Subjective religiosity as resilience to stressful life events in middle-aged and older African Americans

ABSTRACT

This study examined stressful life events, discrimination, and well-being among older African Americans. Through a risk and resilience framework we evaluate the role of subjective religiosity as a moderator. Stressful life events and discrimination represent a double jeopardy risk profile in which discrimination exacerbates the negative relationship between stressful life events and well-being. Subjective religiosity is a resilience resource that should buffer the effect of discrimination on the stress – well-being link. Stressful life events and discrimination predicted poorer well-being, discrimination exacerbated the negative effects of stressful life events on depression and life-satisfaction, but subjective religiosity reduced these effects.

KEYWORDS:

• Older African Americans
• resilience
• discrimination
• subjective religiosity
• double jeopardy risk

Acknowledgments

The authors thank HRS, public use dataset, produced and distributed by the University of Michigan with funding from the National Institute of Aging, Ann Arbor, MI.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).