Spiritually Inclined Kids Tend to be Healthier: Study

Spiritual kids are more likely to be healthier, just like their adult counterparts, according to a new study.

Dr. Barry Nierenberg, associate professor of psychology at Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, came to this conclusion after studying the relationship between faith and health.

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"A number of studies have shown a positive relationship between participatory prayer and lower rates of heart disease, cirrhosis, emphysema and stroke in adults," he said.

He added: "Prayer has been shown to correlate to lower blood pressure, cortisol levels, rates of depression, as well as increased rates of self-described well being. But very few studies have attempted to examine how children's spiritual beliefs impact their health."

At the very beginning, Nierenberg conducted a study of HIV positive paediatric patients, aged seven to 17, comparing religious development, church attendance and prayer to health measures like symptoms, T-cell counts and number of hospitalisations.

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He said: "One significant finding was that children who attended church were more likely to have higher T-cell counts than non churchgoing children. But that finding is difficult to interpret. It's likely that the more ill a child is, the less ability they have to attend church. We needed a second study to more precisely examine religious faith and behaviour."

The researchers thus studied 16 children, aged six to 20, who were undergoing haemodialysis due to End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD).

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The patients were questioned on a scale of spirituality behaviours and attitudes, and their responses were correlated to dialysis-related blood levels, including blood urea nitrogen (BUN), lymphocytes, albumin, phosphorus, parathyroid hormone (PTH), and urea reduction ratio.

Nierenberg said: "There was a significant negative correlation between spiritual attitudes and BUN levels. As children reported more agreement with statements like, 'I am sure that God cares about me,' and 'God has a plan for me," their average BUN levels over the past year were lower."

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He presented on the topic at the American Psychological Association's Division of Rehabilitation Psychology national conference on February 27, in Jackson, Florida.

Source-ANI
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Spiritual Inclined Kids Tend to be Healthier: Study