Mental well-being in the religious and the non-religious: evidence for a curvilinear relationship

Previous studies demonstrating a positive relationship between religiosity and mental health have sampled from a highly religious general population with little differentiation between weak religiosity and non-religiosity. Church members are typically compared with non-religious unaffiliated individ...

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Publié dans:Mental health, religion & culture
Auteurs: Galen, Luke William (Auteur) ; Kloet, James D. (Auteur)
Type de support: Électronique Article
Langue:Anglais
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Publié: Taylor & Francis 2011
Dans: Mental health, religion & culture
Année: 2011, Volume: 14, Numéro: 7, Pages: 673-689
Sujets non-standardisés:B Non-religious
B Well-being
B Religious Beliefs
B Certainty
B Mental Health
B Personality
B Religiosity
Accès en ligne: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
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Résumé:Previous studies demonstrating a positive relationship between religiosity and mental health have sampled from a highly religious general population with little differentiation between weak religiosity and non-religiosity. Church members are typically compared with non-religious unaffiliated individuals, thus confounding belief with group effects (e.g. social support). The present study examined mental well-being, utilising the full range of certainty of belief or non-belief in God. In the first study, we compared church and secular group members on measures of life satisfaction and emotional stability. The second study used a large survey of the non-religious. A curvilinear relationship was found such that those with higher belief certainty (both confidently religious and atheists) have greater well-being relative to those with low certainty (unsure and agnostics). Multiple regressions controlling for social and demographic variables reduced, but did not eliminate this curvilinear relationship. Mechanisms of well-being may involve a confident worldview rather than religious beliefs themselves.
ISSN:1469-9737
Contient:Enthalten in: Mental health, religion & culture
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1080/13674676.2010.510829