Effect of religious involvement on cognition from a life-course perspective: protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

IntroductionPreserving cognitive health is a crucial aspect of healthy ageing. Both abnormal and normal cognitive decline can adversely affect the health of ageing populations. Evidence suggests religious involvement (RI) can preserve cognition in ageing populations. The primary purpose of this review is to examine the evidence regarding the association between RI and cognition from a life-course perspective.Methods and analysisThis systematic review and meta-analysis has been registered with PROSPERO (registration number CRD42016032331). We will search MEDLINE, PSYCHINFO and EMBASE, and include primary studies with a comparison group, for example, cohort, cross-sectional and case–control studies. To supplement the database search, we will also search the grey literature and the reference lists of included studies. Two reviewers will independently assess and extract data from the articles. Risk of bias and the strength of evidence will be assessed. For sufficiently homogeneous data in domains such as study methods and measures of RI and cognition, we will pool the results using DerSimonian and Laird meta-analysis.Ethics and disseminationSince this is a protocol for a systematic review, ethics approval is not required. The findings of this review will be extensively disseminated through peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations.

Social network types and cognitive decline among older Korean adults: A longitudinal population‐based study

“…A previous longitudinal study among older Mexican Americans also found that religiously active elders had lower rates of CD than the religiously inactive . Reportedly, participation in religious organizations can preserve cognition through a soothing outlet, which may be protective against physiological changes such as elevated blood cortisol, caused by stress, anxiety, and depression . These physiological changes may negatively influence certain mechanisms of the brain that are responsible for memory .…”

“…41 Reportedly, participation in religious organizations can preserve cognition through a soothing outlet, which may be protective against physiological changes such as elevated blood cortisol, caused by stress, anxiety, and depression. 42 These physiological changes may negatively influence certain mechanisms of the brain that are responsible for memory. 43 Spirituality can also stimulate the higher cortical functions related to abstract thinking (eg, meaning in life, morality, and transcendence), which may result in delaying cognitive deterioration.…”

Specific Association Between Religiosity and Cognitive Functions in Alzheimer’s Disease

“…This result reflects the beneficial effects of religiosity on cognitive functions, in accordance with previous longitudinal studies that suggest religiosity to be a protective factor against cognitive decline. [8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16] Using structural equation modeling, we identified the beneficial effect of religiosity on cognitive functions with crosssectional data. Further, the findings of this study demonstrate that the beneficial effects could vary depending on the subdomains of religiosity.…”

“…13 These results suggest that religious affiliation seems to be a protective factor, not only for physical health but also for cognitive functions. 14,15 However, these studies have a limitation in that they have evaluated cognitive functions based on a single composite score or global cognitive function scale (eg, MMSE, the clinical dementia rating). [8][9][10]12,13 There are various subdomains under cognitive functions such as memory, language, and constructive ability.…”

Spiritual Fitness: A New Dimension in Alzheimer’s Disease Prevention

“…In a systematic review of the effect of religious and spiritual involvement on cognitive function from 2019, 82% of the research articles reported positive associations between religious involvement, spirituality, and brain health. According to the above-noted systematic review, religious and spiritual involvement appears therefore to be protective against cog-nitive decline in middle and old age adults [ 3, 4 ]. The opposite appears to be true as well.…”