Full metadata
Title
Moderation effects of spirituality on stress and health
Description
Spirituality has been studied in relation to psychological factors in health for the past decade and has been found to promote positive affect while possibly benefiting health. However, multiple dimensions of spirituality need to be examined systematically before much can be concluded regarding the influence of spirituality on health. One purpose of this study was to test the validity of the four factors of the Psychomatrix Spirituality Inventory (PSI) developed by Wolman using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA): divinity, mindfulness, extrasensory perception, and intellectuality. In addition, the moderation effects of these factors on stress, assessed by cortisol levels, and on perceived cold symptoms induced by a bogus cold viral challenge were investigated among 100 participants as part of a larger study conducted by Nemeroff to identify psychological factors related to perceived cold susceptibility under a bogus viral challenge paradigm. The analysis of CFA among 265 participants indicated that the four-factor Pyscholmatrix Spirituality model did not provide a good fit to the data collected by Nemeroff. The shared variances among factors could be the explanation for failure to confirm these four factors. Women developed more cold symptoms than did men post bogus exposure. Mindfulness and extrasensory perception factors buffered the adverse effects of stress on cold symptoms. A three-way-interaction among gender, stress, and mindfulness indicated that the buffering effects of mindfulness on stress and cold symptoms were stronger for women than for men, and the effects were stronger when the stress levels increased. A three-way-interaction was also found among gender, stress, and extrasensory perception, with the moderation effects of extrasensory perception on stress and cold symptoms stronger for women than for men, and these effects becoming stronger as stress levels elevated. This study is an important step for understanding the relationships among gender, spiritual factors and cortisol levels under laboratory-induced stress. These results have implications for developing preventions or interventions that incorporate mindfulness practices and take extrasensory perception beliefs into consideration for stress reduction and health promotion.
Date Created
2010
Contributors
- Chung, Kuo-Yi (Author)
- Robinson Kurpius, Sharon E (Thesis advisor)
- Nemeroff, Carol (Committee member)
- Chen, Angela Chia-Chen (Committee member)
- Kinnier, Richard (Committee member)
- Arizona State University (Publisher)
Topical Subject
Resource Type
Extent
xi, 106 p. : ill
Language
eng
Copyright Statement
In Copyright
Primary Member of
Peer-reviewed
No
Open Access
No
Handle
https://hdl.handle.net/2286/R.I.8635
Statement of Responsibility
Kuo-Yi Chung
Description Source
Viewed on June 4, 2012
Level of coding
full
Note
thesis
Partial requirement for: Ph. D., Arizona State University, 2010
Includes bibliographical references (p
Field of study: Counseling psychology
System Created
- 2011-08-12 01:01:43
System Modified
- 2021-08-30 01:57:07
- 3 years 2 months ago
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