Aging

Abstract

The purpose of this chapter is to selectively review research on religious involvement in late life. The discussion is divided into four sections. Age differences in religiousness are examined in the first section. In the process, empirical research and theoretical frameworks which propose that people become more religious as they grow older are presented. Issues involving the relationship between religion and health during late life are evaluated in section two. After showing that many facets of religion are associated with the health, it is argued that the literature can be more tightly integrated when the pivotal role of social relationships in the church is assessed. Race and ethnic differences in multiple dimensions of religion are evaluated in section three. This research reveals that older Blacks are more deeply involved in religion than either older Whites or older Mexican Americans. Next steps for future research are identified in section four.