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Originalia

Religiousness and Survival in the Swiss Interdisciplinary Longitudinal Study on the Oldest Old

Published Online:September 01, 2006https://doi.org/10.1024//1011-6877.14.4.181

Abstract

Survival in old age has been shown to be positively related to religiousness, and in particular to to church attendance. This research provides new confirmation of this relationship under the Swiss Interdisciplinary Longitudinal Study on the Oldest Old (N = 340 at baseline), a study following subjects aged 80 to 84 at baseline since 1994. Results of logistic regression analyses indicate that participation in church services or a composite measure of religiousness comprising participation in services and the frequency of prayer is positively related to survival in a time interval of 12 to 18 months, controlling for other possible explanatory factors such as functional health or depressive symptoms. To our knowledge, this is the first time that this effect has been demonstrated in a population of old old subjects and in a Latin country of Europe where the number of Catholic subjects is high.


Religiosität und Mortalität in der Schweizer Interdisziplinären Längsschnittsstudie zum hohen Alter

Religiosität und besonders religiöse Aktivitäten wie beispielsweise Gottesdienstbesuche scheinen bisherigen Forschungsergebnissen zufolge in positiver Beziehung zur Langlebigkeit und Überlebenswahrscheinlichkeit im hohen Alter zu stehen. Neuere Befunde zur Relation zwischen Religiosität und Mortalität stammen aus der Schweizer Interdisziplinären Längsschnittsstudie zum hohen Alter (N = 340 zum ersten Messzeitpunkt), in der 80- bis 84jährige seit 1994 regelmäßig befragt wurden. In den Analyzen wurden drei Maße der Religiosität verwendet: die Häufigkeit zu beten, die Häufigkeit der Gottesdienstbesuche sowie ein Religiositätsindikator, der diese beiden Maße zusammenfasste. Die Ergebnisse logistischer Regressionen weisen darauf hin, dass die Teilnahme an Gottesdiensten sowie der Religiositätsindikator in positivem Zusammenhang zur Überlebenswahrscheinlichkeit 12 bis 18 Monate später stehen. Diese Befunde blieben auch nach Kontrolle anderer möglicher Einflussfaktoren wie funktionaler Gesundheit und depressiven Symptomen stabil. Unseren Wissens nach konnte die Beziehung zwischen Religiosität und Überlebenswahrscheinlichkeit damit zum ersten Mal (1) für die Population der alten Alten und (2) für ein europäisches Land mit einem bedeutenden Anteil an katholischer Bevölkerung nachgewiesen werden.

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