Religiosity and Mental Health: A Meta–Analysis of Recent Studies

Hackney, Charles H.; Sanders, Glenn S.

doi:10.1111/1468-5906.t01-1-00160

Cited by 748 publications

(589 citation statements)

References 60 publications

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“…Regarding mental health, only social concern church members exhibit significantly higher scores than social centre members, while the other churches have no significant difference with other settings. These findings are consistent with previous studies showing the positive influence of religion on life satisfaction, positive emotion and mental heath (Diener, 1984;Hackney & Sanders, 2003;Koenig, 2005;Myers, 2008). The positive and persistent influence of religion on health and well-being (individual level) may explain why, in the past decade, the relationship between religion, health and well-being is gaining more attention.…”

Section: Well-beingsupporting

confidence: 93%

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Impact of Protestant Spirituality and Religious Community on the Well-Being of People in Hong Kong

Ng¹,

Fisher²

2011

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While the literature demonstrates that the relationship between religion and wellbeing is generally positive, detailed information about the context where the religion is based is rarely given. Drawing on multi-dimensional perspectives of spirituality, the present study regards spirituality as an integral dimension of a person's religious beliefs, practices and experiences within a given context. The manifestation of spirituality can be viewed from personal, interpersonal and social dimensions. The primary objective of the study is to examine whether, how and why the spirituality and religious community of Protestant tradition can affect the well-being of people in the context of Hong Kong.In the first phase of the study, 324 Chinese from four Protestant communities, representing four major kinds of Protestant spirituality, and one non-religious comparison group in Hong Kong were recruited. MANOVA results showed that religious community exerted a significant impact on people's spirituality and sense of community, which enhance their well-being -manifested in life satisfaction, social trust and civic participation. The different religious contexts exhibited different dimensions of spirituality and well-being, suggesting that the impact is not only direct but also dependent on and intertwined with the religious setting. Path analyses demonstrated the complex relationship between spirituality and well-being variables. While some of the spirituality-related variables may directly predict civic participation, the relationship between such variables and life satisfaction and social trust are mainly mediated through mental health and sense of community.The second phase of the study incorporated a field study (participant observation, interview and documentary analysis). Activity setting analysis was used as the interpretive framework, to unpack the elements of the various religious settings and to identify the present and absent conditions that help explain the variety and diversity of well-being outcomes manifested in the survey section. The data showed that immediate religious settings affect people's emotions, cognitions and behavioural patterns, through relational, ideational and even material aspects of the social environment, which finally lead to various kinds of well-being. Results also demonstrate that not only may the different religious settings enhance different kinds of well-being, but that they also provide different pathways to enhance a certain kind of well-being. These findings iii suggest that religious impacts on people's well-being are diverse and intricate. The present study thus confirms the important role of religion in people's well-being, but further signifies the intricate relationship between the various dimensions of religion and well-being. Moreover, when studying the effects of religion, both the subjective and the community context of a person's spirituality cannot be overlooked when drawing any conclusion on the costs and benefits of religion. iv v

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Section: Well-beingsupporting

confidence: 93%

“…Hackney and Sanders (2003), using meta-analysis, argue that "regardless of any considerations of religiosity or mental health definitions, religiosity may be said to have a salutary relationship with psychological adjustment." (p. 51).…”

Section: Prediction Of Life Satisfactionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of Protestant Spirituality and Religious Community on the Well-Being of People in Hong Kong

Ng¹,

Fisher²

2011

PsycEXTRA Dataset

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“…What can explain the long-lasting and robust-albeit relatively small-association between perceiving religious social benefits after 9/11 and well-being over time? One possible explanation is that perceiving religious benefits is just a proxy measure of religiosity, which is known to be positively associated with wellbeing (e.g., Hackney & Sanders, 2003;Koenig, McCullough, & Larson, 2001). However, at each wave and across all well-being measures, religious social benefits were associated with well-being after controlling for the respondent's level of intrinsic religiosity.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Finding social benefits after a collective trauma: Perceiving societal changes and well‐being following 9/11

Poulin

Silver

Gil‐Rivas

et al. 2009

Journal of Traumatic Stress

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Individuals frequently perceive positive changes in themselves following adversity; after a collective trauma, they may perceive such benefits in others or in their society as well. We examined perceived benefits of the September 11, 2001 (9/11) terrorist attacks in a 3‐year study of a national sample of adults (N = 1382). Many individuals (57.8%) perceived social benefits of 9/11, including increased prosocial behavior, religiousness, or political engagement. Individuals who found increased national religiosity as a benefit 2 months post‐9/11 reported greater positive affect and life satisfaction and lower distress and posttraumatic stress up to 3 years post‐9/11. Pre‐9/11 religiousness and Republican political affiliation predicted perceiving religion‐related social benefits post‐9/11. Perceptions of social change are important but understudied responses to stressful events.

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“…Substantial variability exists in findings across studies, however, pointing to the importance of examining how different aspects of religious experience relate to specific health outcomes (Hackney and Sanders 2003). One recurring question is whether spirituality and religiosity have distinct associations with health (Seybold and Hill 2001).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…One way to study differences in the roles of spirituality and religiosity in health is to examine them in a group of people coping with a singular stressful event. Examining outcomes after a negative event is especially pertinent, as spirituality and religiosity may help people manage such experiences, which in turn can influence health (e.g., Hackney and Sanders 2003;McIntosh et al 1993;Pargament 1997;Park 2005). The present study used the context of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks against the United States (9/11) to examine similarities and differences in how spirituality and religiosity are related to physical and mental health in a large national sample.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The distinct roles of spirituality and religiosity in physical and mental health after collective trauma: a national longitudinal study of responses to the 9/11 attacks

et al. 2011

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Religiosity and Mental Health: A Meta–Analysis of Recent Studies

Cited by 748 publications

References 60 publications

Impact of Protestant Spirituality and Religious Community on the Well-Being of People in Hong Kong

Impact of Protestant Spirituality and Religious Community on the Well-Being of People in Hong Kong

Finding social benefits after a collective trauma: Perceiving societal changes and well‐being following 9/11

The distinct roles of spirituality and religiosity in physical and mental health after collective trauma: a national longitudinal study of responses to the 9/11 attacks

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