Higher religiosity and spirituality are associated with ethnic group membership among middle-aged and older adults living with HIV.

Background: HIV is a chronic illness that impacts the lives of more than 1 million people in the United States. As persons living with HIV (PWH) are living longer, it is important to understand the influence that religiosity/spirituality has among middle-aged and older PWH.Objective: Compare the degree of religiosity/spirituality among middle-aged and older PWH and HIV-negative individuals, and to identify demographic, clinical, and psychosocial factors associated with religiosity/spirituality among PWH.Method: Baseline data on 122 PWH and 92 HIV-negative individuals (ages 36-65 years; 61.1% Non-Hispanic White) from a longitudinal study were analyzed for the current study. Recruitment occurred through HIV treatment clinics and community organizations in San Diego. Participants completed questionnaires on religiosity, spirituality, and psychosocial functioning. Independent samples t-tests, Pearson correlations, and multiple linear regression analyses were conducted to test the study objective.Results: No significant differences in religiosity/spirituality were found between PWH and HIV-negative individuals. Demographic and psychosocial variables were unrelated to religiously/spirituality among HIV-negative individuals. Among PWH, multiple linear regression models indicated higher daily spirituality was significantly associated with racial/ethnic minority membership (Hispanic/Latino, African American/Black, or Other), fewer years of estimated duration of HIV, greater social support, and higher grit. Greater engagement in private religious practices was significantly associated with racial/ethnic minority membership and higher social support.Conclusions: For PWH, being a racial/ethnic minority and having higher social support was associated with greater engagement in religious/spiritual practices. Future longitudinal studies should examine whether religion/spirituality impacts well-being across the lifespan among racial/ethnic minority groups of PWH.

Differences in life satisfaction among older community-dwelling Hispanics and non-Hispanic Whites.

OBJECTIVES: Hispanics are the fastest growing ethnic/racial group of the older adult population in the United States, yet little is known about positive mental health in this group. We examined differences in life satisfaction between demographically matched groups of older Hispanics and non-Hispanic Whites, and sought to identify specific factors associated with these differences METHODS: Participants included 126 community-dwelling English-speaking Hispanics aged 50 and older, and 126 age-, gender-, and education-matched non-Hispanic Whites. Participants completed standardized measures of life satisfaction and postulated correlates, including physical, cognitive, emotional and social functioning, as well as positive psychological traits and religiosity/spirituality. RESULTS: Hispanics reported greater life satisfaction than non-Hispanic Whites (p < 0.001). Ethnic groups were comparable on most postulated correlates of life satisfaction, except that Hispanics had lower levels of cognitive performance, and higher levels of daily spiritual experiences, private religious practices and compassion (ps < 0.001). Among these factors, spiritual experiences, religious practices, and compassion were significantly associated with life satisfaction in the overall sample. Multivariable analyses testing the influence of these three factors on the association between ethnicity and life satisfaction showed that higher spirituality among Hispanics accounted for ethnic differences in life satisfaction. CONCLUSION: English-speaking Hispanics aged 50 and older appeared to be more satisfied with their lives than their non-Hispanic White counterparts, and these differences were primarily driven by higher spirituality among Hispanics. Future studies should examine positive mental health among various Hispanic subgroups, including Spanish speakers, as an important step toward development of culturally sensitive prevention and intervention programs aimed at promoting positive mental health.