales; religiousness measured by church attendance -- persons divided into those attending more than 12 times per year (n=39) and those attending less frequently (n=36); control variables were height/weight ratio, family history of cardiovascular problems, kidney trouble, exercise, drinking, smoking, and dietary habits; SBP and DBP inversely asociated with cultueral assimilation and anomie; mean SBP and DBP readings were both 5 mm lower for church attenders vs. non-attenders, but these differences were not statistically significant; church attenders demonstrated both higher assimilation into American culture and lower anomie scores, both of which were related to lower blood pressures) (no controls)
Walsh, A, Walsh P. A. (1987). Social support, assimilation, and biological affect on blood pressure levels. International Migration Review, 21, 577-591. (Sample of 137 immigrants living in Toledo, Ohio (50 percent men and 50 percent women); snow-balling technique was used to acquire the sample; blood pressure readings were taken using standard procedure with patients seated. Two readings were taken and the mean of the two readings was used for analysis. A "biologic effective blood pressure" was calculated using a standard formula, which basically involved averaging the systolic and diastolic blood pressures. Frequency of church attendance was assessed as never or only on special occasions, once or twice a month, once a week, and more than once a week (1-4). Frequency of religious attendance was significantly associated with assimilation (measured with a 12-item major assessing respondent' s acceptance of and closeness to America and Americans) (0.36, p<.0001) and was inversely related to blood pressure (-.17, p<.05). After controlling for age, sex, positive affect , general cardiac health, assimilation, occupation, education, income, and marital status using multiple regression, church attendance continued to inversely predict blood pressure (-.16, p<.05).
Walsh, A. (1998). Religion and hypertension: Testing alternative explanations among immigrants. Behavioral Medicine, 24, 122-130.
Walter, T. (1997). The ideology and organization of spiritual care: three approaches. Palliative Medicine, 11, 21-30. (discusses three approaches to hospice care: (1) hospice care as a religious community, (2) hospice care practiced with idea that only some people are religious and they can be referred to clergy for "specialized" care, and (3) understanding of spiritual care as "search for meaning" which can be applied to all patients; concerns of this last increasingly popular approach, particularly since there is little difference between this type of spiritual care and psychological care or humanistic care: "My point is that how something is labelled may have more to do with the power and influence of the labeller than the thing labelled." (p 26)
Walters, O.S. (1957). The religious background of fifty alcoholics. Quarterly Journal of Studies Alcohol, 18, 405-416. (case-control study of 50 men on an alcoholism treatment unit (cases) at VA hospital in Topeka, KS, compared with 50 men chosen from other wards of the hospital (controls) matched for age, race, and non-psychotic status; cases' parents were more likely to be church members than controls (76% vs 60% of fathers and 90% vs 70% of mothers); cases' mothers were more likely than controls' mothers to be at least moderately active in church (66% vs 50%); alcoholics were more likely than controls to reportther mother had the most religious influence on them (20% vs 10%); no difference on Sunday school attenance or church membership; more cases reported religious conversions (32% vs 24%); fewer cases "considered themselves to be Christians (42% vs 60%), although both groups were as likely to pray (64% vs 66%); 80% reported no signifcant change in religious beliefs since childhood; authors did admit that more religious persons may have been more likely to seek treatment than non-religious alcoholics, indicating a selection effect) (no statistics, no controls)
Walton CG, Shultz CM, Beck CM, Walls RC (1991). Psychological correlates of loneliness in the older adult. Archives of Psychiatric Nursing 5:165-170. (c/s survey of convenience sample of 107 adults aged 65 or over; assessed loneliness (UCLA scale), social readjustment, hopelessness, self-transcendence, and SWB (Paloutzian); used a regression decision tree program for analysis; religious WB apparently not associated with either loneliness or hopelessness, although no statistical p values given) (R 3)
Walton, K. G., Pugh, NDC, Gelderloos, P., Macrae, P. (1995). Stress reduction in preventing hypertension: preliminary support for a psychoneuroendocrine mechanism. Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 1 (3), 263-283. Compared healthy students not practicing a systematic technique for stress reduction (n = 33) and a similar group of students matched for age and area of study who for 8.5 years and practiced Transcendental Meditation (n=33). Urinary samples analyzed for adrenocortical steroids and other biochemical substances. The TM group had lower cortisol and aldosterone levels and higher dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and 5-hydroxindoleacetic acid (serotonin metabolite).
Wan, T.T.H., & Yates, A.S. (1975). Prediction of dental services utilization: A multivariate approach. Inquiry, 12, 143-156. (C/S survey involving a random sample of 2,168 households in a five county area in NY and Pennsylvania; adjusted multiple classification analysis revealed that Jewish persons (n=14) were more likely to utilize dental services than persons affiliated with other denominations)
Wandrei, K.E. (1985). Identifying potential suicides among high-risk women. Social Work, 30, 511-517. (prospective cohort study of systematic sample of 706 women attempting suicide in San Francisco between 1968-1974 (69% white, ave age 36); assessed 5 years post-hospitalization for cause of death; 59 women who eventually completed suicide were compared to 647 non-completers; suicides more likely to have no religious affiliation (45.8 vs 29.8) and not be Catholic (22.0 vs 38.0) (.02), and to not view the Church as a resource (.05) (no controls)
Ward, R. (1980). Age and acceptance of euthanasia. Journal of Gerontology, 35(3), 421-431.
Wardwell, W.I., Bahnson, C.B., & Caron, H.S. (1963). Social and psychological factors in coronary heart disease. Journal of Health and Human Behavior, 4, 154-165. (case-control study of 32 white male survivors of MI in 1957-58 in Middlesex County, CT; compared with 32 age-matched white male controls; MI nearly 4 times more frequent in Protestants compared with Catholics (Prot 2.00 vs Ca 0.58, O/E ratio); also increased in persons whose parents were different religions; concluded that "As Rousseau phrased it, 'forced to be free,' the Protestant cannot avoid personal responsibility for life's decisions nor can be assuage feelings of guilt in the confessional." (p 138)
Wardwell, W.I., Hyman, M., & Bahnson, C.B. (1964). Stress and coronary heart disease in three field studies. Journal of Chronic Disease, 17, 73-84 (evidence from two other larger epidemiologic studies that Protestants have 2 times the rate of MI as Catholics; first, second sample from Middlesex County Heart Study described above (87 MI subjects vs 435 well controls) (Prot 1.34 vs Ca 0.66, O/E ratio, and if mixed religion parents (Ca/Prot), then 2.38 vs 0.51 both Catholic); and second, Midtown Manhattan Study (n=16), compared to 128 free of heart problems and HTN (Prot 1.57 vs Ca 0.68, but no differences for mixed religion parents) and 176 randomly selected from population (Prot 1.41 vs Ca 0.72, but no differences for mixed religion parents) (no controls except matched for age, sex, and race)
Wardwell WI, Hyman M, Bahnson CB (1968). Socio-environmental antecedents to coronary heart disease in 87 white males. Social Science and Medicine 2:165-183 (same study as above; 87 cases of first MI in white males aged 35-64; compared with 435 age-matched control white men; those with both Catholic parents had 0.51 observed-to-expected CHD ratio; those with Protestant parents had 1.27 ratio; those with Jewish parents had 1.32 ratio; and those with mixed Catholic-Protestant parentage had 2.38 ratio, p<.001, uncontrolled)
Wardwell, W.I., & Bahnson, C.B. (1973). Behavioral variables and myocardial infarction in the Southeastern Connecticutt Heart Study. Journal of Chronic Disease, 26, 447-461. (all 114 patients hospitalized with first MI between 1963 and 1965; compared to the sickest 114 all other admissions to the same hospitals as population; compared to a normal group of 145 age-matched group (called "well"); now, Catholics more likely to have MI than Protestants (53% vs. 51% vs 45% for Catholics, compared to 32% vs 40% vs 50% for Protestants, compared to 12% vs 3% vs 3% for Jews) (p<.001, uncontrolled)
*[Warfield, R.D., Golstein, M.B. (1996). Spirituality: The key to recovery from alcoholism. Counseling and Values, 40, 196-205.] (R) (reviewed literature to acertain whether "spirituality" was a necessary ingredient to the success of AA's 12-step program; they concluded that it was, and that because the spiritual aspect of well-being is usually overlooked in most other treatment programs, the likelihood of relapse is greater also)
Wasserman, I., & Stack, S. (1993). The effect of religion on suicide: An analysis of cultural context. Omega: Journal of Death and Dying, 27(4), 295-305.
Wassersug, J. (1989). It's a miracle! Postgraduate Medicine, 86 (July), 76-77. Wassersug describes the case of an 86 year-old retired barber from an Italian Catholic family in Massachusetts. The patient suffered a massive stroke that left him with a sudden, severe right hemiplegia, making him completely bed-ridden and unable to move his right arm or right leg. Neurological consultation determined that because of the patient's age and history of hypertension, there was little or no chance for neurological recovery. He and his wife spoke frequently of God during the hospitalization, convinced that God would help them. On the fifth day of hospitalization, the patients greeted his doctor with excitement saying that he had just dreamed the night before that an angel dressed as a nurse stood at the foot of his bed and told him that he would be able to move his arm and leg when he awoke. The patient easily raised his right arm and right leg off the bed.
Watson, C. G., Hancock, M., Gearhart, LP, Mendez, C. M., Malvrh, P., Raden, M. (1997). The comparative outcome study of frequency, moderate, occasional, and nonattenders of Alcoholics Anonymous. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 53,209-214. (Demonstrates health benefits of 12-step program; 150 mail in patients discharge from Singhal cloud, Minnesota V. a hospital who had been in a three-week residential program with an alcoholics anonymous orientation. Frequency of attendance at AA meetings during the first four weeks after discharge was the predictor variable; 38 subjects attended no meetings, 48 men attended between 1 and 4 meetings (occasional), 37 men attended 5 to 8 meetings (moderate), and 27 men participated in 9 or more meetings (frequent). Subjects attending no AA meetings drank significantly more alcohol per day, and were significantly less likely to remain abstinent (p<.01 both). Finally they were also significantly more likely to be jailed, compared to any level of attendance at AA (p<.05). Frequent attenders were not less likely to remain abstinent board or be jailed less frequently than occasional or moderate participants). And there was no difference in re-hospitalization, detoxications, or jobs lost between nonparticipants and participants. This study provided some evidence but did not provide strong evidence of AA's effectiveness.
Watson, J.S. (1991). Religion as a cultural phenomenon, and national mortality rates from heart disease. Psychological Reports, 69, 439-442. (examined percentage Roman Catholic in 24 "Christian" countries of Western Europe or of European origin (Europa World Year Book 1990), and compared to mortality rates per 100,000 from ischemic heart disease (IHD) (World Health Statistics Annual (1987)); Pearson correlation between the two variables was -.588, p<.001, uncontrolled) (thus, higher percentage of Catholics, the lower the IHD)
Watson, M., Haviland, J. S., Greer, S., Davidson, J., Bliss, JM (1999). Influence of psychological response on survival in breast cancer: a population-based cohort study. Lancet, 354 (9187), 1331-1336 (578 women with early-stage breast cancer prospectively followed for at least five years. Women with high score on anxiety and depression had significantly higher mortality (HR 3.59, 1.39-9.24). There was also a significantly increased risk of relapse or death at five years in women with high helplessness and hopelessness scores (HR 1.55, 1.07-2.25)
Watson, P.J., Hood, R.W., Morris, R.J., & Hall, J.R. (1984). Empathy, religious orientation and social desirability. Journal of Psychology, 117, 211-216. (examines truth of Batson's conclusions that persons high on IR are selfishly motivated and that the only reason why IR associated with mental health is because of confounding by social desirability; C/S survey of convenience sample of 180 undergraduates at University of Tennessee at Chattanooga; three different emapthy scales were used, and IR and ER measured by Allport-Ross scale; Crowne-Marlowe SDS also assessed; IR was significantly related to two of three empathy scales (0.26, p<.01, and 0.36, p<.001), and ER was negatively correlated with two or three scales (-.18, p<.05 and -.22, p<.01); partial correlations controlling for sex and social desirability hielded essentially identical correlations; concluded that highest empathy was found among intrinsics, and that IR associated with unselfish and ER associated with selfish religiosity; thus IR's motivated by empathy, rather than by purely self-serving needs) (important study that opposes Batson's research)
Watson, P.J., Hood, R.W., Morris, R.J., & Hall, J.R. (1985). Religiosity, sin and self-esteem. Journal of Psychology and Theology, 13, 115-128. (two studies; first, C/S survey of 97 male and 130 female freshmen and sophomores in introductory psychology course at Univ of Tenn at Chattanooga (mostly Protestant); Allport-Ross IE scale, Batson and Ventis scales, and 3-item Sin-Grace scale, and a Social Desirability Scale (Crowne-Marlowe); outcome was self-esteem, measured by four instruments (including Rosenberg or R-SEI); SE, as measured by a humanistically-oriented SE instrument (S-SAS), was inversely correlated with 5/6 religiosity scales; two non-humanistically-based SE measures (R-SES and C-SEI) were correlated with each other and with social desirability, inversly correlated with extrinsic (-.19, p<.01 for C-SEI), external (-.15, p<.05 for R-SEI), and interactional (-.08 for R-SEI); sin/grace scale (a religiously-oriented instrument sensitive to role of sin and grace) was correlated with IR (.42, p<.001), internal (.41, p<.001) and external (.44) religiosity); concluded that SE measured by humanisticaly-oriented SES scale is inversely related to SE; when indiscriminantly pro-religious subjects are eliminated, IR significantly and positively related to C-SEI (.19, p<.05, even after controlling for sex, social desirability, and humanistic S-SAS scores), wehreas ER is inversely related to C-SEI (-.23, p<.01); second, C/S survey of 194 students (98 males) found a significant and positive association between C-SEI and IR (0.16, p<.05), after controlling for sex, social desirability, and the humanistic measure of SE, and sin-related guilt)
Watson, P.J., Morris, R.J., & Hood, R.W. (1988). Sin and self-functioning, Part I. Grace, guilt, and self-consciousness. Journal of Psychology and Theology, 16, 254-269. (C/S convenience sample of 198 college students from public state school, and 116 from a Pentecostal college (Tennessee) in study 1; IR measured using A-R scales; social anxiety and depression measured using standard scales; found that depression inversely related to IR only in the religious college students, when other variables controlled, but no association wth social anxiety; study 2 involved 181 students from state university above; again, IR inversely related to depression, but only in uncontrolled analysis; concluded that IR and beliefs concerning grace tend to predict less depression, and that orthodox conceptualizations of sin can promote an adaptive sensitivity to self and self in relationship to others) (R-6)
Watson PJ, Morris RJ, Hood RW (1989). Sin and self-functioning, part 4: depression, assertiveness, and religious commitments. Journal of Psychology and Theology 17:44-58. (C/S survey of 212 undergraduates at Unv of Tenn (convenience); included religious orientation, grace, guilt, and depression scales administered to this sample and seven other samples; total 1,397 subjects, finding IR is positively related to grace (.59, p<.001), to self-guilt (.29, p<.001), to other guilt scale (.42, p<.001), and inversely related to depression (-.20, p<.001); grace is also inversely related to depression (-.28, p<.001) as is self-guilt scale (-.08, p<.01)) (no controls, but all in college students)
Watson PJ, Morris RJ, Hood RW (1990). Extrinsic scale factors: Correlations and construction of religious orientation types. Journal of Psychology and Christianity 9:35-46 (C/S survey of 2,435 students in psychology classes at U of T (12 previous convenience samples) (1342 females, 1083 males, ave age 20); correlated Personal and Social factors from the Extrinsic ROS with psychological and other religious constructs; documented the relative mental health of those with an Intrinsic commitment and the problematic self-functioning of those with an ER orientation; IP or anti-R subjects displayed mixed mental health characteristics) (hard to follow study) (no controls)
Wattenberg, W. (1950) Church attendance and juvenile misconduct. Sociology and Social Research 14:195-202.
Waxman, S.G., & Geshwind, N. (1975). The interictal behavior syndrome of temporal lobe epilepsy. Archives of General Psychiatry, 32, 1580-1586 (review of literature, no data except for 3 cases; note that a distinct syndrome of interictal behavior changes occurs in patients with TLE; these changes include sexual behavior, religiosity, and tendency toward extensive, and in some cases compulsive, writing and drawing; of three cases, only one patient was devoutly religious and experience multiple religious conversions (and she had acute schizophrenia); for the other two, religion was a relatively marginal part of their lives)
Weaver AJ (?). Has there been a failure to prepare and support clergy for their role as front-line mental health workers?: A review of the literature. (R)
Weaver AJ, Samford JA, Lucas LA, Larson DB, Koenig HG, VPatrick V. Is religion taboo in psychiatry? Asystematic analysis of research on religious variables in four major American Psychaitric Association Journals: 1991-1995. A replication. American Journal of Psychiatry, in submission (R)
Weaver AJ, Koenig HG. Counseling the aging: What United Methodist pastors need to know. (R)
Weaver AJ (1992). Working with potentially dangerous persons: What clergy need to know. Pastoral Psychology 40:313-323 (R)
Weaver AJ (1992). The distressed family and wounded children. Journal of Religion and Health 31:207-220 (R)
Weaver AJ (1993). Depression: What clergy need to know. Currents in Theology and Mission 20(1):5-16 (R)
Weaver AJ (1993). Psychological trauma: What clergy need to know. Pastoral Psychology 41:385-407 (R)
Weaver AJ, Koenig HG, Preston J (1996). Elderly suicide prevention: What pastors need to know. (R)
Weaver AJ, Samford, Kline, Lucas, Larson DB, Koenig HG (1997a). Psychologists and clergy working together? An analysis of eight APA journals: 1991-1994. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice 28:471-474 (R)
Weaver AJ, Koenig HG, Larson DB (1997b). Marriage and family therapists and the clergy: A need for clinical collaboration, training, and research. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy 23:13-25. (R)
Weaver AJ, Samford JA, Larson DB, Lucas LA, Koenig HG, Patrick V (1997c). A systematic review of research on religion in four major psychiatric journals: 1991-1995. Journal of Nervous and Mental Diseases, in press (R)
Weaver AJ, Flannelly LT, Flannelly KJ, Koenig HG, Larson DB (1998). An analysis of research on religious and spiritual variables in three major mental health nursing journals: 1991-1995. Issues in Mental Health Nursing, in press (May/June) (R)
Webster IW, Rawson GK (1979). Health status of Seventh-Day Adventists. Medical Journal of Australia 1 (May 19):417-420 (case-control study comparing health status of 779 SDA volunteers in New South Wales, with 8,363 persons referred by their general practitioners and 9,825 volunteers (who combined "probably represent the overall Sydney population); SDA's showed lower SBP and DBP, plasma choesterol, and great lung ventilatory capacity, as well as less obesity; with increasing age, however, breathlessness, HD, HTN, hypertensive and diuretic treatments approached to comparison groups (possibly due to death of high-risk individuals in the latter); 22 out of 25 health measures were significantly better among Adventists, including SBP, DBP, and serum cholesterol being lower in adult life and rising less with ageing than in the other two comparison groups; mothers and fathers of SDA's also were less likely to be dead than age-matched non SDA's; SDA's also reported less psychological impairment in terms of anxiety, tension, depression, and suicidal thoughts; all uncontrolled)
Wechsler, H., & McFadden, M. (1979). Drinking among college students in New England: Extent, social correlates, and consequences of alcohol use. Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 40, 969-996. (C/S survey of random sample of 7170 students at 34 colleges/universities in 5 New England states; Jews less likely to drink heavily than Protestants or Catholics; religious attendance inversely related to drinking, such that frequent attenders both less likely to drink and less likely to drink heavily; among men, 29% of once/wk or more attenders were abstainers or infrequent light drinkers vs. 20% of less frequent attenders (p<.001, uncontrolled); among women 42% of once/wk or more attenders were abstainers or infrequent light drinkers vs. 30% of less frequent attenders (p<.001, uncontrolled)
Wechsler, H., Thum, D., Demone, H.W., & Dwinnell, J. (1972). Social characteristics and blood alcohol level. Quarterly Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 33, 132-147. (C/S survey of a systematic sample of 6,266 of 11,644 elligible ER admissions at Massachusetts General Hospital in 1966-67; measuring % alcohol by Breathalyzer in blood >.01%; 22% of men and 11% of women with positive tests; found significantly greater percentages of Irish Catholics and lower percentages of Italian Catholics and Jews; these trends tend to diminish after age 65) (no controls)
Weil, A. (1983). Health and Healing. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. (don't have it)
Weill, J., & Le Bourhis, B. (1994). Factors predictive of alcohol consumption in a representative sample of French male teenagers: A five-year prospective study. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 35, 45-50. (5-year prospective cohort study of a probability sample of 691 French male teenagers aged 13-18 years; 437 boys reinterviewed in 1990; low church attendance (less than once/wk) in 1985 prediced heavy alcohol use (E and F) five years later); frequent attenders had the lowest percentages in heavy drinking classes E and F of all 17 predictors in 1985) (6% and 3%, respectively) (no controls)
Weima, J. (1965). Authoritarianism, religious conservatism and socio-centric attitudes in Roman Catholic groups. Human Relations, 18, 231-239. (25-item Dutch version of California F scale, Anti-Semitism scale (A-S), Anti-Protestantism scale (A-Pr), Religious Conservatism Scale (RCS); administered to C/S convenience sample of 67 male members of Ecclesia Circles (Catholics who met monthly to discuss subjects of interest in field of religion) and 101 Catholic students at State University in Utrecht; F score (authoritarianism) significantly related to RCS in Ecclesia group and Catholic students (both 0.61, p<.01); RCS also related to Anti-Semitism in both groups (0.60 and 0.39, p<.01, respectively) (no controls) (F scale simply measuring more conservative religious attitudes)
Weinrich S, Hardin SB, Johnson M (1990). Nurses respond to hurricane Hugo victims' disaster stress. Archives of Psychiatric Nursing 4:195-205 (Q) (C/S survey of 61 nursing students involved in disaster-relief effort in South Carolina 3 weeks after Hugo; asked about their perception of the victims' disaster stress reactions and coping skills and coping strategies; most frequently observed coping strategies were talking about their experiences (95%), humor (82%), religion (74%), and altruism (47%) (descriptive)
Weinrich, S., Holdford, D., Boyd, M., Creanga, D., Cover, K., Johnson, K., Frank-Stromborg, M., Weinrich, M. (1998). Prostate cancer education in African-American churches. Public Health Nursing, 15, 188-195.
Weir, E. (1941). Criminology: A Scientific Study. Joliet, IL: Institute for the Scientific Study of Crime (don't have it) (no association between delinquency and church membership)
Weis, D., Matheus, R., Shank, M.J. (1997). Health care delivery in faith communities: the parish nurse model. Public Health Nursing, 14, 368-372.
Weisner, T.S., Belzer, L., & Stolze, L. (1991). Religion and families of children with developmental delays. American Journal of Mental Retardation, 95, 647-662. (C/S survey of convenience sample of 102 families with a child ages 3-5 with developmental delays of uncertain etiology (from 73 agencies, two-thirds public schools and private intervention programs in greater Los Angeles area); religiosity score based on parents' statements that religion was a positive force that gave meaning to having a child with DD or not helpful, mother's and father's sense of religiousness, extent to which religion used a protective strategy for self, extent to which parents used church support, type of church support used, membership attendance, and involvement, and frequency of prayer; 28 high religious families (in top 25%) religious parents were more likely than non-religious parents (in lower 25%) to be rated high on family connectedness (77% vs 52%, p<.10), to be judged high on joint family activities (87% vs 41%, p<.01), high compassionate couple relationships (86% vs 55%, p=ns), emphasized family support (43% vs 11%, p<.05), emphasize parental nurturance (82% vs 41%, p=.01), more likely to say they had final responsibility for their child's life and future (vs schools, agencies, or relatives) (p=.01), reported their child was an "opportunity to help" (46% vs 4%, p<.003); among parents willing to say their child was a burden (n=11), only 1 was highly religious; highly religious partents sought out and received more interpersonal support htan nonreligious parents (63% vs 17%, p<.05); while religious partents "described the purpose of their children with delays in their lives in emotionally powerful and meaningful ways that clearly helped them" (p 647), there were no diferences in peace of mind or emotional adjustment between religious and non-religious families, although measures of emotional adjustment were single-item questions) (no controls) (R 7)
Weiss A.S., Mendoza R.H. (1990). Effects of acculturation into the Hare Krishna Movement on mental health and personality. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 29, 173-184.] (CS conv samp of 226 Hare Krishnas from 8 US locations with a mean duration of membership of 9 years (ave age 30); greater scores on a 53-item aculturation index (AI) (a measure of Hare Krishna religiosity) was associated with greater well-being (no controls) (R-6)
Weissman, M.M. (1974). The epidemiology of suicide attempts, 1960-1971. Archives of General Psychiatry 30:737-746 (reviews research on religious affiliation and suicide between 1960-1971; completed suicide lower in Catholic countries than Protestant countries; not as true for suicide attempters, and one study of suicide attempters in teenage unwed mothers found high rate in Catholic girls) (says nothing about religious commitment, only broad denominational affiliation) (R)
Weissman, M.M., Prusoff, B.A., & Klerman, G.L. (1978). Personality and the prediction of long-term outcome of depression. American Journal of Psychiatry, 135, 797-800. (response of depression to treatment was not affected by "religion"; they did not define "religion," so not clear whether denomination or what)
Weissman, M.M., Wickramaratne, P., Merikangas, K.R.. (1984). Onset of major depression in early adulthood. Archives of General Psychiatry, 41, 1136-1143 (age of onset of major depression in 133 probands did not vary by religious denomination - Ca, Prot, Jewish, None - association between depression and denomination not examined either in probands or in 1518 relatives)
Welford, A.T. (1947). Is religious behavior dependent upon affect or frustration? Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 42, 310-319. (C/S survey of convenience sample of 63 college and seminary male students (all churchgoers and Presbyterian or Episcopalian) (New Jersey); exposed to hypothetical scenarios of varying degrees of arousal and frustration; students were more likely to pray with increasing frustration and affect)
Welte JW. (1985). Alcohol use.... Drug & Alcohol-- see other file
Weltha DA (1969). Some relationships between religious attitudes and the self concept. Dissertation Abstracts International, 30, 2782-B. Subjects were 565 undergraduates (210 males and 355 females) at Iowa State. Assessed relationship between religious orthodoxy and self-concept. Conclusion of no significant relationship between the two. When stratified by denomination, found positive relationship in American Baptists, but negative relation in Catholics & Congregationalists. Highly orthodox/highly authoritarian subjects scored significantly higher (p=.10) in self-ideal/self discrepancy than high orthodox/low authoritarian subject. Females showed significantly more orthodox attitudes than males (p<.01), Iowans and those from bordering states more orthodox than the rest of US (p<.001 and p<.01). Subjects from towns 2,500 more orthodox than those from towns > 100,000 ( p <.05)
Wenneberg, S.R., Schneider, R.H., Walton, K.G., MacClean, c.R., Levitsky, D.K., Salerno, J.W., Wallace, R.K., Mandarino, J.V., Rainforth, M.V., & Waziri, R. (1997). A controlled study fo the effects of the Transcendental Meditation program on cardiovascular reactivity and ambulatory blood pressure. International Journal of Neruoscience, 89(1-2), 15-28. (9 mm drop in diastolic BP (p<.04) after 4 months of TM in 39 normotensive males; no difference in cardiovascular response to stressors between TM and control groups) Evaluated effects of stress reduction on both laboratory cardiovascular reactivity and ambulatory blood pressure in real life on 39 normotensive male subjects pretested for ambulatory blood pressure and cardiovascular reactivity to stress using a battery of laboratory stressors. Subjects were randomly assigned to practice either the TM technique or a cognitive-based stress education control for 4 months. After 4 months, there was no change in cardiovascular response to stressors between TM and control groups. However, subjects regularly practicing TM demonstrated a significant reduction of 9mm 14g (p<.04) in average ambulatory DBP compared to controls. Study was prospective, randomized, single-blind, controlled study. Recruits were healthy white males ages 18-34 from Iowa City, IA area. TM program based on Maharishi's Vedic Approach to Health. Programs lasted for 14-16 weeks. Relatively high attrition rate (24 dropped out, 3 excluded for medical reasons out of original group of 66).
Werebe, M.J.G. (1983). Attitudes of French adolescents toward sexuality. Journal of Adolescence, 6, 145-159. (C/S convenience sample of 386 adolescents (241 girls and 145 boys aged 16-18, 50 practising Catholics, 157 non-practising Catholics, 31 Jews, 13 other, and 112 without religion; examined attitudes toward abortion, homosexuality, masturbation, and premarital sex; practicing Catholics had more negative views than subjects without religion on issues related to abortion (p<.01) and more positive views toward marriage (60% of practicing Catholics vs 6% of "atheists"); concluded that religion is associated with more conservative attitudes toward all four topics above) (no controls)
West GE, Simons RL (1983). Sex differences in stress, coping resources, and illness among the elderly. Research on Aging 5:235-268. (C/S survey of 299 of 625 randomly sampled elderly Midwestern adults (from senior citzen's center, churches and civic organizations) with a major life crisis in past year; religiosity measured by 4-item scale of prayer, reading religious materials, felt presence of God, and religious commitment; SLE measured with Geriatric Schedule of Recent Experiences; outcome was 48-item Seriousness of Illness Rating Scale; religiosity was unrelated to illness in men or women) (controlled)
West, R.O., & Hayes, O.B. (1968). Diet and serum cholesterol levels: A comparison between vegetarians and nonvegetarians in Seventh-day Adventist group. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 21, 853-862. (C/S survey of a convenience sample of 3,260 of 6000 7th Day Adventists in the Washington DC area; 233 SDA vegetarians were matched with 233 nonvegetarians; compared with cholesterol levels of 4,244 persons of metropolitan NYC; mean serum cholesterol of vegetarian SDAs was 185 compared with 196 for non-veg SDAs (p<.01); SDAs had significantly lower serum cholesterol levels at all ages, compared with non-Adventists in NYC) (no controls)
Whipple, V. (1987). Counseling battered women from fundamentalist churches. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 13, 241-258. No data. This is an opinion piece with some guidance on ways to counsel battered women from fundamentalist churches who may face a resistant environment to the options of leaving the relationship or divorce.
Whitehead, P.C. (1970). Religious affiliation and use of drugs among adolescent students. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 9, 152-154. (C/S survey compared Catholics, Protestants, Jews, and non-affiliates on use of 10 drugs; 25% random sample of 1,606 students from 26 high schools in Halifax, Nova Scotia; found that Catholics and Protestants used significantly less drugs than Jews and non-affiliates, although number of Jews (27) and non-affiliates (35) was small; no controls) (R 4)
Whitlatch AM, Meddaugh DI, Langhout KJ (1992). Religiosity among Alzheimer's disease caregivers. The American Journal of Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders & Research 11-20 (R)
Whitlock, F.A., & Schapira, K. (1967). Attempted suicide in Newcastle upon Tyne. British Journal of Psychiatry, 113, 423-434. (case-control study of all patients admitted between 1962 and 1964 for attempted suicide; (n=274, 94 male, 180 female); compared to a control group of 200 consecutive medical admissions and estimate from religious bodies in the city to the size of their congregations, Catholics were represented more often among suicide attempters (27% vs 16% and 15%); compared to Church of England/Scotland (68% vs 73% vs 70%); no controls; no statistical comparisons (Great Britain)
Whitt, H.P., Gordon, CC, & Hofley, J.R. (1972). Religion, economic development and lethal aggression. American Sociological Review, 37, 193-201. (cross-national study of suicide-murder ratio (SMR) and lethal agression rate (LAR) in 47 countries; SMR and LAR calculated based on previously published data; religious affiliation of country determined by World Christian Handbook; countries divided into Catholic, Protestant, and non-Christian countries; figures for industrialization from United Nations; suicide rate and homocide rates in Prot countries vs. Ca vs Non-Christian countries are 12.7 vs 7.0 vs 8.8 and 1.6 vs 6.9 vs 5.6; results showed that industrialization insulates populations against lethal agression in Protestant countries (LAR and industrialization are inversely correlated in Prot (-.53, p<.05)), but not in Ca or Non-Christian ones; SMR and industrialization are positively correlated in Catholic countries (.68, p<.05); the mean value of SMR adjusted for industrialization by religion is Prot .692, Ca .543, and non-Christian .589; thus, Protestant countries more likely to commit suicide than homocide than Ca or non-Christian)
Wickstrom, D.L., & Fleck, J.R. (1983). Missionary children: Correlates of self-esteem and dependency. Journal of Psychology and Theology, 11, 226-235. (C/S survey of 130 college students at 12 Christian colleges in 4 states (59% female, ages 17-24); description of parents by Gough-Heilbrun Adjective Checklist; parent-child relationship assessed with standard scale; religious attitudes measured by committed religious orientation (religion strongly integrated into subject's life and actions) and non-integrated religious orientation (extrinsic religiousness); self-esteem measured by standard scale; dependencies assessed by 5 subscales of Personality Research Form; extrinsic or consensual religiousness inversely related to self-esteem (r=-.16, p<.05), while committed religiousness positively related to self-esteem (.20, p=ns) and inversely related to negative attention seeking (p<.05, in multiple regression model)
Wiebe, K.F., & Fleck, J.R. (1980). Personality correlates of intrinsic, extrinsic, and non-religious orientations. Journal of Psychology, 105, 181-187. (C/S survey of convenience sample of 158 Canadian college freshman; personality profiles (Cattell-PF) compared across religious orientation (Allport-Ross E-I scale) and affiliation; intrinsically religious students tended to be higher on superego strength and emotional sensitivity and lower in liberalism than extrinsically or nonreligious subjects; they had greater concern for moral standards, conscientiousness, discipline, responsibility, and consistency than non-religious or extrinsics; they were also more sensitive, dependent, emphathetic, and open to their emotions; extrinsically religious and non-religious subjects (who were significantly correlated) were more self-indulgent, indolent, and less dependable, but also more flexible, self-reliant, skeptical, pragmatic, and less sentimental, as well as more innovative, analytical, and free thinking, less rigid, and a decrease propensity towards pathology than intrinsics; combinations of denomination ane I-E was also revealing; intrinsically-oriented Protestants tended to be moderately neurotic and slightly achieving, but lower in aggression; intrinsically religious Catholics tended to be strongly neurotic and aggressive, but lower in both the intelligence and achievement dimensions; extrinsically oriented Protestants tended to be moderately achieving and intelligent, but low in agression and neurosis; extrinsically religious Catholics tended to be slightly neurotic and achieving but to a lesser degree than intrinsically-motivated Protestants; non-religious subjects tended to be strongly intelligent and moderately aggressive and exhibited the least trend toward neurosis) (no controls)
Wikan, U. (1988). Bereavement and loss in two Muslim communities: Egypt and Bali compared. Social Science and Medicine, 27, 451-460. (qualitative study discussing bereavement and grief in two Muslim societies, arguing that culture more than religion shapes and organizes reponses to loss)
Williams DR, Larson DB, Buckler RE, Heckmann RC, Pyle CM (1991). Religion and psychological distress in a community sample. Social Science & Medicine 32:1257-1262 (prospective cohort study of 720 residents of New Haven, CT; 938 interviewed in 1967 (Wave I) and 720 reinterviewed in 1969 (Wave II); psychological distress measured by Gurin symptom checklist of 20 statements indicating presence of depression/anxiety; two measures of religious commitment at Wave I were church attendance (1-6) and religious affiliation (1,0); SLE's and health problems occuring between Wave I and Wave II were examined; psychological distress at Wave II was predicted by Wave I attendance and affiliation in a series of regression models; when attendance & affiliation entered alone in model, attendance predicts Wave II distress at p<.01; when age, education, marital status, sex, and race are entered into the model, religious attendance continues to predict Wave II distress (p<.01); when Wave I psychological distress is added to the model (to determine if any improved mental health functioning is found in high vs. low attenders over the two year course of the study), however, the association with church attendance disappeared); concluded that religious attendance did not lead to improved mental health functioning over the two-year period (note that original study found inverse relationship between Wave I attendance and Wave I psychological distress -- the Lindenthal et al 1970 study); most important, however, when interaction terms between SLE and attendance, and health events and attendance, were examined, they were both significant and positive (even with Time 1 psychological distress in the model), suggesting that among low attenders, new stressful life events and health problems have a negative impact on mental health that is buffered among frequent church attenders)
Williams, J.M., Stout, J.K., & Erickson, L. (1986). Comparison of the importance of alcoholics anonymous and outpatient counseling to maintenance of sobriety among alcohol abusers. Psychological Reports, 58, 803-806. (c/s survey of convenience sample of 36 alcohol abusers enrolled in an alcohol rehabilitation program and Alcoholics Anonymous in New York state; asked to rate importance of either outpatient counseling or AA to their maintenance of sobriety; AA rated significantly higher in importance by those with above median days (160) of sobriety vs those with below median days of sobriety (p<.05), and AA rated significantly higher than outpatient counseling by those with above median days of sobriety, but not significantly higher in those with below median days of sobriety; significant correlation between attendance at AA and days of sobriety found (r=0.79, p<.001, n=36); concluded that AA plays an important role in the long-term maintenance of sobriety, and more important than outpatient counseling) (no controls) (R 5)
Williams, R., & Hunt, K. (1997). Psychological distress among British South Asians. Psychological Medicine, 24, 1173-1181. (159, CS, random; higher psychological distress among Muslims among British South Asians (India) living in Glasgow, is reduced to NS when stress conditions (assaulted, stress in work, work satisfaction, absence of parents/confidante) are controlled) (R-7)
Williams, R.L., & Cole, S. (1968). Religiosity, generalized anxiety, and apprehension concerning death. Journal of Social Psychology, 75, 111-117. (C/S survey of convenience sample of 161 introductory psychology students from West Georgia State college, "on all dimensions of anxiety, the active religious Ss (measured using the Religious Participation Scale) manifested the highest level of adjustment" as measured by Security-Insecurity Inventory, the MMPI, and the Perception of Death Scale; although GSR response, a measure of generalized physiological apprehension, could not distinguish between low, medium, and high religiosity subjects) (no controls) (R 5)
Willits FK, Crider DM (1988). Religion and well-being: men and women in the middle years. Review of Religious Research 29:281-294 (37 year prospective cohort study (1947-1984) of religion and well-being; originally assessed 2,806 sophomores in 75 rural high schools in 1947 (Pennsylvania); in 1984, questionnaires mailed to 2,009 who were still alive/locatable; 1650 men and women in their early 50's completed questionnaires; in 1947, parent church or Sunday school involvement was measured by yes/no responses, and an "adolescent participation index" (based on attendance at church, Sunday school, and church socials) was based on summation of yes-no responses (1-3 scale); in 1984 religious attendance measured on 6-point scale and religious belief measured on 5-point scale based on agreement or disagreement with 5 items concerning belief in God as a controlling, caring force; 1984 well-being measured by overall life-satisfaction on 7-point scale, and satisfaction with community, job, and marriage; current church attendance and rleigious beliefs significantly related to overall life satisfaction (.13 and .10, p<.001) and to satisfaction with community (.12 and .09, p<.001) (which continued to be statistically significant after gender, income and other religiosity measures controlled); 1947 adolescent religious participation and parent religious attendance, however, were unrelated to 1984 overall life satisfaction, once gender, income, and other religiosity measures were controlled; with regard to community satisfaction, current religious attendance and beliefs were significantly related (p<.05, after controls); current religious beliefs and adolescent religious participation (1947) were significantly related to job satisfaction (1984), after controls; only current religious beliefs were related to marital satisfaction, after other variables controlled); "adherence to traditional religious beliefs was the most consistent correlate of well-being" (p 291) (R 10)
Wilson J (1978). The measurement of religiosity. In J Wilson, Religion in American Society. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall, Inc.
Wilson J, Musick M. (1996). Religion and marital dependency. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 35(1):30 40.
Wilson, M.R., & Filsinger, E.E. (1986). Religiosity and marital adjustment: multidimensional interrelationships. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 48, 147-151 (C/S convenience sample of 190 white married couples from a southwestern metropolitan area, representing Baptist, Nazrene, charismatic, SDA, Methodist, Presbyterian, Lutheran, and Congregational; volunteers picked up interview packet after pastors announced study from pulpit; religiosity measured by 37-item Dejong et al 1976 Religiosity Scale; marital adjustment by 32-item Dyadic Adjustment Scale; Marital Conventionality scale measured social desirability; after controlling for relevant covariates, including MCS, total dyadic adjustment in men was positively related to religiosity (.28, p<.01), especially for ritual (.31, p<.01); in women was positively related to religiosity (.18, p<.01), especially for experience (.22, p<.01); subscale with strongest association was marital satisfaction) (R 7)
Wilson, W., & Kawamura, W. (1967). Rigidity, adjustment, and social responsibility as possible correlates of religiousness. A test of three points of view. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 6, 279-280. (C/S survey of convenience sample of 125 female and 39 male students of social psychology at University of Hawaii (majority between ages 20 and 24; 80 Japanese, 44 Caucasian, 22 Chineses, 18 others; 39 Methodist 34 no religious affiliation or agnostic, 22 Catholic, 67 other); 53-item religious measure consisted of items "phrased to minimize references to the doctrinal basis of any specific religion. The test conceived of religiousness as a need for and belief in meanings, purposes, and beings of a mystical or supernatural nature" (p 279); for example, "The good life is a life enriched by an awareness of divine powers"; religious participation measured by statement "My religious participation is: strong, above average, average, below average, weak"; neuroticism measured by Eysenck scale and by an MMPI neurotic factor scale; uncontrolled correlations reported only; religiousness positively related to social responsibility (.20, p<.05) and to rigidity (.41, p<.01); religious participation inversely related to neuroticism (-.16, p<.05) and positively related to social responsibility (.19, p<.05) and rigidity (.23, p<.01); negative study (positive correlation with rigidity) (no controls) (R 4)
Wilson, W., & Miller, H.L. (1968). Fear, anxiety, and religiousness. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 7:111 (C/S convenience sample of 100 college students at University of Alabama; religiousness measured based on self-ratings of church attendance, belief in supreme being, soul immortality, religious mortality, etc.; Taylor Manifest Anxiety Scale and 40-item fearfulness scale were outcomes; religiousness was positively correlated with both fearfulness (r=.33, p<.001) and anxiety (r=.20, p<.05) (no controls) (R 5)
Wilson, W.P. (1972). Mental health benefits of religious salvation. Diseases of the Nervous System, 36, 382-386. (C/S convenience sample of 63 subjects, all having had salavation experiences consistent with "a realization of a feeling of harmony with God" (all were acquaintences of the author); average age 42, 38 males and 25 females; behavior change after salvation included a reduced use of profanity (67%), gossiping (87%), criticism (78%), fornication & adultery (47%), alcohol (47%), aggression (41%), and an increased ability to commuity with groups (90%) and individuals (57%), and increased generosity towards others -- time with family (83%), helpful to friends (90%), charities (81%), church (89%); salvation experience occurred on the average 11 years prior to interview) (descriptive) (no stats) (NR)
Wilson, W.P., Larson, D.B., & Meier, P.D. (1983). Religious life of schizophrenics. Southern Medical Journal, 76, 1096-1100. (case-control study in which 72 schizophrenic inpatients at the Durham VA and John Umstead State Hospital in North Carolina (68% men, 49% Black, 82% low SES) were compared to 109 controls recruited from the Durham, NC area without mental health problems or substance abuse history (44% men, 16% Black, 13% low SES); fathers of cases were less likely to be involved in religious teaching than fathers of controls (19% vs 35%, p<.05); parents of schizophrenics were also less likely to practice family devotions regularly (8% vs 32%), more likely to teach that God is punitive and harsh (73% vs 30%), and to teach religion in an authoritarian manner (40% vs 14%); schizophrenics themselves were less likey to regularly read the Bible (26% vs 49%, p<.01), say grace at meals (51% vs 80%, p<.01), and were less likely to have a salvation experience before age 21 (63% vs 78%, p<.01); no variables controlled, despite fact that cases and controls were very different)
(?) Wind, J.P. (1990). What can religion offer bioethics? Hastings Center Report, July/August, 20(4), supplement, 18-20. (Taking a religious history may be justified on the basis of obtaining important an accurate information regarding patients' health, health beliefs, and personal behaviors that affect health)
Wineberg, H. (1994). Marital reconciliation in the United States: Which couples are successful? Journal of Marriage and the Family, 56, 80-88. (C/S survey of national random sample (1987-88 National Survey of Family and Households (NSFH)) of 506 non-Hispanic, white women whose first or second marriage took place between 1960 and 1988 and who attempted reconciliation during the 1st marriage; frequency of religious attendance, religious differences between spouses; religious conversion associated with marriage; outcome was "successful reconciliation"; 50% of sample divorced and 5% separated; women who reconciled more likely to have same religion as their spouse and to have either spouse change religion in connection with marriage (indicating that religion for one or both spouses may have placed a high priority on religious compatibility during the search process); persons attending church at least weekly were more likely to reconcile (36% vs 29%); logistic regression demonstrated that if either spouse changed religion in connection with marriage, they were over 4 times more likely to reconcile (p<.01); if same religion as spouse, over twice as likely to reconcile (p<.05); frequent church attenders were 75% more likely to reconcile (1.75), but p>.05); concluded that "Religion has the strongest relationship with the success of a reconciliation, followed by premarital cohabitation, and age homogamy of the spouses." ( p 80)) (R 10)
Wingard, D.L. (1982). The sex differential in mortality rates. American Journal of Epidemiology, 115, 205-216. (9-year prospective cohort study of probability sample of 2229 men and 2496 women ages 30-69 in 1965 (Alameda County Study); religious variable was church membership; RR of non-church membership in 1965 was 1.4 for both men and women (p<.05); when variables included in multiple logistic regression(including smoking history, alcohol consumption, and context with friends and relatives -- all factors which may explain the relationship between church membership and mortality), church membership lost its significant association) (R 8)
Winkelstein, W., & Rekate, A.C. (1969). Age trend of mortality from coronary artery disease in women and observations on the reproductive patterns of those affected. American Heart Journal, April, 481-488. (case-control retrospective study of of 123 white female hospitalized patients ages 50-80 with a history of pregnancy; of the 123 women, 59 had ASHD and 64 other diagnoses; groups were comparable with respect to religious preference (Ca, Prot, Jew) (R 3)
Winter, T., Kaprio, J., Viken, R. J., Karvonen, S., Rose, R. J. (1999). Individual differences in adolescent religiosity in Finland: familial effects are modified by sex and region of residence. Twin Research, 2, 108-114. (Examined a sample of 2265 twin boys and 2521 twin girls who formed 779 monozygotic in 1614 dizygotic pairs, 785 of the same sex and 829 of opposite sex. Twins living in more rural, traditional northern Finland had higher religiosity scores than those resident in more urban secular southern Finland. Correlations for monozygotic twins were slightly higher than those for dizygotic twins, and covariance modeling found modest heritability of religiosity: 11% for girls, 22% for boys; and substantial shared environmental effects: 60% for girls and 45% for boys. The correlation between shared environmental effects in boys and girls was estimated to be 0.84. Boys living in the urban, less religious South appeared to have lower shared environmental effects, and higher additive genetic effects than boys living in the rural, more religious North. As religiosity becomes lower, genetic effects explaining whenever religiosity is present increase in their percent of the whole.)
Wirth, D.P. (1995). The significance of belief and expectancy within the spiritual healing encounter. Social Science and Medicine, 41, 249-260. (3-week prospective cohort study -- pre-test, post-test methodological design -- of 48 persons in Marin County, CA, seeking treatment for a medical condition through using a spiritual healing technique involving "magnetic laying on of hands" (46% single, 65% white, 67% female, 50% with incomes 18K-50K/year); patients divided into low expectancy and high expectancy groups, depending on degree of improvement of their condition they expected within 3 weeks after the healing experience; mental and physical health assessed using standard scales; 75% of patients obtained an indpendent medical diagnosis before and after the treatment session; 86% of these patients were told their condition had improved; high expectancy of healing by both patient and healer were associated with subsequent improvement in physical and psychological condition (p<.05); also, if patient's alone had high expectancy, outcomes were better (p<.05); low expectancy on either part results in less improvement) (largely descriptive) (uncontrolled)
Witter, R.A., Stock, W.A., Okum, M.A., & Haring, M.J. (1985). Religion and subjective well-being in adulthood: A quantitative synthesis. Review of Religious Research, 26, 332-342. (performed a meta-analysis of effect sizes (zero-order Pearson correlations) between religion and well-being in 28 studies; 56 religion / subjective well-being effect sizes examined; quality of study ratings made using a survey evaluation instrument used by Kohr & Suydam (1970); the mean-sample-size weighted correlation was 0.16 (95% CI 0.14-0.25); study quality ratings were unrelated to effect size; religion was more strongly related to well-being in earlier studies; relationship was stronger in older than younger subjects, but not by sex; mean effect sizes were greater for religious activity (weighed m=.18) than for religiosity (.13); "religion is as strongly, or more strongly, related to subjective well-being than several predictors that have been much more extensively research" (p 335-336); for example, the mean zero-order association between social activity and subjective well-being is 0.15 (based on 506 effect sizes from 107 sources); concluded that 2-6% of variance in SWB of adults is account for by religious belief, which was larger than marital status, economic well-being, and other variables; limitations: all cross-sectional, none of effects controlled for other variables)
Wittkowski J and Baumgartner I (1977). Religiositat und einsellung zu tod und sterben bei alten menschen. Zeitschrift feur Gerontologie, 10, 61-68. Written in German. Short English summary - Examined attitudes toward death and dying of 60 residents of home for the aged were unveiled by means of content analysis and their interrelations with six dimensions of religiosity. High degree of religiosity as well as experience of social integration were found to be in positive relation with carefree attitude toward death and dying. Results were discussed in regard to a compensatory function of religiosity as well as an anxiety-reducing effect of a social frame of reference. This translates into a lower death anxiety for the more religious.
Witztum, E., Greenberg, D., & Basberg, H. (1990). Mental illness and religious change. British Journal of Medical Psychology, 63, 33-41. (C/S survey of 561 outpatients attending a psychiatric treatment center in Jerusalem; 13% (n=71) were baalei teshuva (BT) (underwent a change to become orthodox jews) (mean age 30, 80% male); mean time since religious change was 5 years; non-BT Jews were less likely to be male (48%) and were older (age 35); BT Jews were more likely to be schizophrenic (29% vs 15%), had mood disorders (19% vs 10%), personality disorders (37% vs 27%), and were less likely to have simple adjustment disorders (4% vs. 24%); of BT Jews, two thirds (66%) were mentally ill before their religious change, 9% became sick at time of change, and 26% reported becoming ill at sometime after the change; none of the 71 BT Jews stopped their religious activities after seeking psychiatric help; concluded that recent converts were more likely to have serious pre-existing and recent onset mental disturbance than non-converts; however, it is likely that BT Jews would not seek help at a psychiatric clinic unless the were seriously mentally ill (e.g., adjustment disorders likely handled within their faith tradition) (largely descriptive study)
Wolbarst, A.L. (1932). Circumcision & penile cancer in men. Lancet , January 16th, 150-153. (case-control study of 830 cases of penile cancer in U.S. reported by 205 hospitals with a daily avearge 40,709 patients of whom 4.4% are Jewish (including 26 Jewish hospitals); not a single Jew with penile cancer; 2484 penile cancers reported in uncircumcised men in America, India, and Java; only 33 in circumsized men, all Mohammedians; in circumcised Jews and Mohammedians, penile cancer is almost unheard of, vs. 2-3% of all cancers in men)
Wolff, G. (1939). Cancer and race with special reference to the Jews. American Journal of Hygiene, 29, 121-137. (between 1924 and 1926, 801 Jews died of cancer in Berlin; between 1932-1934, 947 Jews died of cancer; overall cancer rates in Jews same as in non-Jews: 15.5/10,000 vs 14.8/10,000 in 1924-1926 and 19.7 vs 17.1 in 1932-1934; but distribution of types varies by type of CA: Jewish males and females less likely to have CA of esophagus, stomach and duodenum than general population in 1932-1934 (time when data on general population available); Jewish females less likely to have CA of uterus (observed 51, expected 107); Jewish males more likely to have CA of rectum and anus and more likely to have CA of respiratory organs; Jewish females more likely to have CA of respiratory organs, recum and anus, other female genital organs, and breast)
Wolff, R. F. (1999). A phenomenological study of in-church and televised worship. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 38,219-235. (Compares how people experience worship in-church with worship via television. It uses descriptions provided by participants to develop emergent themes and an interpretation of in-church worship, comparing this with worshiping by television. A qualitative research study.
Wolinsky, F.D., & Stump, T.E. (1996). Age and the sense of control among older adults. Journal of Gerontology, 51B, S217-S220 (C/S survey of a systematic sample of 1,051 of 1,859 older adults from general medicine clinics at a large urban teaching hospital (Indianapolis, Indiana); examined correlates of "sense of control" using multivariate analysis techniques; "sense of control" index (Mirowsky & Ross 1991) measured by degree of agreement or disagreement to 8 statements (control over outcomes in life); while age and education were the strongest predictors of "sense of control", religiosity (a single subjective religiosity question measured on a 1-5 scale) significantly predicted greater sense of control (beta=.113, p<.001), as did being Catholic (beta .068, p<.05) and belief in life after death (beta .058, .05<.10); concluded that the findings "provide further evidence that these are important factors in the sense of control among older adults.... Despite the crudity of the subjective religiosity and religious preference measures, both had significant, positive relationships." (p S219) (locus of control)
Wood, V., Wylie, M.L., Sheafor, B. (1969). An analysis of a short self-report measure of life satisfaction: correlation with rater judgments. Journal of Gerontology, 24, 465-469.
Wood, J.B., & Parham, I.A. (1990). Coping with perceived burden: Ethnic and cultural issues in Alzheimer's family caregiving. Journal of Applied Gerontology, 9, 325-339. (C/S convenience sample of 85 rural black (n=36) and white (n=49) caregivers for relatives with Alzheimer's disease in Virginia; cognitive coping responses measured with scale used by Conway (1985); caregiver burden measured by Relatives Stress Scale (1982); results indicated that Blacks prayed more, thought more about religion, and received more support from their ministers and from God than Whites; concluded: "Of note was the important support of a deity perceived a in a very personal way." (p 325)
Woodall. Arch Fam Med. letter. 5, 439 - comment on SPIRITual History by Maugans, & review of Anderson, SC elective.
Woodroof, J.T. (1985). Premarital sexual behavior and religious adolescents. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 24, 343-366. (C/S survey of convenience sample of 477 freshman students at colleges associated with Churches of Christ (60% female, 100% white and single, 79% with both parents COC members; 79% attended church 3x/wk!); 11-item religious behavior scale and Allport IE scale; sexual behavior by 5-item scale, including sexutal intercourse, age at first intercourse, frequency of intercourse, and number of past partners; adolescents who are intrinsically religious and high in religious behavior have the lowest level of premarital sexual activity); level of religious behavior related to premarial sexual activity (p<.0001): 80% of those 3x/wk attenders were virgins compared with 37% less than once/wk attenders; IR inversely related to sexual activity (p<.0001), with 86% of intrinsics being virgins compared with 62% of extrinsics; high religious activity + IR= low premarital sexual activity, whereas low religious activity + ER = high sexual activity) (regression models used, but results are essentially uncontrolled since only a couple variables included in models) (R 5)
*[Woodruff (1986). Reference groups.... Journal of Marriage and the Family, 25(4), 446-???]
Woods, T.E., Antoni, M.H., Ironson, G.H., & Kling, D.W. (1999). Religiosity is associated with affective and immune status in symptomatic HIV-infected gay men. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 46,165-176. (C/S study of convenience sample of 106 HIV seropositive gay men; religious activities -- prayer, religious attendance, spiritual discussions, reading religious/spiritual literature) associated with significantly higher CD4+ counts and CD4+ percentages (T-helper-inducer cells), but not with affective measures (controlling for self-efficacy and active coping with health situation, using regression modeling); the authors show that the effects of religious behaviors on immune function was not confounded by disease progression (i.e., as disease worsened and immune function decreased, persons unable to participate in religious activity); religious coping related to lower BDI depression scores (p<.01) and lower Spielberger Trait Anxiety Inventory scores (p=.08), but not with specific immune markers) (multiple regression used to control variables) (R 7)
Woods, T. E., Ironson, G. H. (1999). Religion and spirituality in the face of illness. How cancer, cardiac, and HIV patients describe spirituality. In press.
Wootton, R.J., & Allen, D.F. (1983). Dramatic religious conversion and schizophrenic decompensation. Journal of Religion and Health, 22, 212-220. (review of literature; dramatic and sudden religious conversion is contrasted with a milder and more gradual turn to faith which occurs -- according to Leon Salzman -- "in the course of real maturing... after a reasoned, thoughtful search"; William James noted that the "sick soul" is a more likely candidate for sudden conversion than the "healthy minded" person; this article primarily reviews the writings and case reports of other writers like Christensen, Docherty, Salzman, James, Beit-Hallahmai, and Maslow; no research)
Worthington, E.L. (1986). Religious counseling: A review of published empirical research. Journal of Counseling and Development, 64, 421-431 (R) (clergy do most of the religious counseling; only about half of the acredited Protestant seminaries in the U.S. require at least one course in counseling or pastoral care (Linebaugh & Devivo 1981); after physicians, clergy are the most common professional sought for counseling (Lieberman & Mullan 1978); marital counseling is either the first or second most frequent presenting complaint) (Arnold & Schick 1979); identified 19 empirical studies and two reviews of research involving religious counselors; identified 23 empirical studies involving religious clients and 3 reviews); little data on effectiveness of clergy counsling, other than degree of satisfaction reported, usually by their own parishioners)
Worthington, E.L. (1989). Religious faith across the life span: Implications for counseling and research. Counseling Psychologist, 17, 555-612. (theories of religious development are reviewed, from childhood to adolescence and beyond - good)
Worthington, E.L. (1991). Psychotherapy and religious values: An update. Journal of Psychology and Christianity, 10, 211-223. (R) (gives reasons for why psychotherapists will increasingly need to deal with religious values in psychotherapy: (1) religious people are becoming more outspoken about their religious beliefs and practices, (2) patients are acknowledging the importance of their religious faith to their mental health, (3) the influx of immigrants into the U.S. is bringing in persons whose faith is very important in their lives, and (4) the increasing tolerance to alternative medicine, religious or otherwise; they review research on religious values and psychotherapy and provide four possible scenarios that need dealing with: (1) religious therapist, psychotherapy content can be religious, (2) non-religious therapist, content can be religious, (3) religious therapist, content cannot be religious, and (4) non-religious therapist, content cannot be religious) (see p 216 for hypotheses regarding the effects of therapist and client religiousness on client's religiousness during therapy)
Worthington, E.L., Kurusu, T.A., McCullough, M.E., & Sandage, S.J. (1996). Empirical research on religion and psychotherapeutic processes and outcomes: A 10-year review and research prospectus. Psychological Bulletin, 119, 448-487. (reviewed 148 empirical studies on religion and counseling; while methodological sophistication was poor a decade ago, it is currently approaching secular standards; religious differences between therapist and client can affect clinical judgement and behavior)
Wright, D., & Cox, E. (1971). Changes in moral belief among sixth-form boys and girls (ages 16-20) over a seven-year period in relation to religious belief, age, and sex difference. British Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 10, 332-341. (C/S convenience sample involving 96 randomly selected grammar schools in England; in 1970, heads of all schools were asked to select 25 second-year sixth-formers for the study; total of 3,850 students participated in this and earlier study (2276 included in 1963 survey and 1574 in 1970 survey); religious beliefs and activities inversely associated with attitudes toward gambling, drunkenness, permarital sex, suicide, taking drugs, and to a lesser extent, smoking, lying, and stealing in 1970 survey; however, when the 1963 results are compared with 1970 results, indicates an increasing permissiveness to these behaviors regardless of religious attitudes; in other words, greater permissiveness seen in both believers and non-believers; concludes that while factually associated, religious and moral beliefs are not functionally related; lots of problem with this interpretation, since comparing different cohorts and changes are always relative to the cultural environment in which they occur (which in general has become more permissive) (R 6)
Wright, J.C. (1959). Personal adjustment and its relationship to religious attitude and certainty. Religious Education, 54, 521-523. Attempts to assess relationship between religious attitudes and certainty and various aspects of freshmen at DePauw University (Greencastle, IN). Correlated scores from McLean Inventory of Social and Religious Concepts with scores on Heston Personal Adjustment Inventory for 508 freshmen. Students' religious attitudes were related to their certainty about their attitude (p<.01). More confident females were more certain of their religious attitudes (p<.05). More sociable males tended to have higher religious attitude scores and be more orthodox in their beliefs (p<.01). Males with more liberal religious attitudes that were less certain of their attitudes tended to be better adjusted in their Personal Relations Index.
Wright, K. B. (1998). Professional, ethical, and legal implications for spiritual care in nursing. Image Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 30, 81-83 (highlights nurses' professional and ethical responsibility to consistently provide spiritual care; the word "nurse" comes from the Greek word meaning "nurturing of the human spirit." Also notes that the North American Nursing Diagnosis Association (NANDA) has identified "spiritual distress" as a nursing diagnosis. Also notes that the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Hospital Organizations (JCAHO) requires that spiritual care be provided to all patients.)
Wright, L.S., Frost, C.J., & Wisecarver, S.J. (1993). Church attendance, meaningfulness of religion, and depressive symptomatology among adolescents. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 22, 559-568. (C/S convenience sample of 451 adolescents at a public high school in Texas who completed a survey during English class; depression assessed with Beck Depression Inventory; the high intrinsic religiosity (assessed by 2 items) and frequent religious attendance (1 item) group had the lowest mean BDI scores (5.30, n=74, males; 8.24, n=103, females) compared with other groups and especially the low religiosity-infrequent attendance group (10.7, n=60, males; 14.1, n=43, females) (ANOVA results significant, but no controls) (includes an important quote on importance of Allport's I-E scales in this area of research; also provides original reference for Jung's quote and some interesting history)
Wright, S.D., Pratt, C.C., & Schmall, V.L. (1985). Spiritual support for caregivers of dementia patients. Journal of Religion and Health, 24, 31-38. (C/S convenience sample of 240 Alzhiemer's caregivers; single item on use of spiritual support; Caregiver Burden Scale (CBS) assessed burden; Family Coping Strategies quesionnaire assessed coping, including "spiritual support"; CBS scores were inversely correlated with spiritual support (-.25, p<.01, uncontrolled); spiritual support was strongly correlation with external coping strategies (more than support from extended family, friends, neighbors, or community services) (R 5)
Wulson, L. R., Vaillant, GE, Wells, V. E. (1999). A systematic review of the mortality of depression. Psychosomatic Medicine, 61,6-17. This review identified 57 studies; 29 (51%) were positive, 13 (23%) negative, and 15 (26%) mixed. Only six studies controlled for one of the four major mediating factors (severity of physical illness, smoking, alcohol, and suicide). Suicide account for less than 20% Odessa psychiatric samples and 1% in medical and community samples. Depression seem to increase the risk and death by cardiovascular disease, especially in men, but it did not seem to increase the risk and death by cancer. Authors concluded that depression substantially increases the risk of death, especially death by unnatural causes and cardiovascular disease.
