The Relationship between Religiosity and Mental Health

A special issue of Religions (ISSN 2077-1444).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (1 October 2019) | Viewed by 9623

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Department of Psychological Science, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Edinburg, TX 78539, USA
Interests: anxiety, depression, and suicide risk in acculturating individuals; cultural adaption and development of psychological measures; dissemination and implementation of evidence-based interventions for anxiety, depression, and suicide behavior

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The notion that religiosity has a positive impact on mental health has a long history dating back to scholars such as Allport, Jung, and beyond. Indeed, findings from meta-analyses conducted during the past several decades indicate that religiosity tends to be associated with decreased mental health problems. However, the strength of this relationship appears to depend on how religiosity and mental health are defined and measured (e.g., intrinsic versus extrinsic religiosity; general well-being versus specific mental health constructs). Moreover, a relatively small body of research has directly examined the question of “why” religiosity leads to positive mental health. In other words, further research that directly examines possible explanatory factors (e.g., mediating factors that are specific to religiosity) in the relationship between religiosity and mental health is needed.

We thus invite authors to submit papers to be considered for publication in a special issue that will focus on the relationship between religiosity and mental health. Although all articles on this topic are welcome, we are especially interested in articles that examine possible explanatory factors in this relationship, articles that delineate the particular aspects of religiosity that appear especially important in understanding this relationship, and/or articles that assess specific mental health constructs when examining this relationship.

Please note that papers conducted in non-Western countries are welcome, as are papers from authors representing a variety of disciplines and papers based on a variety of religions and denominations. Also, please note that authors do not have to pay a publication fee.

Prof. Dr. Joseph D. Hovey
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • religion
  • religiosity
  • mental health
  • depression
  • anxiety
  • suicide behavior
  • suicide ideation
  • mediation

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 343 KiB  
Article
Association between Religion and Health in China: Using Propensity Score Matching Method
by Jing Hua Zhang, Haomin Zhang, Chengkun Liu, Xiaoyang Jiang, Hongmin Zhang and Ojo Iwaloye
Religions 2020, 11(1), 37; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel11010037 - 9 Jan 2020
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3710
Abstract
The association between religion and health is well debated and receives continuous attention in research. Selection bias is often a major concern among the observatory data routinely used worldwide to examine this topic. Adopting the propensity score matching (PSM) method, the present study [...] Read more.
The association between religion and health is well debated and receives continuous attention in research. Selection bias is often a major concern among the observatory data routinely used worldwide to examine this topic. Adopting the propensity score matching (PSM) method, the present study tries to assess the treatment effects of religion on self-reported health status. The final sample from the 2007 Spiritual Life Study of Chinese Residents (SLSC) contains 6194 valid responses. The average treatment effects (ATEs) estimated by the PSM method show that respondents with religious affiliations are on average significantly more likely to report being very healthy by 5.2 percentage points (by 3.6 and 9.6 percentage points among Buddhists and Protestants), especially, by 16.2 percentage points among those regarding religion as being very important in their lives. Meanwhile, ATEs of religion on reporting being very happy is 17.0 among Protestants and 13.4 among those regarding religion with high importance and 11.3 among those with “regular religious attendance”. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Relationship between Religiosity and Mental Health)
16 pages, 311 KiB  
Article
One Religion, Two Tales: Religion and Happiness in Urban and Rural Areas of China
by Jing Hua Zhang, Wen Chi Zou and Xiao Yang Jiang
Religions 2019, 10(9), 532; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel10090532 - 17 Sep 2019
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 5265
Abstract
Most previous studies performed in Western social contexts have revealed that religion can influence an individual’s sense of happiness. Few studies have sought to clarify the influence of religion in a Chinese social context, however, and there has been no study specifically about [...] Read more.
Most previous studies performed in Western social contexts have revealed that religion can influence an individual’s sense of happiness. Few studies have sought to clarify the influence of religion in a Chinese social context, however, and there has been no study specifically about the potential differences in the dichotomous social environments of urban and rural areas in China. Via the nationwide survey data of the 2007 Spiritual Life Study of Chinese Residents (SLSC), this study examines the association between religion and happiness among urban and rural residents of China. The results reveal that there is a generally positive association between religion and happiness among those with religious affiliations in China. Regardless of affiliation with Buddhism or Protestantism, there is a strong positive association among rural respondents, an insignificant association among urban respondents, and mixed results among town residents. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Relationship between Religiosity and Mental Health)
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