Researchers at the School of Medicine at the University of Southampton compared the benefits of religious beliefs to atheism as a coping mechanism used by older adults and found that both religious and non-religious coping were effective for the participants in their sample. In fact, there were no clear differences in how each group coped with aging or loss.
A substantial body of research indicates that older adults who face later-life experiences increasingly turn toward religion as source of understanding and comfort. In fact, religiosity tends to increase later in life. Research has confirmed that religiosity and spirituality provide positive coping resources for older adults facing health changes and the death of loved ones. But all of these studies have left open the question of whether or not there was something essential about religious belief as a coping resource. This study was designed to test this assumption; specifically, whether other non-religious belief systems can also provide similar coping resources.
The researchers designed a qualitative comparative study that matched two groups (religious vs. atheist) of older adults (60 years or older) on the nature of loss and stress they experienced in their life. The study had three main aims: 1) to find out the extent to which people considered their beliefs about the nature of religion to be relevant in helping them cope with aging-related changes in their life; 2) to assess the successes of each group’s coping methods; and 3) to ascertain whether religious coping provided a unique form of coping compared to non-religious forms. The researchers found that the content of participants’ beliefs may have been different; however, the explanations they used provided them all with a coherent narrative for why things were happening as they were. For example, when comparing two older adults faced with the possibility of death, the researchers discovered that while the participant from the religious group turned toward prayer and religious texts for answers, the non-religious participant turned toward his favorite works of literature and poetry for words of wisdom. Both sources worked well for the purposes of each individual. Furthermore, none of the participants showed differences in risks for anxiety or depression.
The researchers conclude that a strong atheistic belief provides as strong a psychological coping mechanism as a strong belief in religion. It appears that the presence of a solid belief system is what is most important for coping; it is individuals who waiver between religious and non-religious belief systems who may be less able to handle bereavement, stress, and other changes related to aging.
Source: Wilkinson, P., Coleman, P. 2010. Strong beliefs and coping in old age: a case-based comparison of atheism and religious faith. Ageing and Society 30: 337-361.
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