Religion is Back
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The NIH National Library of Medicine (www.pubmed.gov)
lists over 1,400 published journal articles ​on Religion, Spirituality, and Depression
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​Overview and Summary​
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Review Study: Depression, spirituality, religion and God
Highlights: Religion helps people cope with stressful life circumstances, gives meaning and hope, and surrounds depressed persons with a supportive community.
https://hexi.ox.ac.uk/depression/depression-and-spirituality-religion-and-god​
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Evidence and Findings
Religious faith speeds healing from depression. Every 10-point rise in religious faith doubles the speed of recovery.
"Having Religious Faith Can Speed Recovery From Depression in Older Patients​." American Journal of Psychiatry, 1998. Updated 2016. For each 10-point rise in religious faith, there was a 100 percent increase in the speed of remission from depression, compared to their nonreligious counterparts.
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Religion powerfully protects people at risk from having depression recur.
"Religiosity and Major Depression in Adults at High Risk: A Ten-Year Prospective Study."
American Journal of Psychiatry, ​2013. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3547523/
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Religious women are one-tenth as likely to experience a recurrence of major depression.
"Religiosity and depression: ten-year follow-up of depressed mothers and offspring." Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. 1997 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9334555/​
Although practitioners have traditionally avoided discussing religion, a patient's religion can be a powerful tool to improve their mental health.
"Spirituality and Depression: A Look at the Evidence." Southerm Medical Journal, 2007.
https://sma.org/southern-medical-journal/article/spirituality-and-depression-a-look-at-the-evidence/
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Religious therapies are effective regardless of whether the therapist has the same religious background as the patient.
​"Conventional vs. Religious Psychotherapy for Major Depression in Patients with Chronic Illness." Templeton Foundation, 2014.
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Children and Adolescents
30 years of research finds...
Religion protects adolescents from mental illness and promotes positive development and flourishing.​
Religious and Spiritual Influence in Adolescence: A Systematic Review of 30 Years of Research. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 2019.
This systematic review provides a detailed analysis of what is known regarding processes of religious/spiritual influence in the lives of adolescents, and hopefully better positions researchers to move the field forward. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31206875/
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Spiritual wellbeing protects young people aged 10 to 24 years against depression.
Spiritual wellbeing is protective against depression in young people | 2 Minute Medicine. Psychiatry and Wellness, 2023.
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Religion protects adolescents who are at high risk of depression.
Religion/Spirituality and Depression: What Can We Learn From Empirical Studies? American Journal of Psychiatry, 2012.
Religion had a protective effect among subjects at high risk because their parents experienced depression.
https://psychiatryonline.org/doi/10.1176/appi.ajp.2011.11091407
Church attendance significantly reduces anxiety and depression in college students.
The Effects of Religiosity on College Students’ Anxiety and Depression, Moderated by Church Attendance.
Liberty University Doctoral dissertation, 2023. https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=5438&context=doctoral
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Aging and Depression
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Older US adults have high rates of religious belief and desire to include such beliefs in health care settings.
Incorporating religion and spirituality to improve care for anxiety and depression in older adults, Geriatrics, 2009
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20722312/
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Stuctural Brain Differences
The brains of religious people have healthier white matter microstructure communication pathways which help protect them from depression.
A diffusion tensor imaging study of brain microstructural changes related to religion and spirituality in families at high risk for depression. Brain and Behavior, 2019.
Belief in the importance of religion/spirituality (R/S) was associated with thicker cortex in bilateral parietal and occipital regions, identified through functional magnetic resonance imaging and electroencephalograph (EEG). Although children at high risk of depression due to family history of depression have thinner cortices, increased default mode network connectivity, and reduced EEG power, religion and spirtuality exert a protective effect by diminishing these brain differences. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/brb3.1209
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Putting the findings into practice:
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Pilot Study: A Faith-Based Spiritual Intervention for Persons with Depression
Healthcare, 2023.
This pilot study examined a faith-based spiritual intervention for people with depression. The intervention consisted of six weekly sessions. Seven adults with mild or moderate depressive symptoms were recruited. A qualitative evaluation was conducted via focus group discussions, and rating scales were administered at baseline, after the intervention, and at the 3-month follow-up. The results indicated a significant decrease in the mean scores for depression (PHQ-9) after intervention and at the 3-month follow-up. The preliminary evidence suggested that the faith-based spiritual intervention was effective in reducing depressive symptoms.
https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9032/11/15/2134
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