Beliefs About God and Mental Health Among American Adults

Journal of Religion and Health - Tập 53 - Trang 1285-1296 - 2013
Nava R. Silton1, Kevin J. Flannelly2, Kathleen Galek3, Christopher G. Ellison4
1Department of Psychology, Marymount Manhattan College, New York, USA
2Center for Psychosocial Research, Massapequa, USA
3The Spears Research Institute, Healthcare Chaplaincy, New York, USA
4Department of Sociology, The University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, USA

Tóm tắt

This study examines the association between beliefs about God and psychiatric symptoms in the context of Evolutionary Threat Assessment System Theory, using data from the 2010 Baylor Religion Survey of US Adults (N = 1,426). Three beliefs about God were tested separately in ordinary least squares regression models to predict five classes of psychiatric symptoms: general anxiety, social anxiety, paranoia, obsession, and compulsion. Belief in a punitive God was positively associated with four psychiatric symptoms, while belief in a benevolent God was negatively associated with four psychiatric symptoms, controlling for demographic characteristics, religiousness, and strength of belief in God. Belief in a deistic God and one’s overall belief in God were not significantly related to any psychiatric symptoms.

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Journal of Religion and Health

Tập 53

1285-1296

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