Religion, mental health and ethnicity. EMPIRIC – A national survey of England

Abstract

Background: Higher levels of religious involvement are modestly associated with better health, after taking account of other influences. However, most research takes little account of spiritual beliefs that are not tied to personal or public religious practice.Objectives: To compare prevalence and characteristics of religious and spiritual views of life in representative samples of all principal ethnic groups in England and to examine associations between these views and common mental disorders (CMD).Method: Face-to-face interviews with 4281 adults from six ethnic groups living in private households in England. Data were collected on common mental disorders, religious and spiritual beliefs, quality of life, social function and support, and psychotic symptoms.Results: There was no difference in prevalence of CMD between people who were religious and those who were not. However, people who held a spiritual life view but without religious practice were more likely to have CMD (OR = 2.01, CI 1.15, 3.51) than people who held a religious life view, after adjustment for relevant confounding variables.Conclusions: Lack of religious belief was associated with a higher prevalence of CMD, but only in people who reported having a spiritual life view.Declaration of interest: None.