Religiosity and Mental Wellbeing Among Members of Majority and Minority Religions: Findings From Understanding Society: the UK Household Longitudinal Study.

Ozan Aksoy,Meg E Fluharty,Alita Nandi,David Bann

doi:10.1093/aje/kwab133

Abstract

It is unclear whether links between religiosity and mental health are found in contexts outside the United States or are causal. We examined differences in mental wellbeing and associations between mental wellbeing and religiosity among the religiously unaffiliated, White and non-White Christians, Muslims of Pakistani, Bangladeshi, and other ethnicities, and other minority ethnoreligious groups. We used 4 waves of Understanding Society: the UK Household Longitudinal Study (2009–2013; n = 50,922). We adjusted for potential confounders (including socioeconomic factors and personality) and for household fixed effects to account for household-level unobserved confounding factors. Compared with those with no religious affiliation, Pakistani and Bangladeshi Muslims and members of other minority religions had worse wellbeing (as measured using the Shortened Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale and General Health Questionnaire). Higher subjective importance of religion was associated with lower wellbeing according to the General Health Questionnaire; associations were not found with the Shortened Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale. More frequent religious service attendance was associated with higher wellbeing; effect sizes were larger for those with religious affiliations. These associations were only partially attenuated by adjustment for potential confounding factors, including household fixed effects. Religious service attendance and/or its secular alternatives may have a role in improving population-wide mental wellbeing.

Highlights

Mental health and wellbeing are important to individuals, families, and society
There is increasing awareness that mental health and wellbeing are multidimensional constructs; positive mental wellbeing may be a different construct to mental ill health.[2]. Across the non-disordered
PT population, higher positive mental wellbeing appears to have protective effects on other important outcomes I such as physical health,(3) and socioeconomic outcomes such as productivity.[4]. It is important to CR identify the modifiable determinants of both mental ill health and positive mental wellbeing

Summary

Introduction

Mental health and wellbeing are important to individuals, families, and society. Mental ill health is a leading contributor to the global burden of disease[1] which motivates a need to better understand its modifiable determinants. Compared with those with no religious affiliation, Pakistani and Bangladeshi CR Muslims and members of other minority religions had worse wellbeing (as measured by Shortened WarwickS Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale (SWEMWBS) and General Health Questionnaire (GHQ)).

Results

Conclusion