The DOI matches its Crossref record; 68 of the 68 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Mental Disorders, Religion and Spirituality 1990 to 2010: A Systematic Evidence-Based Review
Abstract
Religion/spirituality has been increasingly examined in medical research during the past two decades. Despite the increasing number of published studies, a systematic evidence-based review of the available data in the field of psychiatry has not been done during the last 20 years. The literature was searched using PubMed (1990-2010). We examined original research on religion, religiosity, spirituality, and related terms published in the top 25 % of psychiatry and neurology journals according to the ISI journals citation index 2010. Most studies focused on religion or religiosity and only 7 % involved interventions. Among the 43 publications that met these criteria, thirty-one (72.1 %) found a relationship between level of religious/spiritual involvement and less mental disorder (positive), eight (18.6 %) found mixed results (positive and negative), and two (4.7 %) reported more mental disorder (negative). All studies on dementia, suicide, and stress-related disorders found a positive association, as well as 79 and 67 % of the papers on depression and substance abuse, respectively. In contrast, findings from the few studies in schizophrenia were mixed, and in bipolar disorder, indicated no association or a negative one. There is good evidence that religious involvement is correlated with better mental health in the areas of depression, substance abuse, and suicide; some evidence in stress-related disorders and dementia; insufficient evidence in bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, and no data in many other mental disorders.
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“religious involvement is correlated with better mental health in the areas of depression, substance abuse, and suicide [59].”
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“Studies have repeatedly established positive links between spirituality, religion and health.”
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“Overall, research in the mental health area indicates that R/S is associated with improved well-being, feelings of meaning and peace,3 and reductions in suicide rates, depression, anxiety, and substance abuse.4,5”
From How psychiatrists think about religious and spiritual beliefs in clinical practice: findings from a university hospital in São Paulo, Brazil (2019) · cites this paper as [5]
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“Religion/spirituality has been associated, for example, with lower rates of suicide, depression, anxiety, and substance misuse, better recovery in cases of depression and greater overall well-being.1–4”
From A preliminary survey on the religious profile of Brazilian psychiatrists and their approach to patients' religiosity in clinical practice (2016) · cites this paper as [4]
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Metadata
- Authors
- Bonelli, R. M., & Koenig, H. G.
- Affiliations
- Sigmund Freud Privatuniversität Wien (AT)
- King Abdulaziz University (SA)
- Corresponding author
- Koenig, Harold G.
- ORCID
- Koenig, Harold G.
- Venue
- Journal of Religion and Health
- Published
- 2013-02-19
- Volume
- 52
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 657-673
- ISSN
- 0022-4197 (ISSN-L)
- 1573-6571
- OpenAlex
- W2035389447
- Cited by
- 516
- References
- 68
- Citations by year
- 2026: 25 · 2025: 35 · 2024: 27 · 2023: 31 · 2022: 46 · 2021: 52 · 2020: 55 · 2019: 52 · 2018: 46 · 2017: 39 · 2016: 36 · 2015: 36 · 2014: 24 · 2013: 12
- FWCI
- 40.97
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Licence
- www.springer.com/tdm (tdm)
- Locations
- Journal of Religion and Health (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Health › Religion, Spirituality, and Psychology
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Religion and Society Interactions
- Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management › Workplace Spirituality and Leadership
- Keywords
- religion, spirituality, religiosity, mental illness, mental health, depression, substance abuse, suicide, dementia, stress-related disorders, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, religious intervention
- MeSH terms
- Mental Disorders, Humans, Religion and Psychology, Evidence-Based Medicine, Spirituality
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