RELIGIOUS EFFECTS ON HEALTH-STATUS AND LIFE SATISFACTION AMONG BLACK-AMERICANS

This study tests a theoretical model linking religiosity, health statu s, and life satisfaction using data from the National Survey of Black Americans, a nationally representative sample of Blacks at least 18 ye ars old. Findings reveal statistically significant effects for organiz ational religiosity on both health and life satisfaction, for nonorgan izational religiosity on health, and for subjective religiosity on lif e satisfaction. Analyses of structural invariance reveal a good overal l fit for the model across three age cohorts (less than or equal to 30 , 31-54, greater than or equal to 55) and confirm that assuming age-in variance of structural parameters does not significantly detract from overall fit. In addition, after controlling for the effects of several sociodemographic correlates of religiosity, health, and well-being, o rganizational religiosity maintains a strong, significant effect on li fe satisfaction. These findings suggest that the association between r eligion and well-being is consistent over the life course and not simp ly on artifact of the confounding of measures of organizational religi osity and health status.