Financial Hardship, Religious Experience, and Health

Background: Previous research has shown that religion mitigates the deleterious association between financial hardship and health. Although religion is a multidimensional construct, this strand of research has primarily focused on religious behavior or belief. Purpose: The current study aims to extend previous findings by examining a neglected aspect of religious involvement—religious experience—and how it buffers the association between financial hardship and self-rated health. Methods: The current study analyzes two waves of data from the Portraits of American Life Study (2006–2012) (N = 1020), a nationally representative sampling of American adults. It uses lagged dependent variable regression models. Results: The analyses reveal that financial hardship measured at W2 is negatively associated with self-rated health at W2, net of W1 self-rated health and control measures. Religious experience of receiving direct help from angels in time of a need does not moderate this association. By contrast, the negative association between financial hardship and self-rated health is weakened among individuals who strongly agree that they experienced a supernatural miracle. Conclusions and Implications: The findings in the study dovetail with the stress process model, indicating that religious experience serves as a personal resource that helps individuals deal with financial hardship. By highlighting the stress-buffering effects of religious experience, the current study rounds out our understanding of the complex linkages among stress, religion, and health.