Religion and Medicine II: Religion, Mental Health, and Related Behaviors
The International Journal of Psychiatry in MedicinePublished 1 March 2001
Harold G. Koenig
Citations268
SJR quartileQ3
SJR score0.62
SNIP0.64
Generate an AI Snapshot to get a quick, structured summary of this paper.
Study Snapshot
ObjectiveStudy objective
MethodsResearch methodology
PopulationPopulation studied
Sample sizeSample sizes
OutcomesStudy outcomes here
ResultsStudy results comes here
LimitationsResearch study limitations comes here
A concise AI-generated summary of the paper will appear here once you click Generate AI Snapshot.
TL;DR
This discussion is based on a comprehensive and systematic review of a century of research examining religion's relationship to mental health, social support, substance abuse, and other behaviors affecting mental or social functioning.
Abstract
In this second in a series of articles on religion and medicine, I focus on the relationship between religion and mental health. This discussion is based on a comprehensive and systematic review of a century of research examining religion's relationship to mental health, social support, substance abuse, and other behaviors affecting mental or social functioning. This review includes over 630 separate data-based reports that focus on religion and well-being, hope and optimism, meaning and purpose, depression, suicide, anxiety, psychosis, social support and marital stability, alcohol and drug abuse, cigarette smoking, extra-marital sexual behaviors, and delinquency. Reasons for the associations found are discussed and conclusions drawn in light of the findings.
Keywords
Social SciencesMedicine
The Standard Edition of the Complete Psychological Works of Sigmund Freud
17,872 Citations1953Sigmund Freud
American Journal of PsychiatryEffectiveness of a meditation-based stress reduction program in the treatment of anxiety disorders
1,947 Citations1992Jon Kabat‐Zinn, Ann O. Massion +6 more
General Hospital PsychiatryThree-year follow-up and clinical implications of a mindfulness meditation-based stress reduction intervention in the treatment of anxiety disorders
1,129 Citations1995John J. Miller, Ken Fletcher +1 more
It is concluded that an intensive but time-limited group stress reduction intervention based on mindfulness meditation can have long-term beneficial effects in the treatment of people diagnosed with anxiety disorders.
Journal for the Scientific Study of ReligionReligious Involvement, Social Ties, and Social Support in a Southeastern Community
828 Citations1994Christopher G. Ellison, Linda K. George
American Journal of Public HealthFrequent attendance at religious services and mortality over 28 years.
693 Citations1997William J. Strawbridge, Richard. D. Cohen +2 more
Lower mortality rates for frequent religious attenders are partly explained by improved health practices, increased social contacts, and more stable marriages occurring in conjunction with attendance.
American Journal of PsychiatryReligiosity and Remission of Depression in Medically Ill Older Patients
664 Citations1998Harold G. Koenig, Linda K. George +1 more
Sociology of ReligionReligion as Context: Hellfire and Delinquency One More Time
451 Citations1996Rodney Stark
Health Education & BehaviorReligion's Role in Promoting Health and Reducing Risk Among American Youth
439 Citations1998John M. Wallace, Tyrone A. Forman
Large, nationally representative samples of high school seniors are used to examine the relationship between religion and behavioral predictors of adolescent morbidity and mortality and find that religious seniors have been relatively unaffected by past and recent increases in marijuana use.
Journal of Consulting and Clinical PsychologyComparative efficacy of religious and nonreligious cognitive-behavioral therapy for the treatment of clinical depression in religious individuals.
349 Citations1992L. Rebecca Propst, Richard R Ostrom +3 more
Two versions of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) with religious content (RCT) and one with standard protocol (NRCT) were used to treat religious patients each, with significantly lower posttreatment depression and adjustment scores than either the NRCT or the WLC condition.
The Journals of Gerontology Series BReligiosity Buffers Effects of Some Stressors on Depression but Exacerbates Others
340 Citations1998William J. Strawbridge, Sarah J. Shema +3 more
Social Science & MedicineReligion and psychological distress in a community sample
324 Citations1991David R. Williams, David B. Larson +3 more
Although religious attendance does not directly reduce psychological distress, it buffers the deleterious effects of stress on mental health and in the face of stressful events and physical health problems, religious attendance reduces the adverse consequences of these stressors on psychological well-being.
PubMedModeling the cross-sectional relationships between religion, physical health, social support, and depressive symptoms.
279 Citations1997Harold G. Koenig, Judith C. Hays +4 more
Journal for the Scientific Study of ReligionReligious Involvement and Social Resources: Evidence from the Data Set "Americans' Changing Lives"
246 Citations1995Elizabeth Bradley
Acta Psychiatrica ScandinavicaReligious psychotherapy in anxiety disorder patients
242 Citations1994M Z Azhar, S. L. Varma +1 more
Religious patients with generalized anxiety disorder were given religious psychotherapy in addition to supportive psychotherapy anxiolytic drugs and showed significantly more rapid improvement in anxiety symptoms than those who received supportive Psychotherapy and drugs only.
Psychological ScienceOptimism and Fundamentalism
219 Citations1993Sheena Sethi, Martin E. P. Seligman
Journal of the American Geriatrics SocietyReligious Activities and Attitudes of Older Adults in a Geriatric Assessment Clinic
215 Citations1988Harold G. Koenig, David O. Moberg +1 more
It is suggested that religion is a powerful cultural force in the lives of older medical patients and is integrally related to both mental and physical health.
Australian & New Zealand Journal of PsychiatryReligious—Sociocultural Psychotherapy in Patients with Anxiety and Depression
204 Citations1998S. M. Razali, C. I. Hasanah +2 more
There is a need for more sensitivity to religious–sociocultural issues in the field of mental health, as incorporating a religious and sociocultural component in the treatment program rapidly improved anxiety and depressive symptoms in patients with strong religious and cultural backgrounds.
The Journals of Gerontology Series AThe Relationship Between Religious Activities and Cigarette Smoking in Older Adults
184 Citations1998Harold G. Koenig, Linda K. George +4 more
Religiously active persons are less likely to smoke cigarettes, and if they do smoke, smoke fewer cigarettes, given the association between smoking and disease, and the widespread prevalence of both smoking and religious activity.
Cognitive Therapy and ResearchThe comparative efficacy of religious and nonreligious imagery for the treatment of mild depression in religious individuals
162 Citations1980L. Rebecca Propst
The religious imagery treatment showed significantly more treatment gains than the self-monitoring or nonreligious imagery treatments, while the self -monitoring plus therapist contact treatment was intermediate in effectiveness.
Acta Psychiatrica ScandinavicaReligiosity as a protective or prognostic factor of depression in later life; results from a community survey in The Netherlands
156 Citations1997Arjan W. Braam, Aartjan T.F. Beekman +3 more
Religiosity was not associated with incidence of depression, but showed a relatively strong association with improvement of depression among the respondents who were depressed at the first measurement.
The British Journal of PsychiatryFactors Associated with the Course and Outcome of Schizophrenia in India Results of a Two-Year Multicentre Follow-Up Study
151 Citations1989Abraham Verghese, Jewel John +4 more
Short duration of illness, consistent compliance with medication, positive attitudes of relatives and neighbours, absence of economic difficulties, increase in religious activities on the part of patients, a rural background, and a non-schizoid pre-morbid personality were associated with good outcome.
Psychotherapy and PsychosomaticsReligious Psychotherapy in Depressive Patients
148 Citations2010M Z Azhar, S. L. Varma
Patients in the study group showed more rapid improvement in the initial 3 months of the study period than those in the control group, but at the end of the 6 months the difference became nonsignificant.
The GerontologistInformal Support From Black Churches and the Well-Being of Elderly Blacks
134 Citations1991C. T. Walls, Steven H. Zarit
Findings indicate that the family network is perceived as more supportive than the church network, but that church support contributes to feelings of well-being.
British Journal of CancerPrognostic factors and survival in a heterogeneous sample of cancer patients
119 Citations1996Gerd Inger Ringdal, K Gunnar Götestam +3 more
The study located two main prognostic factors: the 3-fold classification by treatment intention being the most important one, followed by physical functioning which may be seen as a proxy for performance status, and several additional covariates including psychosocial ones were related to survival when considered separately.
British Journal of Clinical PsychologyPurpose in life and outcome of treatment for alcohol dependence
117 Citations1994Jodie L. Waisberg, James E. Porter
The relationship of purpose in life to treatment outcome assessed three months after completion of treatment showed a positive predictor of improvement in a skill-based treatment centre, and a negative predictor in a more authoritarian, confrontation-based programme.
Journal of Psychosocial OncologyFamily Environment as a Predictor of Adjustment to Metastatic Breast Carcinoma
113 Citations1983David Spiegel, Joan R. Bloom +1 more
Evidence is presented that the family is a crucial factor in patient adjustment, and that 'conspiracies of silence' in the family may be harmful, in women with metastatic carcinoma of the breast.
Journal of Research in Crime and DelinquencyThe ''Religious Factor" and Delinquent Behavior
98 Citations1970A. Lewis Rhodes, Albert J. Reiss
Social Indicators ResearchReligiosity, quality of life, and survival in cancer patients
92 Citations1996Gerd Inger Ringdal
The effect of religiosity on the survival of patients with severe diseases such as cancer seems worth following up in future studies.
Journal of college student developmentReligiosity, Spirituality, and Personal Distress among College Students.
86 Citations1997Walter Schäfer
Journal of Psychology and TheologyA Controlled Evaluation of Devotional Meditation and Progressive Relaxation
82 Citations1988Charles R. Carlson, Panayiota E. Bacaseta +1 more
International Journal of Social PsychiatryReligious Identity and Comfort Beliefs in Three Groups of Psychiatric Patients and a Group of Medical Controls
78 Citations1994Jan Neeleman, Glyn Lewis
The results emphasise the importance of religion for many patients with common psychiatric problems and specialist religious help may be of value in the management of such problems.
The International Journal of Psychiatry in MedicineReligion and Medicine I: Historical Background and Reasons for Separation
76 Citations2000Harold G. Koenig
This series on religion and medicine begins with a historical review, proceeding from prehistoric times through ancient Egypt, Greece, and early Christianity through the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, and the Age of Enlightenment, when the split between religion and Medicine became final and complete.
American Journal of PsychiatryReligion, Mental Health, and Personality: A Review of Empirical Studies
75 Citations1969Victor D. Sanua
It is concluded that contemporary religious education does not seem to ensure healthier attitudes and the possibilities for remedying this failure are discussed.
Sociology of ReligionReligious Involvement among Unmarried Adolescent Mothers: A Source of Emotional Support?
68 Citations1995Ann Marie Sorenson, Carl F. Grindstaff +1 more
Research on AgingRace Differences in Elderly Personal Well-Being
51 Citations1983Suzanne T. Ortega, Robert D. Crutchfield +1 more
Psychological MedicineThe effect of pilgrimage on anxiety, depression and religious attitude
38 Citations1982P. A. Morris
There was a statistically significant decrease in anxiety and depression which was sustained in a group of physically sick men and women planning to go on a pilgrimage to Lourdes.
Journal of Gerontological NursingAn Exploratory Study: ASSESSING THE MEANING IN LIFE AMONG OLDER ADULT CLIENTS
37 Citations1992Patricia M. Burbank
As nurses become more aware of what is meaningful to older people, they can plan and carry out interventions based on interaction to support or improve areas meaningful to the older person.
Journal of Adolescent ResearchTen-Year Trends in At-Risk Behaviors
37 Citations1989Peter Benson, Michael J. Donahue
The British Journal of PsychiatryThe Mental Health of Jehovah's Witnesses
25 Citations1975John Spencer
Being a member of the Jehovah's Witnesses faith may be a risk factor predisposing to a schizophrenic illness, and whether pre-psychotic people are more likely to join the sect than normal people and what part membership has in bringing about such a breakdown is investigated.
Psychiatry and Clinical NeurosciencesTaoistic cognitive psychotherapy for neurotic patients: A preliminary clinical trial
22 Citations1998SHUIYUAN XIAO, Derson Young +1 more
Clinical significance of the Taoistic cognitive psychotherapy indicates that type A behavior patterns distorted values and psychopathologies can be improved after a short period (4 weeks) of Taoistic Cognitive psychotherapy.
International Journal of the AddictionsAssociations between Patient Religiosity and Alcohol Attitudes and Knowledge in an Alcohol Treatment Program
13 Citations1987David K. Zucker, Francesca M. Austin +2 more
Within a population of chronic male alcoholics, it is found that the more religious patients had a more anti-alcohol attitude; however, none of the other correlations was statistically significant.
PsychiatryPsychological Well-being among Converts in Traditional and Nontraditional Religious Groups
11 Citations1988Chana Ullman
The results suggest a sudden upsurge of turmoil often triggered by a specific stressor as a more frequent antecedent to conversion among Jewish and Catholic subjects and a picture of chronic character difficulties as more frequent among the others.
Journal of Clinical PsychologyActivity-withdrawal, diagnosis, and demographics as predictors of premorbid adjustment
9 Citations1991David H. Flics, William G. Herron
This study addressed the need for the establishment of clinically viable "easy access" data that could help predict outcome during the earliest stages of hospitalization by examining the contributions of an activity-withdrawal rating, a DSM-III diagnosis, and demographic variables to the prediction of prognosis.