Religiosity and veteran mental health compared with non-veterans

Abstract

Background While the potential buffering effects of spirituality are well established in the general population, how spirituality affects those in extremely high-stress occupations like the military and law enforcement is less clear. Aims This paper explores the possibility that spiritual influences may operate differently among military veterans than other people. It specifically proposes that attendance at religious services is an especially important buffer for combat veterans. Methods This study engaged in a secondary analysis of 74 480 respondents from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health for the years 2013-17. The respondents were split into four groups; veterans with combat experience before September 2001, veterans with combat experience since September 2001, veterans with no combat experience and non-veterans. Results The likelihood of mental illness decreased in the general population along three different measures of religion; the importance of religion, friendships that shared religious beliefs and attendance at religious services. The relationship was weak and disappeared when controls for non-religion variables were included. A major exception was combat veterans, for whom the religious effects were limited to attendance at services, and the effect survived with the addition of non-religion control variables. Conclusions Mental health professionals, chaplains, pastoral counsellors and clergy need to recognize that among the therapeutic benefits of religious attendance and recognize the value of the religious rituals as ends in themselves.