A many-analysts approach to the relation between religiosity and well-being

The relation between religiosity and well-being is one of the most researched topics in the psychology of religion, yet the directionality and robustness of the effect remains debated. Here, we adopted a many-analysts approach to assess the robustness of this relation based on a new cross-cultural dataset (N=10,535 participants from 24 countries). We recruited 120 analysis teams to investigate (1) whether religious people self-report higher well-being, and (2) whether the relation between religiosity and self-reported well-being depends on perceived cultural norms of religion (i.e., whether it is considered normal and desirable to be religious in a given country). In a two-stage procedure, the teams first created an analysis plan and then executed their planned analysis on the data. For the first research question, all but 3 teams reported positive effect sizes with credible/confidence intervals excluding zero (median reported β=0.120). For the second research question, this was the case for 65% of the teams (median reported β=0.039). While most teams applied (multilevel) linear regression models, there was considerable variability in the choice of items used to construct the independent variables, the dependent variable, and the included covariates

Geriatric Syndromes in People Living with HIV Associated with Ageing and Increasing Comorbidities: Implications for Neurocognitive Complications of HIV Infection

Long-term survival of treated people living with HIV (PLWH) currently approaches that of the general population. The average age of PLWH is currently in the mid-50s in resource-rich countries and is predicted that over 40% of PLWH will be older than 60 within a decade. Similar trends have been confirmed in all communities of PLWH with access to antiretroviral therapies. However, the positive impact on survival has been challenged by several developments. Ageing PLWH have clinical features similar to the general population about 5-10 years older. In addition to the earlier occurrence of common age-related conditions common geriatric syndromes have also impacted this population prematurely. These are often difficult to evaluate and manage conditions usually of multifactorial aetiology. They include polypharmacy, frailty, impaired mobility and falls, sarcopenia, sensory impairment, and increasingly, non-dementing cognitive decline. Cognitive decline is of particular concern to PLWH and their care providers. In the general geriatric population cognitive impairment increases with age and occurs in all populations with a prevalence of over 25% in people over 80. Effective treatments are lacking and therefore minimizing risk factors plays an important role in maintaining healthspan. In the general population geriatric syndromes may increase the risk of cognitive decline. The corollary is that decreasing the risk of their development may limit cognitive impairment. Whether a similar status holds in PLWH is uncertain. This chapter will address the question of whether common geriatric syndromes in PLWH contribute to cognitive impairment. Common risk factors may provide clues to limit or delay cognitive decline

A many-analysts approach to the relation between religiosity and well-being

The relation between religiosity and well-being is one of the most researched topics in the psychology of religion, yet the directionality and robustness of the effect remains debated. Here, we adopted a many-analysts approach to assess the robustness of this relation based on a new cross-cultural dataset (N=10,535 participants from 24 countries). We recruited 120 analysis teams to investigate (1) whether religious people self-report higher well-being, and (2) whether the relation between religiosity and self-reported well-being depends on perceived cultural norms of religion (i.e., whether it is considered normal and desirable to be religious in a given country). In a two-stage procedure, the teams first created an analysis plan and then executed their planned analysis on the data. For the first research question, all but 3 teams reported positive effect sizes with credible/confidence intervals excluding zero (median reported ?=0.120). For the second research question, this was the case for 65% of the teams (median reported ?=0.039). While most teams applied (multilevel) linear regression models, there was considerable variability in the choice of items used to construct the independent variables, the dependent variable, and the included covariates