Religion and Mental Health

Abstract

In this chapter, we examine the relevance of religion for mental health. We review how prominent forms of religious involvement influence mental health indirectly through the accumulation of resources and by preventing or attenuating the association between stress exposure and unfavorable mental health outcomes. We also discuss how religious involvement may at times deleteriously impact mental health through increased exposure to specific stressors and maladaptive forms of coping. In this effort, we summarize major conceptual, theoretical, and empirical perspectives related to three specific themes: (1) religious activity, (2) religious belief, and (3) religion during times of stress and adversity. Although our focus is primarily on Judeo-Christian institutions, practices, and beliefs in the USA, in a discussion of future research directions, we describe emerging comparative work that examines religion and mental health in a cross-cultural context.