Abstract
According to sanctification theory, religious people tend to imbue certain aspects of their lives with spiritual character and significance. Moreover, they take active steps to preserve and protect sacred aspects of their lives that might be threatened. If they are successful, they derive a deep sense of satisfaction and well-being. However, when stressful events arise, some individuals are not able to preserve and protect the facets of their lives that they have come to view as sacred. The resulting sacred loss/desecration can be associated with physical and mental health problems. The purpose of the current study is to see if a sense of meaning in life buffers (i.e., moderates) the relationship between sacred loss/desecration and four measures of health: physical functioning, the number of chronic conditions, symptoms of physical illness, and self-rated health. Data from a recent nationwide survey (N = 2,104–2,107) suggest that the negative relationship between sacred loss/desecration and each health outcome is lower for people who have a stronger sense of meaning in life.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 365-376 |
| Number of pages | 12 |
| Journal | Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion |
| Volume | 57 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jun 1 2018 |
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Keywords
- meaning in life
- physical health status
- sacred loss
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Religious studies
Cite this
Meaning in Life Moderates the Relationship Between Sacred Loss/Desecration and Health. / Krause, Neal; Pargament, Kenneth I.; Ironson, Gail.
In: Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, Vol. 57, No. 2, 01.06.2018, p. 365-376.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Meaning in Life Moderates the Relationship Between Sacred Loss/Desecration and Health
AU - Krause, Neal
AU - Pargament, Kenneth I.
AU - Ironson, Gail
PY - 2018/6/1
Y1 - 2018/6/1
N2 - According to sanctification theory, religious people tend to imbue certain aspects of their lives with spiritual character and significance. Moreover, they take active steps to preserve and protect sacred aspects of their lives that might be threatened. If they are successful, they derive a deep sense of satisfaction and well-being. However, when stressful events arise, some individuals are not able to preserve and protect the facets of their lives that they have come to view as sacred. The resulting sacred loss/desecration can be associated with physical and mental health problems. The purpose of the current study is to see if a sense of meaning in life buffers (i.e., moderates) the relationship between sacred loss/desecration and four measures of health: physical functioning, the number of chronic conditions, symptoms of physical illness, and self-rated health. Data from a recent nationwide survey (N = 2,104–2,107) suggest that the negative relationship between sacred loss/desecration and each health outcome is lower for people who have a stronger sense of meaning in life.
AB - According to sanctification theory, religious people tend to imbue certain aspects of their lives with spiritual character and significance. Moreover, they take active steps to preserve and protect sacred aspects of their lives that might be threatened. If they are successful, they derive a deep sense of satisfaction and well-being. However, when stressful events arise, some individuals are not able to preserve and protect the facets of their lives that they have come to view as sacred. The resulting sacred loss/desecration can be associated with physical and mental health problems. The purpose of the current study is to see if a sense of meaning in life buffers (i.e., moderates) the relationship between sacred loss/desecration and four measures of health: physical functioning, the number of chronic conditions, symptoms of physical illness, and self-rated health. Data from a recent nationwide survey (N = 2,104–2,107) suggest that the negative relationship between sacred loss/desecration and each health outcome is lower for people who have a stronger sense of meaning in life.
KW - meaning in life
KW - physical health status
KW - sacred loss
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U2 - 10.1111/jssr.12522
DO - 10.1111/jssr.12522
M3 - Article
VL - 57
SP - 365
EP - 376
JO - Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion
JF - Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion
SN - 0021-8294
IS - 2
ER -