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Cited by 133Religion, Spirituality, and PsychologyMental Health Treatment and AccessReligion and Society Interactions

The Relationship Between Psychiatry and Religion Among U.S. Physicians

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Curlin, Farr A., Odell, Shaun V., Lawrence, Ryan E., Chin, Marshall H., Lantos, John D., Meador, Keith G., Koenig, Harold G.·2007·Psychiatric Services
DOI 10.1176/ps.2007.58.9.1193PMC PMC2867459
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Abstract

OBJECTIVE: This study compared the religious characteristics of psychiatrists with those of other physicians and explored whether nonpsychiatrist physicians who are religious are less willing than their colleagues to refer patients to psychiatrists and psychologists. METHODS: Surveys were mailed to a stratified random sample of 2,000 practicing U.S. physicians, with an oversampling of psychiatrists. Physicians were queried about their religious characteristics. They also read a brief vignette about a patient with ambiguous psychiatric symptoms and were asked whether they would refer the patient to a clergy member or religious counselor, or to a psychiatrist or a psychologist. RESULTS: A total of 1,144 physicians completed the survey, including 100 psychiatrists. Compared with other physicians, psychiatrists were more likely to be Jewish (29% versus 13%) or without a religious affiliation (17% versus 10%), less likely to be Protestant (27% versus 39%) or Catholic (10% versus 22%), less likely to be religious in general, and more likely to consider themselves spiritual but not religious (33% versus 19%). Nonpsychiatrist physicians who were religious were more willing to refer patients to clergy members or religious counselors (multivariate odds ratios from 2.9 to 5.7) and less willing to refer patients to psychiatrists or psychologists (multivariate odds ratios from .4 to .6). CONCLUSIONS: Psychiatrists are less religious than other physicians, and religious physicians are less willing than nonreligious physicians to refer patients to psychiatrists. These findings suggest that historic tensions between religion and psychiatry continue to shape the care that patients receive for mental health concerns.

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Authors
Curlin, F. A., Odell, S. V., Lawrence, R. E., Chin, M. H., Lantos, J. D., Meador, K. G., & Koenig, H. G.
Affiliations
University of Chicago (US)
ORCID
Venue
Psychiatric Services
Publisher
American Psychiatric Association Publishing
Published
2007-09
Volume
58
Issue
9
Pages
1193-1198
ISSN
  • 0022-1597 (ISSN-L)
  • 1075-2730
  • 1557-9700
DOI
10.1176/ps.2007.58.9.1193
PMC
PMC2867459
OpenAlex
W2142542657
Cited by
133
References
37
Citations by year
2026: 4 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 1 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 14 · 2020: 8 · 2019: 9 · 2018: 10 · 2017: 3 · 2016: 7 · 2015: 2 · 2014: 14 · 2013: 10 · 2012: 9
FWCI
7.63
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Psychiatric Services (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
  • DigitalGeorgetown (Georgetown University Library) (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • University of Chicago
  • National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine
  • National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (K23AT002749)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Health › Religion, Spirituality, and Psychology
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Mental Health Treatment and Access
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Religion and Society Interactions
Keywords
religion and psychiatry, psychiatrists, religious affiliation, physician referral behavior, spiritual but not religious, access to mental health care, Jewish physicians
MeSH terms
Adult, Data Collection, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Physicians, Psychiatry, Religion and Medicine, United States

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