The DOI matches its Crossref record; 76 of the 77 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Research on Religion, Spirituality, and Mental Health: A Review
Open accessAbstract
Religious and spiritual factors are increasingly being examined in psychiatric research. Religious beliefs and practices have long been linked to hysteria, neurosis, and psychotic delusions. However, recent studies have identified another side of religion that may serve as a psychological and social resource for coping with stress. After defining the terms religion and spirituality, this paper reviews research on the relation between religion and (or) spirituality, and mental health, focusing on depression, suicide, anxiety, psychosis, and substance abuse. The results of an earlier systematic review are discussed, and more recent studies in the United States, Canada, Europe, and other countries are described. While religious beliefs and practices can represent powerful sources of comfort, hope, and meaning, they are often intricately entangled with neurotic and psychotic disorders, sometimes making it difficult to determine whether they are a resource or a liability.
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“Spirituality serves to comfort people, assuage anxiety, and increase feelings of security, also boosting confidence in oneself and/or in what Harold G. Koenig (2009) calls “Divine beings”.”
From Trauma, Spirituality, and Healing: A Journey through the Lens of an Incarcerated Person (2022) · cites this paper as Koenig (2009)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe source backs part of the claim, not all of it — or backs it for a different population, condition or comparison.
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“In extant literature, spirituality is shown to predict psychological well-being for adults who have experienced childhood trauma (Balgobin 2021), leading to less depression, suicide, anxiety, and substance abuse (Koenig 2009).”
From Trauma, Spirituality, and Healing: A Journey through the Lens of an Incarcerated Person (2022) · cites this paper as Koenig 2009
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In the citing paper
“The research literature on religiosity and mental health offers two entangled empirical narratives: some studies suggest that religious beliefs can present a psychological buffer against stress and hopelessness; other studies, however, indicate an intricate link between religious beliefs and psychotic and neurotic disorders [54–56].”
From Unpleasant meditation-related experiences in regular meditators: Prevalence, predictors, and conceptual considerations (2019) · cites this paper as [55]
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“As we see through Joseph's experience, Koenig (2009) shows that the struggles that arise from negative spiritual coping can significantly increase anxiety, wherein people feel that God is punishing them, has abandoned them, or is not able to intercede on their behalf.”
From Trauma, Spirituality, and Healing: A Journey through the Lens of an Incarcerated Person (2022) · cites this paper as Koenig (2009)
In the citing paper
“Also, religion and spirituality seem to confer resilience 112, 113.”
From Resilience in mental health: linking psychological and neurobiological perspectives. (2013) · cites this paper as [112]
In the citing paper
“Thus, religious beliefs may provide a sense of meaning and purpose during difficult life circumstances 112.”
From Resilience in mental health: linking psychological and neurobiological perspectives. (2013) · cites this paper as [112]
In the citing paper
“One of them is that religion and spirituality may stimulate a sense of life purpose 112, 115”
From Resilience in mental health: linking psychological and neurobiological perspectives. (2013) · cites this paper as [112]
In the citing paper
“Some authors33,34 attribute this finding to the influence of psychological theories, such as Sigmund Freud's35 psychoanalysis, which is known to have pathologized religious behavior.”
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 [34]
In the citing paper
“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 [3]
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Citations
Cites
The Standard Edition of the Complete Psychological Works of Sigmund Freud
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Handbook of Religion and Health
Koenig, H. G., McCullough, M. E., & Larson, D. B. (2004) · American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry · doi:10.1097/00019442-200405000-00015 · Cited by 3,262
Self-citationHandbook of Religion and Health
Koenig, H., McCullough, M., & Larson, D. (2001) · doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195118667.001.0001 · Cited by 2,581
Self-citationA National Survey of Stress Reactions after the September 11, 2001, Terrorist Attacks
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Self-citationEffect of spiritual well-being on end-of-life despair in terminally-ill cancer patients
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Concerns about measuring spirituality in research
Koenig, H. G. (2008) · Journal of Nervous & Mental Disease · doi:10.1097/nmd.0b013e31816ff796 · Cited by 730
Self-citation
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Cited by
Sorted by citations
Klein, E. M., Brähler, E., Dreier, M., Reinecke, L., Müller, K. W., Schmutzer, G., Wölfling, K., & Beutel, M. E. (2016) · BMC Psychiatry · doi:10.1186/s12888-016-0875-9 · Cited by 716
“Interestingly, religion was not considered in the studies reviewed although religious coping has been a research topic in the investigation of psychological adjustment to stress [18, 19].”
BackgroundWALSH, R. N. (2011) · American Psychologist · doi:10.1037/a0021769 · Cited by 763
“The benefits of service are also said to extend to healing, such that healing oneself and others can be intimately linked.”
BackgroundBurnout and Resilience Among Nurses Practicing in High-Intensity Settings
Rushton, C. H., Batcheller, J. L., Schroeder, K., & Donohue, P. (2015) · American Journal of Critical Care · doi:10.4037/ajcc2015291 · Cited by 745
Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on mental health: An international study
Gloster, A. T., Lamnisos, D., Lubenko, J., Presti, G., Squatrito, V., Constantinou, M., Nicolaou, C., Papacostas, S., Aydın, G., Chong, Y. Y., et al. (2020) · PLOS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0244809 · Cited by 558
“Likewise, some religious and spiritual traditions encourage simplicity, mindfulness, and solitude with the goal of increasing wellbeing [12].”
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Bonelli, R. M., & Koenig, H. G. (2013) · Journal of Religion and Health · doi:10.1007/s10943-013-9691-4 · Cited by 516
“This began a deep divide that would separate religion from mental health care for the next century (Koenig 2009).”
BackgroundSelf-citation
Metadata
- Authors
- Koenig, H. G.
- Affiliations
- Duke Medical Center (US)
- Corresponding author
- Koenig, Harold G
- ORCID
- Koenig, Harold G
- Venue
- The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2009-05
- Volume
- 54
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- 283-291
- ISSN
- 0706-7437 (ISSN-L)
- 1497-0015
- OpenAlex
- W181914314
- Cited by
- 1,442
- References
- 77
- Citations by year
- 2026: 53 · 2025: 88 · 2024: 100 · 2023: 90 · 2022: 100 · 2021: 122 · 2020: 153 · 2019: 85 · 2018: 101 · 2017: 75 · 2016: 83 · 2015: 70 · 2014: 73 · 2013: 81 · 2012: 76
- FWCI
- 8.39
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Center for Spirituality, Theology and Health, Duke University
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Health › Religion, Spirituality, and Psychology
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Religion and Society Interactions
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Philosophy › Study and Philosophy of Religion
- Keywords
- religion, spirituality, mental health, depression, suicide, anxiety, psychosis, substance abuse, stress coping, religious beliefs and practices, neurosis, psychotic delusions
- MeSH terms
- Adaptation, Psychological, Alcoholism, Anxiety Disorders, Mental Disorders, Culture, Depressive Disorder, Humans, Mental Health, Prognosis, Psychotic Disorders, Religion and Psychology, Suicide, Substance-Related Disorders, Spirituality
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