Religiosidade e espiritualidade no cuidado da saúde e o impacto na vida de pessoas com doenças crônicas / Religiosity and spirituality in health care and the impact on life / Religiosidad y espiritualidad en el cuidado de la salud y elimpacto en la vida

Objetivo: Descrever a influência da religiosidade e espiritualidade no cuidado da saúde, com ênfase nas seguintes doenças crônicas: diabetes, doença pulmonar obstrutiva crônica, doenças cardiovasculares e renais. Método:Revisão sistemática realizada nas bases de dados Latindex, Pubmed e SciELO. As palavras-chave utilizadas foram: "religiosidade" OR "espiritualidade" AND "cuidados da saúde" AND "doenças crônicas" e seus equivalentes no idioma inglês: "religiosity" OR "spirituality" AND "health care" AND "Chronic disease". Foram selecionados artigos nos idiomas português e inglês, publicados nos últimos dez anos. Resultados:Foram encontrados 3.686 artigos. Após leitura e análise criteriosa foram selecionados 14 artigos finais. Os benefícios que aparecem nos estudos estão relacionados com mudanças no estilo de vida, redução de depressão, ansiedade e estresse, que o diagnóstico de doença crônica carrega, estimulando o maior enfrentamento as doenças e maior adesão aos tratamentos, contribuindo de forma geral para o bem-estar e melhora da saúde desta população. Conclusão:Indivíduos portadores de doenças crônicas que usam a R/E no enfrentamento da doença, apresentam um impacto positivo no cuidado das mesmas e melhor qualidade de vida.

Objective: To describe the influence of religiosity and spirituality in health care, with emphasis on the following chronic diseases: diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cardiovascular and renal diseases. Method:Systematic review performed in the databases Latindex, Pubmed and SciELO. The keywords used were: "religiosity" OR "spirituality" AND "health care" AND "chronic diseases" and their equivalents in the English language: "religiosity" OR "spirituality" AND "health care" AND "Chronic disease". Articles in Portuguese and English, published in the last ten years, were selected. Results: A total of 3,686 articles were found. After careful reading and analysis, 14 final articles were selected. The benefits that appear in the studies are related to changes in lifestyle, reduction of depression, anxiety and stress, which the diagnosis of chronic disease carries, stimulating greater coping with diseases and greater adherence to treatments, contributing in a general way to the well-being and improvement of the health of this population. Conclusion:Individuals with chronic diseases who use R/E in coping with the disease have a positive impact on their care and better quality of life

Objetivo: Describir la influencia de la religiosidad y la espiritualidad en el cuidado de la salud, con énfasis en las siguientes enfermedades crónicas: diabetes, enfermedad pulmonar obstructiva crónica, enfermedades cardiovasculares y renales. Método:Revisión sistemática realizada en las bases de datos Latindex, Pubmed y SciELO. Las palabras clave utilizadas fueron: "religiosidad" O "espiritualidad" Y "cuidado de la salud" Y "enfermedades crónicas" y sus equivalentes en el idioma inglés: "religiosidad" O "espiritualidad" Y "atención médica" Y "enfermedad crónica". Se seleccionaron artículos en portugués e inglés, publicados en los últimos diez años.Resultados:Se encontraron un total de 3.686 artículos. Después de una cuidadosa lectura y análisis, se seleccionaron 14 artículos finales. Los beneficios que aparecen en los estudios están relacionados con cambios en el estilo de vida, reducción de la depresión, ansiedad y estrés, que conlleva el diagnóstico de enfermedad crónica, estimulando un mayor afrontamiento de las enfermedades y una mayor adherencia a los tratamientos, contribuyendo de manera general al bienestar y mejora de la salud de esta población. Conclusión:Los individuos con enfermedades crónicas que utilizan R/E en el afrontamiento de la enfermedad tienen un impacto positivo en su cuidado y una mejor calidad de vida.

Religion and survival among European older adults.

There are several pathways through which religion can affect longevity. Previous research, predominately from North America, has shown decreased mortality risk for participants that attended religious services. This study aims to examine the association between religion and all-cause mortality in a large sample of older European adults, comparing religious affiliations, and using prayer frequency as well as frequency of participation in a religious organisation as measures of religiousness. To this end, a total of 16,062 participants from the Survey of Health Ageing and Retirement in Europe were employed for a survival analysis (median follow-up 11.3 years; 3790 recorded deaths). Following a religion was negatively associated with mortality regardless of demographic and socioeconomic factors (HR = 0.81; 95% CI 0.74-0.89). Large differences in the median survival of participants from different religious affiliations can be mostly attributed to demographic and socioeconomic factors. Both frequency of prayer and religious participation exhibited a significant positive dose-response relationship with survival despite adjustments, although the results for religious participation were more profound. Changes on the religiosity levels of the European population will require additional research on the subject in the future.

Better Understand to Better Predict Subjective Well-Being Among Older Greeks in COVID-19 Era: Depression, Anxiety, Attitudes Towards eHealth, Religiousness, Spiritual Experience, and Cognition.

Despite similarities with previous pandemics, the potential physical and psychosocial impact of COVID-19 on older adults is still little investigated in Greece. This study examines the intercorrelations between subjective well-being/life satisfaction, depression, state anxiety, global cognitive function, attitudes towards eHealth, religiousness and spiritual experience in older adults during COVID-19. Results revealed that statistically significant negative correlations exist between subjective life satisfaction and depressive symptomatology as well as with religiousness, a finding that can be explained by the COVID-19 externally imposed religious practice restrictions. Subjective life satisfaction was positively correlated with overall cognition as measured by Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). MMSE was also negatively correlated with state anxiety, depression, and attitudes towards eHealth use. The best predictors of subjective well-being is global cognition (as measured by MMSE) and depressive symptomatology (measured by GDS). The conclusions of this study underscore the need to examine in more detail psychological variables during COVID-19 and quality of life in older adults.

Unpacking the role of adolescent religious affiliation in youth outcomes.

INTRODUCTION: The purpose of this study was to unpack the role of adolescent religious affiliation in positive and negative youth outcomes. METHODS: We used data from Wave 1 (2002-2003) of the National Study of Youth and Religion (NSYR). Participants were a nationally representative sample of 3290 adolescents from across the United States. Measures were adolescent-report or parent-report items of religiousness (individual religiousness, family religiousness, peer religiousness, and religious community supportiveness) and youth outcomes (future orientation, grades, community involvement, alcohol use, sexual activity, and depression). RESULTS: First, ANOVAs revealed that four dimensions of religiousness (individual religiousness, family religiousness, peer religiousness, and religious community supportiveness) and five youth outcomes (future orientation, grades, community involvement, alcohol use, and sexual activity, but not depression), varied significantly across religious affiliation. Second, regressions examining direct effects found that the multicategorical nominal variable of religious affiliation predicted all outcomes except alcohol use and depression after accounting for the four dimensions of religiousness. Third, each of the four dimensions of religiousness mediated relations between religious affiliation and at least one of the outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: In short, religious affiliation seems to play a unique role in youth outcomes, above and beyond other dimensions of religiousness. This role of religious affiliation perhaps functions in part via individual and contextual dimensions of religiousness.

Religion and drinking: Differences between two campuses.

Levels of religiousness vary by geographic location, but studies of the relationship between religiousness and alcohol are often limited to one region. For our participants (N = 1124; 57.5% female), location was significantly associated with both religiousness and alcohol use. Active religiousness was associated with drinking outcomes. The indirect effects of location on drinks per week through active religiousness were significant. At Campus S, subjective religiousness was associated with more drinks per week, whereas active religiousness was associated with fewer drinks per week. Findings indicate active religiousness is especially relevant when exploring drinking, and location is important when exploring religiousness and alcohol use.

The Indirect Relationship Between Spiritual Experiences and Subjective Wellbeing Through Hope? A Sample of Chilean Students.

Spirituality and religiousness are important factors for adolescents wellbeing. Little is known about the mechanisms underlying the positive relationship between spirituality as well as religiousness and subjective wellbeing. This study aimed to verify, whether, in a sample of Chilean students, religiousness is indirectly related to hope through spiritual experiences, and whether spiritual experiences are indirectly related to subjective wellbeing via hope. The sample consisted of 177 Chilean students and the following measures were applied: the Daily Spiritual Experiences Scale, the Herth Hope Index, the Satisfaction With Life Scale, the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule, and one item measuring the frequencies of prayer and Mass attendance. According to obtained results religiousness was indirectly, positively related to hope through spiritual experiences. In turn spiritual experiences were indirectly, positively related to subjective wellbeing through hope. Conducted research confirmed the beneficial role of religious practices, spiritual experiences, and hope for Chilean students' subjective wellbeing and the presence of mechanisms underlying the relationships between religiousness as well as spirituality and subjective wellbeing.

Declines in Religiousness Dimensions across Adolescence as Predictors of Religious Deidentification in Young Adulthood.

The present study examined whether declines in religiousness across adolescence precede religious deidentification in young adulthood. Data came from the National Study of Youth and Religion. Participants were religiously affiliated for the first three waves of the longitudinal study (N = 1144). Latent growth curve models found significant declines across adolescence in church attendance, prayer, scripture study, religious importance, and spirituality, whereas doubt was stable across time. Then, logistic regression models specified the latent intercepts and slopes as predictors of later (Wave 4) deidentification. Significant negative links were found for the intercepts and slopes on church attendance, prayer, scripture study, religious importance, and spirituality. For doubt, a significant, positive link was found for the intercept.

Do media objectivity and frequency of informing mediate the relationship between traditionalist social attitudes and COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs?

In this study, we hypothesized that traditionalist social attitudes (conservatism, religiousness, and authoritarianism) significantly predict COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs (Hiding Information and Harmless Virus), as well as conspiracy mentality in general. We also hypothesized that these relationships are mediated by the objectivity of the media through which individuals inform themselves, and the frequency with which people informed themselves about the pandemic. The sample consisted of 341 participants from Serbia (mean age 33.51 years), of which 40.5% were women. The results revealed that conservatism predicts both conspiracy belief sets and conspiracy mentality, authoritarianism only COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs, and religiousness only beliefs that the virus is harmless. Media objectivity does not mediate these relationships. The frequency of informing is a significant mediator only of the relationships between authoritarianism, and conspiracy beliefs and conspiracy mentality, indicating that the role of seeking information is in reducing the threat perceived by more authoritarian individuals. The study reveals that media objectivity might not play a role in reducing conspiracy beliefs. An explanation might be found in the importance of the perceived credibility of the media.

The Moderating Effect of Religiousness on the Relation Between Sexual Guilt and Shame and Well-Being Among Jewish Religious Single Men.

Jewish religious singles may feel guilty and ashamed due to sexual behaviors that violate religious law, such as pre-matrimony sexual relations, viewing pornography, and masturbation. This study examined the relation between sexual guilt and shame (SGS) and psychological well-being, and whether this relation was moderated by level of religiousness. It was hypothesized that SGS would be negatively related to psychological well-being and that this relation would be stronger at higher levels of religiousness compared to lower levels of religiousness. Participants were single young-adult men (N = 165, Mage = 23.3) belonging to the national-orthodox Jewish community in Israel who completed online questionnaires. SGS was positively associated with anxiety and depression and negatively associated with life satisfaction. Additionally, the relations between SGS and measures of psychological well-being were moderated by the level of religiousness. However, contrary to the hypothesized moderation effect, SGS was positively related to negative psychological consequences and negatively related to life satisfaction at a low level of religiousness, whereas at a high level of religiousness no significant relationship between SGS and the psychological outcome measures was found. These findings may indicate that there may be adaptive elements in religion that can help an individual cope with SGS, and thus to negate its detrimental effects on psychological well-being.

The impact of religiousness and beliefs about mental illness on help-seeking behaviors of Muslim Americans.

BACKGROUND: In addition to the typical challenges of daily life, Muslim Americans have experienced high levels of stress and clinical disorders relating to discrimination from the 9/11 attacks and ongoing political stigma. Despite mounting mental health concerns, Muslim Americans have encountered multifaceted barriers to accessing mental health services and remain underserved. AIMS: This study sought to explore the relationship between religiousness and beliefs about mental illness among Muslim Americans to predict their clinical help-seeking attitudes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The present study gathered a nationwide sample of Muslim Americans through online data collection to assess how the relationship between religiousness and help-seeking was mediated by acculturation and biomedical beliefs about mental illness. RESULTS: Analyses found that Islamic religiousness and biomedical beliefs predicted more openness to mental health treatment. Additional analyses found that integration with mainstream culture was correlated with higher confidence in services. DISCUSSION: The findings of this study provide clinicians a nuanced understanding of how biological beliefs about mental illness may align with Islamic spiritual values and foster culturally responsive communication and healthcare. Barriers to treatment may be addressed for males and other underserved demographics through integrated treatment that recognizes their understandings of health, illness, and treatment. CONCLUSION: Overall, results of the study provide support for recognizing religion along with demographic background as a cultural consideration to enhance treatment efficacy.

Unpacking the Internalized Homonegativity-Health Relationship: How the Measurement of Internalized Homonegativity and Health Matter and the Contribution of Religiousness.

Internalized homonegativity (IH) is widely recognized to negatively influence the health of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and queer/questioning (LGBQ +) individuals. It is not clear, however, the role that religiousness may play in the relationship between IH and health or how differing conceptualizations of IH or health may influence this relationship. We conducted a multi-level meta-analysis of 151 effect sizes from 68 studies to examine the relationship between IH and health as well as what may moderate this relationship. Results suggested that IH was consistently and negatively related to health (r = - .28). Analyses suggest that IH was most strongly related to mental health and well-being, evidencing a relatively weaker (though still negative) relationship with physical or sexual health. Analyses of different ways to measure IH suggest that scales that conceptualize IH to include distress (e.g., the Internalized Homonegativity Inventory) report stronger relationships with health than scales that conceptualize IH orthogonally from distress (e.g., the Internalized Homonegativity scale of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual Identity Salience Scale [LGBIS]). We failed to find significant moderation effects for religiousness, though it was hard to evaluate this relationship due to the poor quality of most measures of religiousness. We encourage researchers to use measures of IH that conceptualize IH orthogonally from distress (e.g., the LGBIS) and to use more nuanced measures of religiousness (e.g., religious belief, religious activity). We also encourage researchers to focus on how IH impacts less-often studied measures of health (e.g., physical health, suicidality).

Moral Distress and Burnout in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Healthcare Providers: A Cross-Sectional Study in Italy.

Moral distress (MD) in healthcare providers is widely recognized as a serious issue in critical care contexts. It has the potential to have negative impacts on both personal and professional wellbeing, the quality of care provided and staff turnover. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between MD and burnout among neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) healthcare professionals and identify the possible factors associated with its occurrence. Participants were asked to complete an online survey, which covered sociodemographic and professional information and included two self-report questionnaires (Italian Moral Distress Scale-Revised and Maslach Burnout Inventory). The sample comprised 115 healthcare providers (nurses and physiotherapists: 66.1%; physicians: 30.4%; healthcare assistants: 3.5%) working in four NICUs located within the province of Turin, Italy. The results revealed overall low levels of MD, with no significant differences between nurses/physiotherapists and physicians. Nurses/physiotherapists showed a statistically significant higher percentage of personal accomplishment burnout (32.9%) compared with physicians (8.6%; p = 0.012). MD was associated with the emotional exhaustion dimension of burnout. Spirituality and/or religiousness was shown to be a moderating variable. Further research is needed to deepen our understanding of the correlation between MD and burnout and the role of spirituality and/or religiousness as moderators.

Los efectos negativos de la religiosidad-espiritualidad en la salud mental: una revisión bibliográfica / Negative Effects of Religiousness-Spirituality on Mental Health: a Literature Review

Resumen Aunque en la actualidad se cuenta con evidencia de los efectos positivos de la religiosidad/ espiritualidad en la salud mental, también existen reportes que dan cuenta de efectos mixtos. Incluso, se han reportado efectos adversos en la salud mental de las personas. En esta línea, el presente trabajo se propuso revisar la literatura acerca de los efectos negativos que la religiosidad y/o espiritualidad pueden tener en la salud mental e identificar sus principales facetas o dimensiones asociadas a estos efectos según la evidencia. Para ello, se indagó en las bases de datos EBSCO, AnnualReview, PubMed, MedLine, PsycINFO, SciELO, LILACS y PEPSIC, entre los años 2010 a 2021. Como principal conclusión, los descubrimientos presentes confirman que existen ciertos aspectos religiosos y/o espirituales que ejercen influencia negativa sobre la salud mental de una persona. Al finalizar, se discuten los principales hallazgos obtenidos de la revisión, sus implicancias en el quehacer clínico en la esfera de salud mental, las limitaciones del estudio y las futuras proyecciones investigativas.

Abstract: Although currently there is evidence of the positive effects of religiousness and spirituality on mental health, reports also account for mixed effects, and even adverse effects have been reported on people's mental health. In this sense, the present paper aimed to review literature about the negative effects that religiousness and/or spirituality can have on mental health and to identify the main facets or dimensions associated with these effects, according to the evidence. For this, the EBSCO, AnnualReview, PubMed, MedLine, PsycINFO, SciELO, LILACS, and PEPSIC databases were researched for the years between 2010 and 2019. As the main conclusion, the present discoveries confirm that certain religious and / or spiritual aspects negatively influence a person's mental health. Finally, the main results garnered from the review, its limitations, and future research projections are discussed.

Longitudinal Associations between Social Relationships and Alcohol Use from Adolescence into Young Adulthood: The Role of Religiousness.

As adolescence is a time characterized by rapid changes in social relationships as well as an increase in risk-taking behaviors, this prospective longitudinal study examined whether social involvement and social alienation are associated with changes in alcohol use from adolescence into young adulthood moderated by organizational and personal religiousness. Participants were 167 adolescents (53% male) assessed five times between ages 14 and 18 years old. Latent change score modeling analyses indicated that social alienation was positively associated with greater increases in alcohol use among those with low organizational religiousness and those with low personal religiousness in early adolescence and during the transition into young adulthood. The findings demonstrate the detrimental effects of social relationship risk factors that promote alcohol use during adolescence into young adulthood. The results further highlight the protective roles of organizational and personal religiousness acting as additional sources of social engagement experiences to modulate the effects of social alienation predicting alcohol use progression and provide evidence for the positive impact religiousness has on healthy adolescent development.

Brief multidimensional measure of spirituality/religiousness, self-esteem, quality of life, and epilepsy.

INTRODUCTION: The relationships between religiousness/spirituality (RS), self-esteem, and quality of life (QoL) in adult people with epilepsy (PWEs) have not been studied in detail. METHODS: This cross-sectional study assessed RS using the brief multidimensional measure of religiousness/spirituality (BMMRS) scores of 86 PWEs. These scores were compared to 58 individuals in the control group (CG). Among the PWEs, the BMMRS data were related with the QOLIE-31 and the Rosenberg self-esteem scale (RSES) scores and clinical variables. RESULTS: Among the PWEs, 48 individuals had temporal lobe epilepsy with hippocampal sclerosis (TLE-HS) and other epilepsies in 38 cases. Higher "daily spiritual experiences," "overall self-ranking as a religious/spiritual person," and lower perception of "religious/spiritual coping" were observed in the TLE-HS group when compared to the CG. Among the PWEs, there was lower "religious/spiritual coping" and higher "overall self-ranking as a religious/spiritual person" in the TLE-HS group. There was a significant difference in the BMMRS dimensions according to the type and frequency of seizures and the number of antiseizure drugs taken. There was a low correlation between the BMMRS, the QOLIE-31, and the RSES. In the network analysis with the Fruchterman-Reingold algorithm, there was no correlation between self-esteem and RS. In the TLE-HS group, there was a correlation between the "forgiveness" dimension of the BMMRS and some dimensions of the QOLIE-31. CONCLUSION: There was a greater RS in the TLE-HS group when compared to the CG. Regarding the two epilepsy groups, there was a higher "overall self-ranking as a religious/spiritual person" and lower "religious/spiritual coping" in the TLE-HS. The clinical variables and demographic data are related to different BMMRS dimensions according to the type of epilepsy. In the TLE-HS group, a higher RS is related to a better QoL. RS is not related to self-esteem.

The Mediating Effect of Religiousness in the Relationship Between Psychological Resilience and Fear of COVID-19 in Turkey.

The purpose of this study was to examine if religiousness has a mediation influence on the link between psychological resilience and fear of COVID-19. Data were collected from 372 participants by using the convenience sampling method. There is a positive significant relationship between psychological resilience and religiousness, a negative significant relationship between religiousness and fear of COVID-19, a negative significant relationship between psychological resilience and a fear of COVID-19. This study was tested with structural equation modeling and bootstrapping was applied. Significant relationships were found between psychological resilience, fear of COVID-19 and religiousness. In addition, it was found that religiousness had a mediating effect on the relationship between psychological resilience and fear of COVID-19. These results suggest that the inverse relationship between psychological resilience and fear of COVID-19 is at least partly explained by level of religiousness.

Does religion predict coronavirus conspiracy beliefs? Centrality of religiosity, religious fundamentalism, and COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs.

There has been an increasing interest in the relationship between religion and psychosocial functioning during the COVID-19 pandemic. Interestingly, emerging recent findings suggest that religiousness may have a Janus-face impact on how people cope with the pandemic, leading to both positive and negative social outcomes. In this project, we examine whether two types of religiousness (i.e., centrality of religiosity and religious fundamentalism) are associated with COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs and socially undesirable behavior during the pandemic. We suggest that only the most dogmatic and fundamentalistic type of religiousness could lead to conspiracy beliefs, while centrality of religiosity could be unrelated or even negatively related to this type of thinking. In a series of two studies (N = 361 and N = 394) conducted among Polish Roman Catholics, we demonstrate that religious fundamentalism, unlike centrality of religiosity, is positively related to coronavirus conspiracy beliefs, which, in turn, promote socially maladaptive behavior such as freeriding or non-adherence to safety guidelines.

Positive and negative religiousness and search for meaning: Impact on treatment of substance abuse after 6 months.

BACKGROUND: Religiousness and meaning in life are protective factors against addiction. Understanding this relationship may help to improve treatment. The aim of the current study was to assess the associations of positive and negative religiousness and search for meaning with treatment outcome, for patients with substance disorder (SUD). METHOD: The sample consisted of 115 participants attending a Christian drug addiction treatment center in the Netherlands. The study had a longitudinal design in which associations of positive/negative religiousness and search for meaning at baseline (T0) with treatment outcome after six months (T1) were assessed by means of regression analyses. Treatment outcome was measured by clinical dysfunction and the degree of addiction. Instruments used were the ROM (Routine Outcome Monitoring) Meaning and Religious Faith, the Outcome Questionnaire (OQ-45) and the Measurements in the Addictions for Triage and Evaluations (MATE-1). RESULTS: A high degree of positive religiousness at T0 was associated with less addiction at T1 (p < .01). A high degree of negative religiousness at T0 was related to more clinical dysfunction at T1 (p = <0.05). A higher search for meaning at T0 predicted a higher level of addiction at T1 (p = <0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Positive religiousness is associated with less, whereas search for meaning is associated with more addiction after six months. Negative religiousness is not associated with addiction, but with clinical dysfunction. Health professionals are recommended to assess these factors at the start of treatment and to consider possibilities to integrate them into treatment.

Is Religiousness Associated with Better Lifestyle and Health Among Danes? Findings from SHARE.

Evidence of a possible association between religion and health in secular societies is sparse. We therefore conducted a nationwide study using data from 1596 Danes aged 50 + who participated in the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) wave 1 (2004-2005) and were followed up between 2006 and 2015, to investigate the association between religiousness and health including a lifestyle index. Results from the longitudinal models adjusted for age and gender showed that being religiously educated by parents, taking part in a religious organization, and praying were factors associated with fewer risk factors of unhealthy lifestyle. Furthermore, being religiously educated was associated with lower odds of self-rated poor health and depressive symptoms. Results were overall consistent across the cross-sectional and longitudinal models and persisted after further adjustment for education and marital status. These findings provide support for a positive relationship between religiousness and health among Danes, particularly for those being religiously educated by their parents.

ADL and IADL Following Open-Heart Surgery: The Role of a Character Strength Factor and Preoperative Medical Comorbidities.

Open-heart surgery (OHS) is common in late life and is expected to improve functioning despite aging of OHS patients. Few studies have explored the influence of both psychosocial strength factors, metal health, and pre- and peri-OHS medical factors, including cardiac indices, on post-OHS functioning. This study explores the role of character strengths (e.g., hope and spirituality) in post-OHS activities of daily living (ADL) and instrumental ADL (IADL), along with cardiac indices used by all cardio-thoracic surgeons, after controlling for self-reported pre-OHS depression, quality of life indicators, and non-cardiac medical comorbidities. Three waves of interview data and cardiac/surgical indices in the Society of Thoracic Surgeon (STS) national database were collected for a cohort of 481 patients (age = 62 +, female 42%). Multiple linear regression was used to identify pre-OHS predictors of post-OHS functional status. ADL and IADL statuses after OHS were better among those who pursued pre-OHS positive spiritual/religious coping than those who did not. Outcomes were poorer for those reporting poor pre-OHS, higher numbers of medical comorbidities, and use of more post-OHS prayer for coping. Perfusion time, a proxy for surgical complexity, was associated with poor IADL only. Pre-OHS positive spiritual coping, a common coping means used among cardiac patients in medical crises, could have played a positive role in better post-OHS functional status during the post-OHS recovery month. Cardiac health providers should pay more attention to patient-centered character strengths and coping and non-cardiac conditions. More nuanced interdisciplinary research is necessary to identify mechanisms underlying these associations.