Table 1.

Core study measures

Spiritual Connectedness B Wave 1 and Wave 2a My faith helps me see the common bond among all people. My faith helps me appreciate how much we need each other. My faith helps me recognize the tremendous strength that can come from other people. Emotional Support Provided to Others B Wave 1 and Wave 2b How often do you show someone in your congregation that you love and care for them? How often have you talked with someone in your congregation about their private feelings and concerns? How often have you expressed interest and concern in the well-being of someone in your congregation? Tangible Support Provided to Others B Wave 1 and Wave 2b How often do you provide transportation to church for someone in your congregation? How often do you provide transportation for someone in your congregation to other places, like the grocery store or the doctor’s office? How often do you help someone in your congregation with things that need to be done around their home, such as household chores or yard work? How often have you helped take care of someone in your congregation when they were ill? Praying for Others B Wave 1 and Wave 2c When you are by yourself, how often do you pray for other people? Frequency of Church Attendance B Wave 1d How often do you attend religious services?

^aThese items are scored in the following manner (coding in parentheses): Strongly disagree (1); disagree (2); agree (3); strongly disagree (4).

^bThese items are scored in the following manner: Never (1); once in a while (2); fairly often (3); very often (4).

^cThis item is scored in the following manner: Respondent never prays (1); respondent prays, but never for other people (2); less than once a month (3); once a month (4); a few times a month (5); once a week (6); a few times a week (7); once a day (8); several times a day (9).

^dThis item is scored in the following manner: Never (1); less than once a year (2); about once or twice a year (3); several times a year (4); about once a month (5); 2-3 times a month (6); nearly every week (7); every week (8); several times a week (9).