P01-118 - Religiosity correlates significantly with paranormal beliefs and magical ideation in patients with anxiety disorders

Abstract

IntroductionReligiosity and spirituality are transcultural parameter of human experience with a complex, multidimensional construct. However, research shows religious commitment and practices being not only important for the personal beliefs, but also for physical and mental health. Findings suggest also other personal beliefs, such as magical ideation and paranormal beliefs similarly influencing psychiatric disorders and mental health. However, these factors are far more multidimensional than once thought.ObjectivesThe objective of the study is the investigation of the relation of religiosity/spirituality, magical ideation and paranormal beliefs in anxiety disorders and the specification of potential differences in beliefs between OCD and other anxiety disorders.MethodsUnselected patients with OCD and other anxiety disorders as core diagnosis have been equally assessed within the first week after admission with self-rating tests including the Brief Multidimensional Measure of Religiosity/Spirituality (BMMRS), Magical Ideation Scale (MIS) and Revised Paranormal Beliefs Scale (RPBS).Results80 patients have been recruited and classified in three groups: OCD, other anxiety disorders and healthy control group. All groups reached in average not significantly deviating RPBS, MIS and BMMRS total scores. However, the three personal belief scales did show an interesting relation to each other. RPBS score correlated significantly with BMMRS (r = .34, p < .01) and with MIS score (r = .56, p < .01), while MIS total scores have shown a significant relationship with almost every subscale of the BMMRS.ConclusionThis study verifies a significant positive correlation between paranormal beliefs, overall religiosity and magical ideation.