TUESDAY, Aug. 20 (HealthScoutNews) -- Religion is more than food for the soul.
It can help elderly people cope better and stay healthier when a loved one dies, new research confirms.
"Bereavement puts individuals at risk for numerous physical and mental health disorders, and subsequently increases the likelihood that they will need to use health services," say study authors Holly Prigerson and Michelle J. Pearce of Yale University.
However, people who could find comfort in their religious beliefs used outpatient medical services less often than people who don't use any type of spiritual guidance for support, according to the study, which appears in the August issue of the International Journal of Psychiatry in Medicine.
"Despite the expectation that health would decline given the documented health risks associated with bereavement, bereaved individuals who relied more heavily on religion to cope with their loss did not experience a significant increase in health problems," the authors say.
The researchers did surveys with 265 bereaved persons whose average age 62. The surveys were followed four months later with interviews of 164 of the people.
Based on a two-part question, 33 percent of the people were categorized as religious copers.
The religious copers reported significantly more functional disabilities at the start of the study, but were just as healthy as the non-religious people after four months.
After four months, the religious copers reported fewer visits to their doctors in the previous two months. The non-religious people had a slight, but insignificant, deterioration in their health status during the four-month follow-up period.
Mental and physical health problems tend to increase when people are bereaved and going to the doctor more often may be a type of coping strategy.
"However, bereaved individuals who use religion as a coping strategy do not need to also cope by visiting their doctor, and thus may have fewer doctor visits," the authors say.
A greater reliance on religious coping could mean savings for the health-care system. If 800,000 bereaved people each year used religion to cope, instead of going to see a doctor, the researchers estimate savings of $180 million.
They stress they're not recommending people use religion to replace medicine.
However, "mental and physical health workers, as well as pastors and chaplains, may be advised to encourage religious individuals facing the death of a loved one to continue to practice their religious faith during the bereavement process," they say.