Religious Attendance Research Articles

Mental health, substance use, and the importance of religion during the COVID-19 pandemic

ABSTRACT COVID-19 has impacted all areas of life, with lasting effects on physical, mental, and societal health. Specifically, COVID and related losses have exacerbated prolonged grief responses and mental disorders including depression and anxiety. These mental health concerns are associated with increased detrimental coping strategies including substance use. In this study, we analysed secondary data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) collected during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our results showed a positive association between serious psychological distress and marijuana use, while frequent religious service attendance acted as a moderator in this relationship. Individuals involved in communal religious activity were less likely to use marijuana. This study highlights the impact of religion and faith in bringing hope and purpose during periods of loss, coping with stress, grief, mental health challenges, and substance use.

Religion, spirituality and improved glycemic control among people with type 2 diabetes: A systematic review.

This systematic review investigates the association between measures of religiosity or spirituality (R/S) and glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes. A systematic literature review was conducted for all English language articles published between 1966 and August 2022 in six relevant databases: PubMed, PSYCHinfo, CINAHL, ATLA, Scopus, Sociological Abstracts, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Clinical Trials. Search terms for religious variables included, "religion", "religiosity", "spirituality", "religious attendance". Search terms for diabetes outcomes included, "diabetes", "hemoglobin A1c", "blood glucose", "glycemic control." The protocol was registered with the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO). A total of 758 studies examining correlations between R/S and glycemic control were screened from relevant databases. Forty studies were evaluated for eligibility and inclusion. Eight studies were selected and analyzed. Three studies showed positive associations, two studies showed positive and neutral associations, two studies showed positive and negative associations, and one study showed a neutral association. Limitations included small sample sizes and heterogeneity of study designs. Involvement in religious and spiritual practices may be associated with improved glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes. Specific mechanisms for associations may be partially explained by more effective self-management practices, increased positive social contacts, and regular community support. Further research is needed to clarify these associations.

Religion and Pandemic Weight Gain: A Refuge from the Storm?

The COVID-19 pandemic was an inherently stressful global crisis that was associated with weight gain for over 40% of the American public. Building on previous research, we draw on recently collected national survey data from the United States to examine the effects of religious attendance (both in-person and virtual), the sense of divine control, and religious/spiritual (R/S) struggles on pandemic weight gain. A series of logistic regression models were conducted. Our findings suggest that divine control and monthly in-person religious attendance were associated with a lower risk of pandemic weight gain, while R/S struggles were associated with a higher risk of weight gain. Our results reveal the complex role that religiosity can play with respect to pandemic weight gain.

Spiritually Well, Mentally Well? Examining the Early Life Religious Antecedents of the Impact of Spiritual Well-Being on Mental Health Among United Methodist Clergy in North Carolina.

Research has consistently shown that the seeds of religiosity are planted and begin to take form during early life socialization, but little attention have been given to these dynamics among clergy members. In this study, we consider whether early life religious exposure may amplify the beneficial effects of spiritual well-being (having a "thriving" spiritual life) for mental health and burnout for clergy. Drawing from a life course perspective, we use longitudinal data from the Clergy Health Initiative, which sampled United Methodist Clergy in North Carolina (n = 1330). Key results suggest that higher frequencies of childhood religious attendance were consistently associated with lower depressive symptoms and burnout. The beneficial associations between spiritual well-being and lower depressive symptoms and burnout were also stronger for clergy with greater church attendance in childhood. The accumulation of "religious capital" for clergy who were raised in religious households with regular service attendance appear to accentuate the positive effects of spiritual well-being, which encompass a greater sense of closeness to God in their own lives and in ministry. This study identifies the importance of researchers taking a "longer" view of the religious and spiritual lives of clergy.

Effect of religious attendance on the middle-aged worker’s wage in the United States: a possible causal connection

ABSTRACT The current study explores the possibility of a causal connection between a worker’s religious attendance and wage. Numerous studies in the literature have already demonstrated a positive correlation between these two variables. For effective policy applications, however, it is necessary to find out whether there exists a causal connection between them. The study uses the US data and tests the hypothesis that religious attendance of middle-aged workers has a positive causal effect on their wages. Following an instrumental variable approach, the current study tests this hypothesis and demonstrates that religious attendance is very much likely to have a causal effect on middle-aged workers’ earnings. This has important policy implications and thus deserves further attention from researchers and policymakers.

The impact of religious involvement on trust, volunteering, and perceived cooperativeness: evidence from two British panels

Abstract Does religious involvement make people more trusting and prosocial? Considering conflicting theories and mixed prior evidence, we subject this question to a stringent test using large-scale, representative data from the British Household Panel Survey (1991–2009, N ≈ 26,000) and the UK Household Longitudinal Study (2009–2021, N ≈ 80,000). We employ cross-lagged panel models with individual fixed effects to account for time-invariant confounders and reverse causality—two issues that have haunted earlier research. We find that frequency of religious service attendance on average has a positive impact on generalized trust, volunteering, and perceived cooperativeness. Other indicators of religious involvement have weaker effects. We also find variation across religious traditions: the effects of religious attendance are mostly positive for Anglicans and other Protestants, but weaker and mostly statistically insignificant for Catholics, Hindus, and the unaffiliated, and even negative for Muslims when the outcome is perceived cooperativeness. Our findings are robust to alternative model set-ups and hold up after accounting for neighbourhood religious composition, respondent and interviewer ethnicity, and other potential moderators and confounders. Altogether, our study shows that religious involvement can foster prosocial behaviours and attitudes, although in our study this effect is largely restricted to religious service attendance and majority religions.

A meta-analytic exploration of associations between religious service attendance and sexual risk taking in adolescence and emerging adulthood.

Findings since 2000 about the association between the frequency of religious service attendance (formal religiosity) and sexual risk taking in adolescents and emerging adults were explored. A systematic literature search (April 2020) focused on articles with data on religiosity and age at sexual debut, number of sexual partners, condom use at most recent sexual intercourse, and consistent condom use. A total of 27 studies with 37,430 participants (Mage = 18.4, range: 12-25, 43.5% male) were included. In random-effects meta-analysis, the link between formal religiosity and sexual risk taking was significant only for age at sexual debut (r = 0.09, 95% CI = 0.05, 0.13) and the number of sexual partners (r = -0.14, 95% CI = -0.19, -0.09). Weak associations between the constructs of interest indicate that formal religiosity is not sufficient to protect young people's sexual health.

Associations between psychological factors and religious/spiritual beliefs and behaviours in a prospective cohort study (ALSPAC) in Southwest England: A descriptive study

Background: Many factors are believed to shape an individual’s religious/spiritual beliefs and behaviours (RSBB) as part of their wider social behaviour, including psychological traits such as intelligence, personality and social cognition. To explore these patterns further, we examined associations between multiple psychological factors and RSBBs in the offspring and parental generations of the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC). Methods: Three RSBB outcome measures were assessed: religious belief (belief in God/a divine power; yes/not sure/no), religious affiliation (Christian/none/other) and religious attendance (frequency of attendance at a place of worship) in approximately 4,400 offspring (aged 28 years), 12,000 mothers and 9,500 of their partners from a prospective birth cohort study in Southwest England (ALSPAC). We explored age-adjusted (and sex-adjusted for offspring) associations between various psychological factors and each of the RSBB outcomes using multinomial regression. These psychological factors included intelligence/cognitive ability, personality, social cognition, locus of control, prosociality and self-esteem. Exposure-sex interactions were also examined for offspring, and exposure-age interactions for parents. Results: Many psychological factors were associated with RSBB in this cohort, although relationships sometimes differed between cohorts or by RSBB outcome. For instance, in both offspring and mothers, intelligence scores were negatively associated with religious belief and affiliation, but positively associated with religious attendance. An external locus of control was negatively associated with religious belief and attendance in mothers and partners, but little association with religious belief was found in the offspring generation. Some age- and sex-interactions were reported. Most pseudo-R2 values were below 0.5%. Conclusion: Psychological factors are associated with RSBB in this population, although they explain relatively little of the variation in RSBB. Results are correlational, but suggest that associations between psychological factors and RSBB are present, and can be explored in more detail in future work to assess whether these relationships are causal.

Life Strain, Negative Emotions, and Religious Involvement in Contemporary China

Explaining religious growth in China remains a challenge for social scientists. Research on Western nations establishes religion as a powerful resource for coping with life strain. However, China's sociopolitical context, which often treats religion as deviant, is thought to function as a deterrent to conversion. When individuals experience life strain, they respond with negative emotions. Because those who experience strain may turn to non-traditional and deviant activities, we argue that they will be less deterred by China's negative framing of religion when seeking resources for coping. Applying lagged dependent variable models to the 2012-2014 China Family Panel Study, we find that life strain is associated with increases in religious affiliation, service attendance, and salience. Further analyses show that negative emotions mediate the effects of life strain on religiosity. Our study makes a substantial contribution to multiple bodies of literature by applying a theory of deviance to the study of religion, modernization, and mental health.

Moving Away from Religion: Age, Cohort, or Period Effect? Evidence from a Longitudinal Survey in Switzerland

Since Voas and Crockett (2005), a consensus has emerged in the sociology of religions on the fact that secularization is largely due to a cohort effect. That is, each birth cohort is less religious than the previous one. We use data from the Swiss Household Panel (SHP), a multi-thematic survey based on a random sample representative of the general population since 1999, to understand what is the cohort effect in Switzerland on three indicators of religiosity: religious affiliation, frequency of religious service attendance, and personal prayer, taking into account the socio-demographic characteristics of individuals, which could interfere with cohort, period, or age effects. A first general observation can be drawn from the SHP: for the three religious indicators, a cohort effect is a key factor in explaining the decline of religiosity. Each birth cohort is less religious on all three indicators, that is, younger individuals are less affiliated, practice less often, and pray less than the older cohort. More subtly, we also observe an effect of age or life cycle, especially on the practice, and a period effect on the religious disaffiliation of individuals. Each birth cohort shows a more religious profile of individuals at the start of the cohort than at the end. There is, therefore, an initial movement of distancing from religion by birth cohorts, but this is further accentuated by a period effect for disaffiliation and sometimes accelerated and, at other times, slightly contained by a life-cycle effect.

Religiosity, sexual behaviors, sexual motivations, and gender: A three-year longitudinal study.

Longitudinal data are critical for examining associations of religiosity with sexual behaviors and motivations during college. We use hierarchical linear modeling on five semesters of data from a diverse sample of college students (N = 735) to examine within- and between-person associations between religious service attendance and importance of religion and sexual behaviors and motivations for and against sex and consider gender as a moderator. Between-person religiosity was associated with sexual behaviors and motivations whereas within-person religiosity was not. Students' sexual motivations co-varied across semesters with their religious service attendance and importance of religion. Our results indicated more restrictive associations between religiosity and sexual motivations for women than for men.

Dimensions of Religion Associated with Suicide Attempt and Ideation: A 15-Month Prospective Study in a Dutch Psychiatric Population

Dimensions of religion contribute in different ways to the in general protective effect of religiosity and spirituality (R/S) against suicidality. Few studies have included a substantial number of dimensions, and even fewer a follow-up, to clarify the stability and contribution of R/S over the course of psychopathology. In this follow-up study among 155 religiously affiliated in- and outpatients with major depression, religious service attendance, frequency of prayer, type of God representation, moral objections to suicide, and social support were re-assessed in 59 subjects. Diverse statistical analyses show a partial change in R/S parameters. Supportive R/S is persistently associated with lower suicidality. R/S at T0 or change in R/S is not associated with additional changes in suicidality over time. The results suggest that the most important change in suicidality can be understood as an effect of a decline in depressive symptomatology, not of changes in R/S. Despite the limited follow-up and sample size, these results emphasize the importance of longitudinal and dynamic evaluation of especially affective and supportive aspects of R/S in suicidal persons.

The Impact of religiosity/spirituality on slowing the progression of substance use: Based on the National Epidemiological Survey of Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC-III).

Religiosity has been suggested to be protective against substance use disorder (SUD) initiation but its impact of the progression of development is not known. This study investigated the impact of religiosity/spirituality on the development of heavy use and SUD following substance use initiation (alcohol, cannabis, and tobacco) utilizing data from the 2012 to 2013 National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions-III. Individuals with a known age at onset of substance initiation were included (n = 30,590, n = 11,126, and n = 14,083; for alcohol, cannabis, or tobacco users, respectively). Religiosity was measured by importance of religious/spiritual beliefs and frequency of religious service attendance. The percentage of individuals who progressed to an SUD after substance initiation in each substance was estimated. Discrete-time analysis and survival analysis were used to measure the impact of religiosity on the progression from substance initiation to heavy use and from heavy use to SUD. After controlling for various variables, religious services attendance frequency was statistically associated with a slower progression from substance initiation to heavy use for all three substances: tobacco by 8% to 15%, cannabis by 5% to 26%, and alcohol 9% (p ⩽ .01). Religious importance was associated with slower progression to heavy use in cannabis users by 16% to 21% (p ⩽ .02). Religiosity (believes and attendance) was associated with slowed progression from heavy use to SUD development in alcohol users only. The findings illustrate strongest association between attending religious services and lower probabilities of progressing to heavy/daily use after substance use initiation for alcohol, tobacco, and cannabis users. This indicates the potential use of religious services as social support for individuals with risky substance use.

Geographical Disparities and Settlement Factors and Mental Health of Refugees Living in Germany

(1) Background: Approximately half of all refugees living in Germany experience discrimination, which may negatively affect their mental health. Moreover, German refugees have experienced hostility, especially in eastern regions. (2) Aims: We examined the effect of perceived discrimination on refugees' mental health in Germany, with a particular focus on possible regional differences of refugee mental health and perceived discrimination. (3) Method: The data of 2075 refugees who arrived in Germany between 2013 and 2016, from a large-scale survey, was analysed using binary logistic regression. The refugee health screener, 13-item version, was used to assess psychological distress. All effects were investigated for the entire sample and both sexes independently. (4) Results: A third of refugees experienced discrimination which increased the risk of psychological distress (OR = 2.25 [1.80, 2.8]). Those living in eastern Germany were more than twice as likely to report experiences of discrimination, compared to their counterparts living in western Germany (OR = 2.52 [1.98, 3.21]). Differences were noted between males and females, and religious attendance. (5) Conclusions: Perceived discrimination is a risk factor for refugee mental health, particularly female refugees in eastern Germany. An east-west regional difference may be explained by socio-structural factors, rural placement, differential historical exposure to migrant populations, and a greater presence of right-wing and populist parties in eastern Germany.

Does Religiosity Buffer the Adverse Mental Health Effects of Work-Family Strain? Examining the Role of an Overlooked Resource

North American employees face substantial challenges in managing their work and family lives. Drawing from Hobfoll’s 2001 conservation of resources (COR) theory, work-family scholars have argued that some resources can be effective in buffering conflict in the work-family interface. We analyze data from a national sample of Canadian workers ( N = 3,431) to assess how two components of religion/spirituality—religious attendance and divine control—buffer the mental health effects of work-to-family conflict (WFC) and family-to-work conflict (FWC). Results suggest that both work-to-family conflict and family-to-work conflict were associated with higher levels of psychological distress. Our results further reveal that religious attendance buffered the pernicious effects of both WFC and FWC for psychological distress, while divine control only buffered the effects of FWC. These patterns did not appear to differ by gender. Given increasing rates of work-family strain in the North American context, out findings call for a broadening of the literature on the work-family interface, one that takes into consideration the overlooked role of religion and spirituality.

Association of Religious Service Attendance and Neuropsychiatric Symptoms, Cognitive Function, and Sleep Disturbances in All-Cause Dementia.

Commonly reported in dementia, neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS), cognitive decline, and sleep disturbances indicate dementia progression. With the growing dementia burden, identifying protective factors that may slow dementia progression is increasingly essential. Religion and spirituality are associated with better mental and physical health, yet few studies have been reported in older adults with dementia. This study examines associations between religious service attendance and symptoms of dementia progression. Using data from the Health and Retirement Study in 2000, 2006, and 2008 and the sub-study, Aging, Demographics, and Memory Study in 2001-2003, 2006-2007, and 2008-2009, we examined the association of religious attendance with neuropsychiatric symptoms, cognitive function, and sleep disturbances among U.S. older adults aged 70 years and older with all-cause dementia (N = 72) using Spearman's partial Rho correlation controlling for social interaction. Significant associations were identified for religious attendance and NPS (rs (97) = -0.124, 95% CI [-0.129, -0.119], p < 0.0005); cognitive function, rs (97) = -0.018, 95% CI [-0.023, -0.013], p < 0.001); and sleep disturbances, rs (97) = -0.275, 95% CI [-0.280, -0.271], p < 0.0005). Beyond adjusting for social interaction, increased religious attendance was associated with lower NPS, better cognitive function, and fewer sleep disturbances. Clinical trials and longitudinal studies with a larger sample size examining religion and spirituality factors with dementia progression are warranted.

Mental health throughout the medical career: A comparison of depression, anxiety, and stress levels among medical students, residents, and physicians.

Different stages of a physician's career may be associated with different types of mental health impairment. This study aimed to compare symptoms of anxiety, depression, and stress and their associated factors among medical students, medical residents, and physicians. A cross-sectional study was conducted. Data collection included sociodemographic data, religiosity (Duke University Religion Index), and mental health (21-item Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale - DASS-21) data. The comparison between the groups was performed using ANOVA, and the associated factors were evaluated via linear regression models. The sample consisted of 1,417 participants: 778 medical students, 190 medical residents, and 468 established physicians. Medical students had significantly higher depression, anxiety, and stress scores as compared to medical residents and established physicians. However, regarding DASS 21 scores, no significant differences were found between established physicians and medical residents. The factors associated with mental health in the different groups showed that being married and male were associated with better mental health among physicians and medical residents, while the factors of male gender, being in later years of the course, and lower religious attendance were associated with better mental health in students. Medical students had worse mental health outcomes when compared to residents and established physicians. Interventions are needed to minimize suffering during medical education and career.

Do Sociocultural Factors Drive Civic Engagement? An Examination of Political Interest and Religious Attendance

AbstractThe U.S. simultaneously faces declining rates of and barriers to engagement, despite the importance to society and benefits to the participant. Research largely focuses on individual demographics, social, and economic characteristics, but what role do sociocultural factors play in civic engagement? This study examines the influence of political interest and religious attendance on five measures of civic engagement—formal volunteering, informal volunteering, public meeting attendance, voting, and blood donation. Religious attendance plays a greater role in volunteering while political interest plays a greater role in political participation. This work illustrates how different factors relate to different types of engagement. Findings demonstrate the need to move beyond socioeconomic factors to examine sociocultural factors that may influence civic engagement and the need for multiple measures of engagement.

“Electronic Church” 2.0: Are Virtual and In-Person Attendance Associated with Mental and Physical Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic?

Abstract Over the past four decades, studies have consistently shown that regular attendance at religious services is associated with better mental and physical health. At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, many congregations paused in-person religious services and moved their worship rituals online. The ways that churches have responded to the threat of infectious disease require new conceptualizations and operationalizations of religious attendance and novel comparisons of the causes and consequences of virtual and in-person attendance. Analyses of data collected from a national probability sample of Americans (n = 1,717) show that while in-person religious attendance is associated with better mental and physical health, virtual attendance is unrelated to both outcomes in fully adjusted models. Taken together, these findings suggest that the association between religious attendance and health during a global pandemic may be contingent on physical proximity and the nature of the social and experiential aspects of religious worship.

Eternally Damned, Yet Socially Conscious? The Volunteerism of Canadian Atheists

Abstract Research suggests that people who are religious may volunteer because religion is innately prosocial (i.e., inclination) or perhaps because religious communities provide volunteering chances (i.e., opportunities). Using data from Statistics Canada (General Social Survey, Cycle 33), we explored the relationship between different religious and nonreligious identities and volunteering behaviors, time commitments to volunteering, and organization types for which respondents volunteered. Results indicated a complex relationship between religious/nonreligious identity, religious attendance, and prayer. We found that (1) atheists were more likely to volunteer than religious individuals who were low on religious attendance; (2) atheists were less likely to volunteer than religious individuals who were high on religious attendance; (3) the difference in volunteering between atheists and religious individuals was driven by the latter’s volunteering in a religious context, not in the broader community. The results suggest that atheists likely have fewer opportunities to volunteer but are similarly inclined to volunteer.