PSYCHOSOCIAL FACTORS AMONG MEMBERS OF RELIGIOUS AND SECULAR KIBBUTZIM

Mortality in 11 secular kibbutzim between 1970 and 1985 was nearly twi ce that of 11 matched religious kibbutzim. A cross-sectional study was undertaken in 1991 in 10 of these settlements, 5 religious and 5 secu lar, to determine whether differences in risk factors could explain th e unequal survival. These comprised physical, physiologic and biochemi cal measurements, health-relevant behaviors and psychosocial variables . This report addresses the psychosocial aspect of the study, which in cluded assessment of sense of coherence, hostility, satisfaction with self, work-related stress, social supports and social contacts using s elf-administered questionnaires. The response rate among the sample of men and women, aged 35-64 years, was 76% (437 respondents, 208 men an d 229 women). Analysis of variance and logistic regression (the latter comparing the upper or lower fourths of the distributions vs. the res t) were used. Religious kibbutz members reported a higher sense of coh erence (odds ratio = 1.58, 95% CI 1.02 to 2.46) and a lower level of h ostility (odds ratio = 0.49, 95% CI 0.33 to 0.75) than their secular c ounterparts. Findings for satisfaction with self and work-related stre ss were inconsistent; there were significant interactions between reli gious affiliation, sex and age. Younger women reported less satisfacti on with self and higher work-related stress than the other age-sex gro ups in both types of kibbutz. There was no difference in social suppor t or frequency of social contact between religious and secular kibbutz im. Voluntary work was more frequent among the religious kibbutzim. Th e findings are consistent with an interpretation that Jewish religious observance may enhance the formation of certain protective personalit y characteristics. Membership in a cohesive religious kibbutz communit y may increase host resistance to stressors and thereby promote overal l well-being and a positive health status. This could reflect an inter play of individual and collective attributes of religion.