Abstract
PurposeThe present study aims to examine the association between religious involvement and mental disorder (anxiety disorder, mood disorder, alcohol use disorder) in a general Chinese population, and explore connections between religious belief and mental disorders in the Hui and Han ethnic groups.MethodData were examined from a representative sample of 2,770 community-dwelling adults in the province of Ningxia located in western China. Self-reported religious attendance and the importance of religious in daily life were measured. The WHO Composite International Diagnostic Interview was used to diagnose mental disorders.ResultsIn the overall sample, the importance of religious affiliation was positively associated with mental disorders (especially anxiety) (p<0.01). No association was found between any religious characteristic and mood disorders or alcohol use disorders. With regard to analyses within different ethnic groups, religious affiliation was positively associated with mental disorder in Han ethnicity (p<0.01), but not in Hui ethnicity. When stratified by age and ethnic group, religious affiliation was associated positively with mental disorder in younger Han (p<0.01); whereas high religiosity was associated positively with mental disorder in older Hui (p<0.05). Among older Hui, however, religious affiliation was inversely associated with mood disorder (p<0.05).ConclusionsIn contrast to most previous studies in Western populations, religious involvement is less likely to be inversely related to mental disorder in Mainland China, although this association varies by age and ethnic group.
Highlights
The relationship between religiosity and mental health is receiving more and more attention in the research literature [1,2]
The importance of religious affiliation was positively associated with mental disorders (p
With regard to analyses within different ethnic groups, religious affiliation was positively associated with mental disorder in Han ethnicity (p
Summary
The relationship between religiosity and mental health is receiving more and more attention in the research literature [1,2]. Koenig et al reviewed studies published prior to 2010 on the association between religion and mental health, finding that 67% of the methodologically most rigorous studies reported an inverse association between religious involvement and depression, and 90% of studies reported an inverse relationship with alcohol use disorders[3]. Many researchers have begun to integrate the religious beliefs of patients into psychotherapy for the treatment of mental disorder [7,8,9,10]. One review reported that 71% of studies found that religious or spiritual interventions reduced anxiety[3]
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