The Positive Effects of Religion on Mental Illness

This past year, my postpartum depression resulted in hospitalization. I felt worthless, overwhelmed—like a failure. The situation was very difficult for my spouse and our two young children. As I recovered and developed relationships with other individuals suffering from mental illness, I began to notice a stark difference between those who were religious and those who did not adhere to a religious creed. The religious individuals appeared to me to have more emotional and social support, a more positive outlook, and a greater hope and motivation to recover.

The latter reflects the findings of the large field of study of religion and mental health. Numerous studies have pointed out the beneficial influence¹ of religion on mental health.² As a 2015 review of the literature on the topic illustrates:

[I]n general, studies of subjects in different settings (such as medical, psychiatric, and the general population), from different ethnic backgrounds (such as Caucasian, African American, Hispanic, and Native American), in different age groups (young, middle-aged, and elderly), and in different locations (such as the United States and Canada, Europe, and countries in the East) find that religious involvement is related to better coping with stress and less depression, suicide, anxiety, and substance abuse.³

Similarly, research published in 2006 found that there is an overwhelming positive relationship between religiosity and numerous measures of emotional well-being. According to the study:

Most studies have also found a positive association between religiosity and other factors associated with well-being such as optimism and hope (12 out of 14 studies), self-esteem (16 out of 29 studies, but only one with a negative association), sense of meaning and purpose in life (15 out of 16 studies), internal locus of control, social support (19 out of 20) and being married or having higher marital satisfaction (35 out of 38).⁴

What is more, congruent findings were determined by a 2015 review examining over 3000 scholarly articles for the International Journal of Emergency Mental Health and Human Resilience, which found a “positive effect” of religion/spirituality on a variety of health outcomes, including: “minor depression, faster recovery from depressive episodes, lower rates of suicide, less use, abuse and substance dependence, greater well-being, and self-reported happiness.”⁵

Notably, the research on the topic specifies that not all forms of religiosity (i.e. affiliation, involvement, church attendance) assist those affected by mental illness. Affiliation to some religions⁶ and valuing religion does not tend to result in healing experience of religion,⁷ rather it’s religious activity,⁸ involvement⁹, or attendance that appear to aid individuals on their journey to recovery.¹⁰ For example, a 2004 study analyzing the impact of religious practice (worship service attendance), spiritual and religious self-perception, and importance (salience) on depression among Canadians found that while “those who stated spiritual values or faith were important or perceived themselves to be spiritual/religious had higher levels of depressive symptom…more frequent worship service attendees had significantly fewer depressive symptoms.”¹¹

Beyond the data on the topic, religion has a therapeutic effect on mental health by granting individuals valuable coping skills that are accessible “regardless of financial, social, physical, or mental circumstances."¹² Furthermore, religions tend to prescribe healthy lifestyle practices (for example: rest, monogamous sex, moderation in all things), give individuals social support (resulting in a sense of belonging and a sense of being cared for by their group), and help their adherents develop cognitive frameworks that assist them through life's difficulties.¹³

Additionally, religion enhances adherents’ internal locus of control, which (as opposed to an external one)¹⁴ allows individuals to respond to the same problem in a manner that is beneficial to their well-being.¹⁵ Correspondingly, through the use of religious practices, such as prayer or meditation, religious individuals can counter damaging tendencies brought about by their illness and can “reduce tension and anxiety, diminish self-blame, stabilize emotional ups and downs, and improve self-knowledge,”¹⁶ as well as improve the management of obstacles such as: “Panic attacks, generalized anxiety disorder, depression, insomnia, drug use, stress, chronic pain and other health problems."¹⁷

The beneficial assets of religious coping on mental health are consistent across age, race, gender, nationality, and socioeconomic status, and they appear to be higher "for those under stressful circumstances."¹⁸ Hence, religious coping serves as a valuable resource for individuals who are affected by mental illness, especially disadvantaged groups who experience substantial stress in daily life, greater rates of mental disorders, and who lack the social support and financial means to treat their illness.

Among such vulnerable groups are unmarried mothers. The effect of marital status on mental health has been documented by a number of researchers around the world.¹⁹ Currently, the existing evidence points to higher rates of mental illness among unmarried parents.²⁰ According to a 2003 research brief by the Center for Research on Child Wellbeing at Princeton University, unmarried parents exhibit higher rates of depression and generalized anxiety, and their likelihood of experiencing such debilitating illness is greater than that of married individuals.²¹ More recently, a 2006 study utilizing data from the Millennium Cohort Study found that “looser parental bonding”²² resulted in a greater risk of maternal depression.²³ Additionally, the study also found greater reports of “mental health and behavioral problems” among unmarried parents than among married parents. Finally, a 2009 study examining the risk of depression by marital status found that “unpartnered pregnant patients” were almost 10-times more likely to exhibit depressive symptoms, and cohabitating pregnant women were “several hundred times” more likely to exhibit depressive symptoms.²⁴ Furthermore, unpartnered mothers were two times more likely and cohabitating mothers were more than 20 times more likely to experience postpartum depressive symptoms.

Following the growing call for religious research and practice by prestigious research associations of mental health,²⁵ religious coping should be regarded as an advantageous tool in recovery that is free, accessible, and effective. The latter is especially significant for the disadvantaged, including unmarried mothers and their children.²⁶

Maria Archer (Kaufmann) is Director of Youth Ministry for St. Bartholomew Catholic Church and is an independent contractor for the Marriage and Religion Research Institute at CUA. 

Editor’s Note: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or views of the Institute for Family Studies.

1. Note that Weber & Pargament (2014) express that the influence of religion on mental health is not only positive but can also be negative: "Studies indicate that religion and spirituality can promote mental health through positive religious coping, community and support, and positive beliefs. Research also shows that religion and spirituality can be damaging to mental health by means of negative religious coping, misunderstanding and miscommunication, and negative beliefs…Religion and spirituality have the ability to promote or damage mental health."[1]

2. Koenig HG. "Religion, spirituality, and health: a review and update." Adv Mind Body Med. 2015 Summer; 29(3):289. Moreira-Almeida A, LotufoNeto F, Koenig Harold G. "Religiousness and mental health: A review." Rev. Bras. Psiquiatr. 2006;28 São Paulo 2006 Epub Aug 10. P. 245; Stefano Lassi and Daniele Mugnaini. "Role of Religion and Spirituality on Mental Health and Resilience: There is Enough Evidence." International Journal of Emergency Mental Health and Human Resilience, 2015, Vol. 17, No.3, pp. 661. Behere, P. B., Das, A., Yadav, R., & Behere, A. P. (2013). "Religion and mental health." Indian Journal of Psychiatry, 55(Suppl 2), S187–S194; Baetz, M., Griffin, R., Bowen, R., Koenig, H. G., & Marcoux, E. (2004). "The association between spiritual and religious involvement and depressive symptoms in a Canadian population." The Journal of nervous and mental disease, 192(12), 818-822. Tepper L, Rogers SA, Coleman EM, "The prevalence of religious coping among persons with persistent mental illness." Psychiatr Serv. 2001; 52: 660; McCullough, M. E., & Larson, D. B. (1999). "Religion and depression: a review of the literature." Twin research, 2(02), 126; Keefe, R. H., Brownstein-Evans, C., & Rouland Polmanteer, R. (2016). “'I find peace there:' how faith, church, and spirituality help mothers of color cope with postpartum depression." Mental Health, Religion & Culture, 1-12. Weber, Samuel R.a; Pargament, Kenneth I.b. "The role of religion and spirituality in mental health." Current Opinion in Psychiatry: September 2014 - Volume 27 - Issue 5 - p 358–363.

3. Koenig HG. "Religion, spirituality, and health: a review and update." Adv Mind Body Med. 2015 Summer; 29(3):289.

4. Moreira-Almeida A, LotufoNeto F, Koenig Harold G. "Religiousness and mental health: A review." Rev. Bras. Psiquiatr. 2006;28 São Paulo 2006 Epub Aug 10. P. 245

5. Stefano Lassi and Daniele Mugnaini. "Role of Religion and Spirituality on Mental Health and Resilience: There is Enough Evidence." International Journal of Emergency Mental Health and Human Resilience, 2015, Vol. 17, No.3, pp. 661, ISSN 1522-4821.

6. McCullough, M. E., & Larson, D. B. (1999). "Religion and depression: a review of the literature." Twin research, 2(02), 126.

7. Baetz, M., Griffin, R., Bowen, R., Koenig, H. G., & Marcoux, E. (2004). "The association between spiritual and religious involvement and depressive symptoms in a Canadian population." The Journal of nervous and mental disease, 192(12), 818-822.

8. Tepper L, Rogers SA, Coleman EM, "The prevalence of religious coping among persons with persistent mental illness." Psychiatr Serv. 2001; 52: 660.

9. According to a 2006 review by Moreira-Almeida, LotufoNeto, and Koenig, the majority of research examining the effect of religious involvement supports that “higher levels of religious involvement are positively associated with indicators of psychological well-being (life satisfaction, happiness, positive affect, and higher morale) and with less depression, suicidal thoughts and behavior, drug/alcohol use/abuse.” Consistently, Behere, Das, Yadav, and Behere (2013) indicated similar results: “Many other researchers have produced a large body of research that has usually, but not always, shown a positive association between religious involvement and mental health." Note that: “Usually the positive impact of religious involvement on mental health is more robust among people under stressful circumstances (the elderly, and those with disability and medical illness).”

10. Baetz, M., Griffin, R., Bowen, R., Koenig, H. G., & Marcoux, E. (2004). "The association between spiritual and religious involvement and depressive symptoms in a Canadian population." The Journal of nervous and mental disease, 192(12), 818-822. Moreira-Almeida A, LotufoNeto F, Koenig Harold G. "Religiousness and mental health: A review." Rev. Bras. Psiquiatr. 2006;28 São Paulo 2006 Epub Aug 10. P. 245. Behere, P. B., Das, A., Yadav, R., & Behere, A. P. (2013). "Religion and mental health." Indian Journal of Psychiatry, 55(Suppl 2), S187–S194. McCullough, M. E., & Larson, D. B. (1999). "Religion and depression: a review of the literature." Twin research, 2(02), 126.

11. Baetz, M., Griffin, R., Bowen, R., Koenig, H. G., & Marcoux, E. (2004). "The association between spiritual and religious involvement and depressive symptoms in a Canadian population." The Journal of nervous and mental disease, 192(12), 818-822.

12. Koenig HG. "Religion, spirituality, and health: a review and update." Adv Mind Body Med. 2015 Summer;29(3): 285.

13. Behere, P. B., Das, A., Yadav, R., & Behere, A. P. (2013). "Religion and mental health." Indian Journal of Psychiatry, 55(Suppl 2), S187–S194.

14. Ibid.

15. Ibid.

16. Ibid.

17. Ibid.

18. Moreira-Almeida A, LotufoNeto F, Koenig Harold G. "Religiousness and mental health: A review." Rev. Bras. Psiquiatr. 2006;28 São Paulo 2006 Epub Aug 10. P. 245

19. Sociologist Robin W. Simon, Ph.D., a Wake Forest University professor who has studied marriage and mental health for over 25 years, noted in a 2012 interview with Psychiatry Weekly that “hundreds of studies document a robust relationship between marriage and improved mental health: married people report significantly fewer symptoms of depression and are significantly less likely to abuse substances than their non-married counterparts.” According to Simon, married people enjoy greater social support and psychosocial (or coping) resources than unmarried people. In a 2007 research brief for the Institute for American Values, W. Bradford Wilcox, Linda J. Waite, and Alex Roberts summarize the vast body of research on marriage and mental health to show that on average, married men and women exhibit better emotional and psychological well-being, and lower rates of substance abuse, depression, and suicide, than single or divorced individuals. They cite a 10-year study of 14,000 Americans that found that “marriage is one of the most important predictors of happiness.”

20. Bendheim-Thoman. Fragile Families Research Briefs: Barriers to Marriage Among Fragile Families May 2003 • Number 16. Center for Research on Child Wellbeing, Princeton University. 

21. Ibid.

22. Kiernan, K., & Pickett, K. E. (2006). "Marital status disparities in maternal smoking during pregnancy, breastfeeding and maternal depression." Social science & medicine, 63(2), 335-346.

23. Ibid.

24. Podolska MZ1, Majkowicz M, Sipak-Szmigiel O, Ronin-Walknowska E. "Cohabitation as a strong predicting factor of perinatal depression." Ginekol Pol. 2009 Apr;80(4):280.

25. The American Psychiatric Association (2006), the American Psychological Association (2007), the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (2012), the Royal College of Psychiatrists (2011), and the World Psychiatric Association (Verhagen & Cook, 2010).

26. Miller, L., Warner, V., Wickramaratne, P., & Weissman, M. (1997). "Religiosity and depression: Ten-year follow-up of depressed mothers and offspring." Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 36(10), 1416-1425.