Handbook of Religion and Health

by Koenig, Harold; King, Dana; Carson, Verna B.

• ISBN13: 9780195335958
• ISBN10: 0195335953
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2012-02-29
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

The Handbook of Religion and Health has become the seminal research text on religion, spirituality, and health, outlining a rational argument for the connection between religion and health. The Second Edition completely revises and updates the first edition. Its authors are physicians: a psychiatrist and geriatrician, a primary care physician, and a psychiatrist and theologian, all with advanced degrees in epidemiology and public health. The Second Edition surveys the historical connections between religion and health and grapples with the distinction between the terms ''religion'' and ''spirituality'' in research and clinical practice. It reviews research on religion and mental health, as well as extensive research literature on the mind-body relationship, and develops a model to explain how religious involvement may impact physical health through the mind-body mechanisms. It also explores the direct relationships between religion and physical health, covering such topics as immune and endocrine function, heart disease, hypertension and stroke, neurological disorders, cancer, and infectious diseases; and examines the consequences of illness including chronic pain, disability, and quality of life. Finally, the Handbook reviews research methods and addresses applications to clinical practice. Theological perspectives are interwoven throughout the chapters. The Handbook is the most insightful and authoritative resource available to anyone who wants to understand the relationship between religion and health.

Author Biography

Harold G. Koenig completed his undergraduate education at Stanford University, his medical school training at the University of California at San Francisco, and his geriatric medicine, psychiatry, and biostatistics training at Duke University Medical Center. He is board certified in general psychiatry, and is on the faculty at Duke as Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, and Associate Professor of Medicine. He is the director of Duke University's Center for Spirituality, Theology and Health and is Distinguished Adjunct Professor, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Dana E. King is Professor of Family Medicine at the Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, and is vice-chair of that Department. He completed an academic fellowship at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and a Master of Science degree in Clinical Research at the Medical University of South Carolina. He is widely published on spirituality and health including two books and multiple peer-reviewed scientific articles. Dr. King is currently the Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Psychiatry in Medicine.

Verna Benner Carson is Associate Professor of Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing at Towson University. Dr. Carson is also the President of C&V Senior Care Specialists, a consulting firm that offers clinical, operations and marketing support to those involved in the care of persons with Alzheimer's disease as well as those with psychiatric disorders. She has a master's degree in psychiatric nursing and a PhD in human development. Dr. Carson served as the National Director of RESTORE Behavioral Health for nearly 15 years, after serving on the faculty at the University of Maryland School of Nursing. She is one of the world's leading nurse researchers in spirituality and health, and is the author of 16 books (including two editions of a book on parish nursing).

Table of Contents

About the Authors	p. ix
Foreword	p. xi
Preface	p. xiii
Introduction	p. 3
Background
A History of Religion, Medicine, and Health Care	p. 15
Definitions	p. 35
Debating Religion's Effects on Health
Religion: Good or Bad?	p. 53
Coping with Stress	p. 74
Religion and Coping	p. 94
Research on Religion and Mental Health
Well-Being and Positive Emotions	p. 123
Depression	p. 145
Suicide	p. 174
Anxiety Disorders	p. 191
Psychotic Disorders	p. 207
Alcohol and Drug Use	p. 224
Delinquency and Crime	p. 243
Marital Instability	p. 256
Personality and Personality Disorder	p. 272
Understanding Religion's Effects on Mental Health	p. 298
Research on Religion and Physical Health
Heart Disease	p. 317
Hypertension	p. 340
Cerebrovascular Disease	p. 362
Alzheimer's Disease and Dementia	p. 378
Immune Functions	p. 394
Endocrine Functions	p. 420
Cancer	p. 439
Mortality	p. 468
Physical Disability	p. 492
Pain and Somatic Symptoms	p. 511
Health Behaviors	p. 532
Disease Prevention	p. 557
Understanding the Religion-Physical Health Relationship
Psychological, Social, and Behavioral Pathways	p. 579
Conclusions	p. 600
Appendix Studies on Religion and Health (By Health Outcome)	p. 607
References	p. 965
Index	p. 1137
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