Lack of association between religiosity/spirituality and mental well being among medical students and interns

Abstract

Background: High subjective well-being causes better health and longevity. Religiosity has been shown to be positively associated with subjective well-being of medical students. The composition and content of religion is different in India, and hence the role of religiosity and spirituality on mental well-being of Indian medical students requires exploration. The present study was conducted to assess the relationship of religiosity and spirituality with mental well-being among medical students and interns. Methods: Warwick–Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale (WEMWBS), Centrality of Religiosity Scale (CRS), and Intrinsic Spirituality Scale (ISS) were administered to medical students at a private medical college in South India. The association of religiosity and spirituality with mental well-being was analyzed using Pearson's correlation analysis. Results: There was no correlation between WEMWBS and CRS scores. Similarly, there was no correlation of WEMWBS score with ISS score. Among Christian and Muslim medical students, there was a significant correlation between WEMWBS and ISS scores. No such correlation was found among Hindu medical students. Conclusion: Overall, there was no association of mental well-being with religiosity and spirituality among medical students. However, there were significant differences in this association among students with different religious affiliations. Among Christian and Muslim medical students, there was a positive association of mental well-being with spirituality but not with religiosity. No such association was found among Hindu medical students.