Date of Graduation

2002

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Type

MA

Committee Chair

Barry Edelstein

Abstract

The present study examined the relations between measures of religiosity and spirituality and reasons for living in older adults. Participants consisted of 69 community-dwelling older adults. Results revealed that number of reasons for living endorsed was related to degree of religiosity, and that spirituality, or the more covert idiographic aspect of faith, was related to survival and coping. Religiosity and spirituality were found to overlap in areas of prayer fulfillment and universality. In addition, the top ten reasons for living in this population were identified. The implications of the results for suicide assessment and prevention in older adults, and future directions for research with reasons for living, religiosity and spirituality are discussed.

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