General health status and gender as correlates of religiosity

Abstract

The study examined general health status and gender as correlates of religiosity. 201 Christians with an age range between 21 and 55 years with mean age of 34.91 and standard deviation of 7.49. were selected from three religious centres in Awka. Two instruments were used for the study and they include the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) developed by Goldberg and Williams (1970) and Religious Affiliation Scale (RAS) by Omoluabi (1995). The study was a survey and a correlational design. The Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient was employed as the statistical tool for data analysis. The result indicated a significant relationship between general health and religiosity. Therefore, the first hypothesis was accepted. Also, the second hypothesis which ststaed that there will be a significant relationship between gender and religiosity was accepted. This study underscores the importance of assessing an individual religious belief /history during assessment since its neglect can be devastating to the person involved. Addressing a clients religious needs in clinical practice in a more sensible and sensitive way is also recommended.