Role of Religiosity in the Lives of the Low-Income Population: A Comprehensive Review of the Evidence. Final Report

摘要

Religion and spirituality play a significant role in the lives of Americans. Although there is evidence of the potential for religiosity and spirituality to affect positive behaviors, there is also evidence of more complex associations with a variety of outcomes. This suggests that there is meaningful variation in the role that religion plays in different populations. To date, however, research on how religiosity and spirituality affect better life outcomes focuses almost solely on the general population, offering few insights on how religion and spiritual beliefs and practices may differentially affect the lives of low-income families. RTI International was commissioned by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) to conduct a comprehensive literature review and provide a descriptive synthesis of the state of the research on the influence of religiosity and spirituality in the lives of the U.S. low-income population. The findings of this review will allow for a preliminary assessment of the evidence of the effects of religiosity and spirituality in the lives of the low-income population, identify knowledge gaps, and help to guide future interventions. This comprehensive review is organized around a broad set of outcomes in key areas of program development: marriage and relationships, parenting, youth outcomes, mental and physical health, substance abuse, and crime and violence, homelessness and employment.