A co-relational study between mental health and religious attitudes of young adults

Abstract

Purpose: The paper explores the correlation between religious attitude and mental health in males and females of generation Y. The rationale of this study is to empirically analyze how the religious attitude impacts the mental health of males and females of generation Y. Methodology: A total of 210 subject, 100 males and 110 females of age group (17-36) were selected. All the subjects were exposed to Indian adaptation and given a Religious Attitudes Scale developed by Dr. M. Rajamanickam(1985) and Mental Health Checklist developed by Pramod Kumar(1992). The subjects were informed about the purpose of the study and consent was taken prior to data collection. The questionnaire had been constructed specifically for measuring the 6 religious attitudes; Nature of God, Prayer and worship, Formal Religion, Future Life, Priests, Spirits and Spirit world. It consists of 60 questions, 10 of which measure each attitude. The mental health checklist consists of 5 physical and 6 mental issues pertaining to an individual’s mental health. The test was administered to both the groups in order to be completed within a given period of time. Results: No significant correlation was found between religious attitudes and mental health of males and females of age group 17-36, in the cities of Ahmedabad, Bhavnagar and Gandhinagar