The DOI matches its Crossref record; 51 of the 55 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Does Spirituality or Religion Positively Affect Mental Health? Meta-analysis of Longitudinal Studies
Open accessAbstract
The objective of this meta-analysis was to determine the longitudinal positive effect of religion or spirituality (R/S) on mental health. We summarized 48 longitudinal studies (59 independent samples) using a random effects model. Mental health was operationalized as a continuous and a dichotomous distress measure, life satisfaction, well-being, and quality of life. R/S included participation in public and private religious activities, support from church members, importance of religion, intrinsic religiousness, positive religious coping, meaningfulness, and composite measures. The meta-analysis yielded a significant, but small overall effect size of r = .08 (95% CI: 0.06 to 0.10). Of eight R/S predictors that were distinguished, only participation in public religious activities and importance of religion were significantly related to mental health (r = .08 and r = .09, respectively; 95% CI: 0.04 to 0.11 and 0.05 to 0.12, respectively). In conclusion, there is evidence for a positive effect of R/S on mental health, but this effect is small.
Overview
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Verification
Claims the paper makes
Self-check
Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.
The text we found for this paper looks like another document, so the self-check wasn’t run.
Citations
Cites
Borenstein, M., Hedges, L. V., Higgins, J. P. T., & Rothstein, H. R. (2009) · doi:10.1002/9780470743386 · Cited by 14,225
Rudd (2006) · doi:10.1002/(issn)1097-4679 · Cited by 2,635
The consequences of perceived discrimination for psychological well-being: A meta-analytic review.
Schmitt, M. T., Branscombe, N. R., Postmes, T., & Garcia, A. (2014) · Psychological Bulletin · doi:10.1037/a0035754 · Cited by 1,804 · cited 2×
“In a meta-analysis of 14 studies on the effect of perceived discrimination on well-being an overall effect size of r = − .15 was found (Schmitt et al., 2014).”
BackgroundMethodHappiness Is a Stochastic Phenomenon
Lykken, D., & Tellegen, A. (1996) · Psychological Science · doi:10.1111/j.1467-9280.1996.tb00355.x · Cited by 1,719
On the Use of Beta Coefficients in Meta-Analysis.
Peterson, R. A., & Brown, S. P. (2005) · Journal of Applied Psychology · doi:10.1037/0021-9010.90.1.175 · Cited by 1,643
Smith, T. B., McCullough, M. E., & Poll, J. (2003) · Psychological Bulletin · doi:10.1037/0033-2909.129.4.614 · Cited by 1,150
Concerns about measuring spirituality in research
Koenig, H. G. (2008) · Journal of Nervous & Mental Disease · doi:10.1097/nmd.0b013e31816ff796 · Cited by 730
Religion and mental health: evidence for an association
Koenig, H. G., & Larson, D. B. (2001) · International Review of Psychiatry · doi:10.1080/09540260124661 · Cited by 606
Religiosity and mental health: A critical reevaluation and meta-analysis.
Bergin, A. E. (1983) · Professional Psychology Research and Practice · doi:10.1037/0735-7028.14.2.170 · Cited by 501
Yonker, J. E., Schnabelrauch, C. A., & DeHaan, L. G. (2011) · Journal of Adolescence · doi:10.1016/j.adolescence.2011.08.010 · Cited by 431
Journal of Religion and Health
(2013) · Journal of Religion and Health · doi:10.1007/10943.1573-6571 · Cited by 414
Rood, L., Roelofs, J., Bögels, S. M., Nolen–Hoeksema, S., & Schouten, E. G. W. (2009) · Clinical Psychology Review · doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2009.07.001 · Cited by 404
Wachholtz, A. B., & Pargament, K. I. (2005) · Journal of Behavioral Medicine · doi:10.1007/s10865-005-9008-5 · Cited by 350
Measuring Spirituality as a Universal Human Experience: A Review of Spirituality Questionnaires
Meezenbroek, E. D. J., Garssen, B., van den Berg, M., van Dierendonck, D., Visser, A. P., & Schaufeli, W. B. (2010) · Journal of Religion and Health · doi:10.1007/s10943-010-9376-1 · Cited by 322
Self-citationCausal inference and longitudinal data: a case study of religion and mental health
VanderWeele, T. J., Jackson, J. W., & Li, S. (2016) · Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology · doi:10.1007/s00127-016-1281-9 · Cited by 322
Spirituality and well‐being in cancer patients: a review
Visser, A., Garssen, B., & Vingerhoets, A. (2010) · Psycho-Oncology · doi:10.1002/pon.1626 · Cited by 320
Self-citationA Meta-Analysis of the Relationship Between Spirituality and Quality of Life
Sawatzky, R. G., Ratner, P. A., & Chiu, L. (2005) · Social Indicators Research · doi:10.1007/s11205-004-5577-x · Cited by 316
Religiosity and Major Depression in Adults at High Risk: A Ten-Year Prospective Study
Miller, L., Wickramaratne, P., Gameroff, M. J., Sage, M., Tenke, C. E., & Weissman, M. M. (2012) · American Journal of Psychiatry · doi:10.1176/appi.ajp.2011.10121823 · Cited by 292
Positive and negative religious coping and well-being in women with breast cancer
Hebert, R., Zdaniuk, B., Schulz, R., & Scheier, M. (2009) · Journal of Palliative Medicine · doi:10.1089/jpm.2008.0250 · Cited by 285
Existential therapies: A meta-analysis of their effects on psychological outcomes.
Vos, J., Craig, M., & Cooper, M. (2014) · Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology · doi:10.1037/a0037167 · Cited by 280
Levin, J. S., Markides, K. S., & Ray, L. A. (1996) · The Gerontologist · doi:10.1093/geront/36.4.454 · Cited by 242
Khazanov, G. K., & Ruscio, A. M. (2016) · Psychological Bulletin · doi:10.1037/bul0000059 · Cited by 240
Salsman, J. M., Pustejovsky, J. E., Jim, H. S. L., Munoz, A. R., Merluzzi, T. V., George, L., Park, C. L., Danhauer, S. C., Sherman, A. C., Snyder, M. A., et al. (2015) · Cancer · doi:10.1002/cncr.29350 · Cited by 232
Religious Service Attendance and Lower Depression Among Women—a Prospective Cohort Study
Li, S., Okereke, O. I., Chang, S., Kawachi, I. I., & VanderWeele, T. J. (2016) · Annals of Behavioral Medicine · doi:10.1007/s12160-016-9813-9 · Cited by 205
Spirituality moderates the effect of stress on emotional and physical adjustment
Kim, Y., & Seidlitz, L. (2002) · Personality and Individual Differences · doi:10.1016/s0191-8869(01)00128-3 · Cited by 202
Relations of meaning in life and sense of coherence to distress in cancer patients: a meta‐analysis
Winger, J. G., Adams, R. N., & Mosher, C. E. (2015) · Psycho-Oncology · doi:10.1002/pon.3798 · Cited by 200
The Protective Effects of Religiosity on Depression: A 2-Year Prospective Study
Ronneberg, C. R., Miller, E. A., Dugan, E., & Porell, F. W. (2014) · The Gerontologist · doi:10.1093/geront/gnu073 · Cited by 162
Dew, R. E., Daniel, S. S., Goldston, D. B., McCall, W. V., Kuchibhatla, M., Schleifer, C., Triplett, M. F., & Koenig, H. G. (2010) · Journal of Affective Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.jad.2009.04.029 · Cited by 159
Roth, P. L., Le, H., Oh, I., Iddekinge, C. H. V., & Bobko, P. (2018) · Journal of Applied Psychology · doi:10.1037/apl0000293 · Cited by 155
Religion and mental health: Towards a cognitive‐behavioural framework
James, A., & Adrian Wells, A. (2003) · British Journal of Health Psychology · doi:10.1348/135910703322370905 · Cited by 151
Pirl (2000) · doi:10.1002/(issn)1099-1611 · Cited by 150
Meezenbroek, E. D. J., Garssen, B., van den Berg, M., Tuytel, G., van Dierendonck, D., Visser, A. P., & Schaufeli, W. B. (2012) · Journal of Psychosocial Oncology · doi:10.1080/07347332.2011.651258 · Cited by 149
Self-citationLevin, J. S., & Taylor, R. J. (1998) · Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion · doi:10.2307/1388151 · Cited by 135
Clinical Implications of Research on Religion, Spirituality, and Mental Health
Baetz, M., & Toews, J. (2009) · The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry · doi:10.1177/070674370905400503 · Cited by 134
Religious Service Attendance and Major Depression: A Case of Reverse Causality?
Maselko, J., Hayward, R. D., Hanlon, A., Buka, S. L., & Meador, K. G. (2012) · American Journal of Epidemiology · doi:10.1093/aje/kwr349 · Cited by 104
Clarifying the relation between spirituality and well-being
Migdal, L., & MacDonald, D. A. (2013) · Journal of Nervous & Mental Disease · doi:10.1097/nmd.0b013e318288e26a · Cited by 95
The Effects of Spiritual Interventions in Patients With Cancer: A Meta-Analysis
Oh, P. J., & Kim, S. H. (2014) · Oncology nursing forum · doi:10.1188/14.onf.e290-e301 · Cited by 94
ten Kate, J., de Koster, W., & van der Waal, J. (2017) · Review of Religious Research · doi:10.1007/s13644-016-0282-1 · Cited by 92
Braam, A. W., Deeg, D. J. H., Poppelaars, J. L., Beekman, A. T. F., & van Tilburg, W. (2007) · American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry · doi:10.1097/jgp.0b013e31802d0ae8 · Cited by 89
Examining whether spirituality predicts subjective well-being: How to avoid tautology.
Garssen, B., Visser, A., & Meezenbroek, E. D. J. (2015) · Psychology of Religion and Spirituality · doi:10.1037/rel0000025 · Cited by 87
Self-citationCoyne, J. C., Thombs, B. D., & Hagedoorn, M. (2010) · Health Psychology · doi:10.1037/a0017633 · Cited by 84
How Spirituality Helps Cancer Patients with the Adjustment to their Disease
Garssen, B., Uwland-Sikkema, N. F., & Visser, A. (2014) · Journal of Religion and Health · doi:10.1007/s10943-014-9864-9 · Cited by 80
Self-citationPérez, J. E., Little, T. D., & Henrich, C. C. (2008) · Journal of Adolescent Health · doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2008.08.022 · Cited by 55
Forouhari, S., Teshnizi, S. H., Ehrampoush, M. H., Mahmoodabad, S. S. M., Fallahzadeh, H., Tabei, S. Z., Nami, M., Mirzaei, M., Jahromi, B. N., Teshnizi, S. M. H., et al. (2019) · Iranian Journal of Public Health · doi:10.18502/ijph.v48i1.781 · Cited by 54
The Emotional Journey of Women Experiencing a Breast Abnormality
Blow, A. J., Swiecicki, P. L., Haan, P. S., Osuch, J. R., Symonds, L. L., Smith, S. S., Walsh, K. B., & Boivin, M. J. (2011) · Qualitative Health Research · doi:10.1177/1049732311405798 · Cited by 45
Spirituality and Religion Within the Culture of Medicine: From Evidence to Practice
Holman, S. R. (2017) · Journal of Religion and Health · doi:10.1007/s10943-017-0461-6 · Cited by 42
Huang, C. (2015) · Cognitive Therapy and Research · doi:10.1007/s10608-015-9700-x · Cited by 41
Religious involvement and depressive symptoms in primary care elders
KING, D. A., Lyness, J. M., Duberstein, P. R., He, H., Tu, X. M., & Seaburn, D. B. (2007) · Psychological Medicine · doi:10.1017/s0033291707000591 · Cited by 41
Visser, A., Garssen, B., & Vingerhoets, A. J. J. M. (2016) · The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease · doi:10.1097/nmd.0000000000000617 · Cited by 39
Self-citationSmith, S. S., & Sullivan, K. A. (2003) · International Journal of Behavioral Medicine · doi:10.1207/s15327558ijbm1002_05 · Cited by 26
Effects of Religiousness on Depressive Symptoms Among Elderly Persons in Taiwan
Hsu, H. (2014) · Clinical Gerontologist · doi:10.1080/07317115.2014.937549 · Cited by 6
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Handbook of Religion and Health
Koenig, H. G., VanderWeele, T. J., & Peteet, J. R. (2023) · doi:10.1093/oso/9780190088859.001.0001 · Cited by 1,160
Spirituality in Serious Illness and Health
Balboni, T. A., VanderWeele, T. J., Doan, S., Long, K. N. G., FERRELL, B. R., Fitchett, G. A., Koenig, H. G., Bain, P. A., Puchalski, C. M., Steinhauser, K. E., et al. (2022) · JAMA · doi:10.1001/jama.2022.11086 · Cited by 579
A many-analysts approach to the relation between religiosity and well-being
Hoogeveen, S., Sarafoglou, A., Aczél, B., Aditya, Y., Alayan, A. J., Allen, P., Altay, S., Alzahawi, S., Amir, Y., Anthony, F.-V., et al. (2022) · Religion Brain & Behavior · doi:10.1080/2153599x.2022.2070255 · Cited by 147
A Meta-Analysis of Religion/Spirituality and Life Satisfaction
Yaden, D. B., Batz-Barbarich, C. L., Ng, V., Vaziri, H., Gladstone, J. N., Pawelski, J. O., & Tay, L. (2022) · Journal of Happiness Studies · doi:10.1007/s10902-022-00558-7 · Cited by 127
Flourishing in critical dialogue
VanderWeele, T. J., Case, B. W., Chen, Y., Cowden, R. G., Johnson, B. R., Lee, M. T., Lomas, T., & Long, K. N. G. (2022) · SSM - Mental Health · doi:10.1016/j.ssmmh.2022.100172 · Cited by 90
Metadata
- Authors
- Garssen, B., Visser, A., & Pool, G.
- Affiliations
- University Medical Center Groningen (NL)
- University of Groningen (NL)
- Corresponding author
- Garssen, Bert
- Venue
- The International Journal for the Psychology of Religion
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 2020-02-27
- Volume
- 31
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 4-20
- ISSN
- 1050-8619 (ISSN-L)
- 1532-7582
- OpenAlex
- W3008244037
- Cited by
- 418
- References
- 55
- Citations by year
- 2026: 65 · 2025: 73 · 2024: 76 · 2023: 106 · 2022: 57 · 2021: 35 · 2020: 5
- FWCI
- 8.01
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- research.rug.nl
- Licence
- other-oa
- Locations
- International Journal for the Psychology of Religion (publishedVersion)
- University of Groningen research database (University of Groningen / Centre for Information Technology) (publishedVersion, other-oa)
- University of Groningen research database (University of Groningen / Centre for Information Technology) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- Funders
- Dutch Cancer Society (HDI 2010 – 4871)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Health › Religion, Spirituality, and Psychology
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Psychological Well-being and Life Satisfaction
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Religion and Society Interactions
- Keywords
- religion, spirituality, mental health, religious participation, church support, intrinsic religiosity, positive religious coping, meaningfulness, life satisfaction, well-being, quality of life, psychological distress
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
