Religiosity and Mental Health: Examining Potential Influences on Mental Health Outcomes

Scholarship has extensively studied the relationship between religiosity and mental health, and the findings remain contradictory. Overall outcomes and wellness of mental health are dependent on religiosity beneficially and adversely; however, the factors that build an individual’s religiosity also influence this relationship. Community support, ritualistic behavior, social connections, and beliefs held and practiced through a religion can shape mental health, and these patterns are visible throughout various religions globally. While gender, race, socioeconomic status, nationality, and immigrant status are additional facets that may contribute to either robust or poor mental health quality, they also interact with the levels of religiosity in an individual’s life. Therefore, this study wishes to explore how the importance of religion can affect an individual’s mental health status. Although this study currently resides in its preliminary stages and does not have concrete findings yet, it will be conducted through secondary analysis of the 2021 General Social Survey (GSS) dataset. Some preliminary findings will likely be ready to present at the Midwest Sociological Society meetings in March.