EXPLORING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN RELIGIOUS SERVICE ATTENDANCE, MENTAL DISORDERS, AND SUICIDALITY AMONG DIFFERENT ETHNIC GROUPS: RESULTS FROM A NATIONALLY REPRESENTATIVE SURVEY

Jul 13, 2012Depression and anxiety

Religious service attendance, mental health, and suicide risk across ethnic groups in a national survey

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Abstract

Infrequent religious attendance is associated with increased odds of substance use disorders in Whites and Africans, with adjusted odds ratios of 2.30 and 1.86, respectively.

Anxiety and suicidal ideation were linked to infrequent religious attendance in Whites (AOR = 1.44 and AOR = 1.58) and Hispanics (AOR = 2.35 and AOR = 1.70).
Asians were the only ethnic group where higher religious attendance was associated with mood disorders (AOR = 4.90).
Ethnicity may influence the protective effects of religious attendance on mental health outcomes.
Findings indicate that the relationship between religiosity and mental health varies across different ethnic groups.

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BACKGROUND: To date, sufficient data have not been available to examine ethnic differences in religiosity and mental health in the general population. However, evidence exists to suggest that the protective effects of religion may differ across ethnic groups. This study examined the relationship between religious attendance and mental health across ethnic groups.

METHODS: The Collaborative Psychiatric Epidemiologic Survey (N = 20,130) is a large, ethnically diverse sample of adult, US respondents. Frequency of attendance at religious services was measured as: at least once per week (reference group), one to three times per month, less than once per month, or less than once per year. Multiple logistic regression analyses examined associations between religious attendance and mood, anxiety and substance use disorders, as well as suicidal ideation and attempts. Models adjusted for sociodemographics and comorbidity.

RESULTS: Results differed when performed within each ethnicity. Infrequent religious attendance was associated with substance use disorders in Whites and Africans only (Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) = 2.30 [95% CI = 1.77-2.99]; AOR = 1.86 [1.25-2.79], respectively), and with anxiety and suicidal ideation in Whites (AOR = 1.44 [1.10-1.88]; AOR = 1.58 [1.24-2.01]) and Hispanics only (AOR = 2.35 [1.17-4.73]; AOR = 1.70 [1.15-2.52]). Asians were the only group in which religious attendance was associated with mood disorders (AOR = 4.90 [1.54-15.60]). Interaction terms were nonsignificant.

CONCLUSIONS: The present study suggests that ethnicity is an important variable to consider in the relationship between religiosity and mental health. Future studies should attempt to either adjust for or stratify by ethnicity when examining these relationships.

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EXPLORING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN RELIGIOUS SERVICE ATTENDANCE, MENTAL DISORDERS, AND SUICIDALITY AMONG DIFFERENT ETHNIC GROUPS: RESULTS FROM A NATIONALLY REPRESENTATIVE SURVEY

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