God as an Intimate Confidant
Ann Sherry Lowe

The study explored the relationship between two factors which produce high morale in old age. They are: (1) the presence of an intimate confidant, and (2) various indicators of religious belief and activities.

It was hypothesized that elderly individuals who report an intimate confidant relationship with a Divine Being will have a higher score on a morale test than elderly individuals who do not report an intimate confidant relationship with a Divine Being. The independent variable, a confidant relationship with a Divine Being, was operationalized using an intrinsic religiosity scale. The dependent variable, high morale, was operationalized using a standard morale scale.

The data were analyzed using an analysis of variance, chi square analyses, and Pearson's intercorrelation. Trends supporting the hypothesis were shown. Also, four key questions for assessing religiosity and morale emerged from the correlational study.