If use is any indication of effectiveness, then prayer seems to be a great
antidote for stress—at least that's what older
Americans are telling us. Elders use prayer more often than any other approach
in dealing with stress and maintaining overall health. Increasingly, healthcare
providers are coming to appreciate the health benefits of prayer.
Nurses at the University of Florida and Wayne State University explored the
prevalence of prayer by surveying 50 community-dwelling elders who were, on
average, 74 years of age. The objective of the survey was twofold: (1) to
determine what approaches are used as coping strategies for dealing with stress,
and (2) to note how often elders use a range of complementary or alternative
treatment modalities for general health maintenance.
The authors found that prayer was the most commonly used strategy for dealing
with stressful situations; 96 percent of respondents reported using prayer
specifically for this purpose. Women and African Americans were significantly
more likely than men or Whites to pray for improved health. One-third of the
seniors had tried spiritual healing methods, and these elders were more apt to
be optimistic, self-reliant, and use support systems when coping with stress.
There were no differences in the use of prayer according to marital status,
religion (Catholic or protestant, in this study), age, or socioeconomic status.
Across the board, respondents noted that prayer is one of the main ways that
they deal with life stress.
When respondents were asked to note which of 32 alternative approaches they
used, prayer received the most votes, with 84 percent of those responding saying
that they prayed regularly. Other alternative approaches used by respondents to
maintain health included exercise (70 percent), nutritional fruit juices (48
percent), heat and relaxation techniques (46 percent each), herbs (38 percent),
humor (42 percent), music (36 percent), and meditation (32 percent).
The researchers acknowledge that their study was limited by a small sample
size, and by possible bias introduced by the high proportion of Catholics in the
study. Nevertheless, it reveals that, among this population anyway, prayer has
proved to be an effective strategy for dealing with stress. It suggests that
prayer may be a useful way for older adults to cope with various stressful life
events, such as deteriorating health, pain, and the deaths of friends and loved
ones. The researchers conclude that future studies should examine how older
adults use prayer to cope with pain, and how effective it is as a strategy to
increase well being and deal with stress.
