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African Americans, Caregiving, and Physical Health Ratings: Does Culture, Religion and Spirituality Provide Support?

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Abstract

Caregiving can be both distressing and physically demanding, especially among African Americans. This study uses data from the National Survey of American Life (NSAL) to examine the relationship between religion and spirituality experiences on health ratings among African American caregivers. Logistic regression analyses were performed on a sample including 4461 African American and white participants. All analyses were weighted and used STATA 14. African American participants who endorsed religiosity (OR 1.44, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.06, 1.97) and white participants who endorsed religiosity (OR 2.40, CI 1.07, 5.40) recorded higher ratings of physical health than those who did not endorse being religious. Maintaining family closeness for African Americans is significantly associated with higher ratings of physical health (OR 2.02, CI 1.39, 2.94). Overall, the findings underscore how maintaining a religious or spiritual lens can enhance health outcomes among African Americans caregivers who need support.

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Funding

This study was funded by the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (1K22MD003934).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Public Health, University at Albany, SUNY, Health Policy, Management, & Behavior, One University Place, GEC 183, Rensselaer, NY, 12144, USA

    Julia F. Hastings & Suryadewi E. Nugraheni

  2. School of Social Welfare, University at Albany, SUNY, 135 Western Avenue, Richardson HallAlbany, NY, 12222, USA

    Julia F. Hastings & Suryadewi E. Nugraheni

  3. Division of Public Health, Department of Family Medicine, Michigan State University, College of Human Medicine, Flint, MI, 48502, USA

    Harold W. Neighbors

Authors
  1. Julia F. Hastings
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  2. Suryadewi E. Nugraheni
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  3. Harold W. Neighbors
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Correspondence to Julia F. Hastings.

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All authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Research Involving Human Participants and/or Animals

All procedures performed in the study involving human participants were in accordance with and approved by the ethical standards of the University, Office of Regulatory and Research Compliance. Further, all procedures were in accordance with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the original study.

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Hastings, J.F., Nugraheni, S.E. & Neighbors, H.W. African Americans, Caregiving, and Physical Health Ratings: Does Culture, Religion and Spirituality Provide Support?. Race Soc Probl (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12552-020-09302-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12552-020-09302-3

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