Table 1.

Core Study Measures

Church Attendancea How often do you attend religious services? Belief in prayer to the Saints or the Virginb When I pray to the Virgin or the saints, I know they will intercede for me. Frequency of prayer to the Saints or the Virginc How often do you pray to the Virgin or to the saints? God-Mediated Controlb I rely on God to help me control my life. I can succeed with God's help. All things are possible when I work together with God. Optimismb I always look on the bright side of things. I'm optimistic about my future. In uncertain times, I usually expect the best. Self-Rated Health How would you rate your overall health at the present time?d Would you say your health is better, about the same, or worse than most people your age?e In general, how satisfied are you with your health?f

^aThis item is scored in the following manner (coding in parentheses): 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 to 3 times a month (6), nearly every week (7), every week (8), several times a week (9).

^bThese items are scored in the following manner: strongly disagree (1), disagree (2), agree (3), strongly agree (4).

^cThis item is scored in the following manner: never (1), once in a while (2), fairly often (3), very often (4).

^dThis item is scored in the following manner: poor (1), fair (2), good (3), excellent (4).

^eThis item is scored in the following manner: worse (1), about the same (2), better (3).

^fThis item is scored in the following manner: not at all satisfied (1), somewhat satisfied (2), very satisfied (3).