A test of faith in God and treatment: The relationship of belief in God to psychiatric treatment outcomes

Unbelievable?! Theistic/Epistemological Viewpoint Affects Religion–Health Relationship

“…One noteworthy lacuna is the relationship between belief in god(s) and health outcomes. Some research has found that persons who believe in god(s) report better health than their non-believing counterparts do (Ekedahl and Wengström 2010;Rosmarin et al 2013). This positive relationship has been attributed to the protective influence of R/S, or greater confidence in medical outcomes.…”

Religiosity, spirituality, mental health, and mental health treatment outcomes in Australia: a systematic literature review

“…In a more recent study of psychiatric inpatients (N = 159) at McLean hospital in Boston, congregational support and emotion regulation were not significant when it came to better treatment outcomes (Rosmarin et al, 2012). Further analysis revealed that the relationship between belief in God or a higher power and changes in scores for treatment outcomes were moderated by reliability of treatment and patients' expectations for treatment gains, providing evidence that belief in God or a higher power may serve as a potential "placebo effect" in treatment outcomes for psychiatric patients.…”

“…Religious affiliation may be a protective factor against suicide, as several studies have found higher rates of suicide among those without religious affiliation (Lester, 2000;Pescosolido & Georgianna, 1989), yet it is unclear as to whether or not religious communities provide a protective social network or if prohibitions instilled by religious communities against (for example) substance use, and antisocial behaviour, decrease the risk of psychiatric disorders and related suicidal behaviours. Results in recent research from North America showed religious attendance as an independent protective factor against suicide attempts (Rasic et al, 2009;Rasic et al, 2011), and in several other studies on psychiatric inpatients, less suicidal behaviour was also associated with religious affiliation (Dervic et al, 2004); however, Rosmarin et al (2012) found belief in God or a higher power to be a stronger protective factor against depression than congregational support and emotional regulation in the Boston area (unfortunately, the authors did not test whether belief may indicate a set of dispositional/personality factors associated with coping, although they do note this possibility).…”

“…However, there is evidence that spirituality and/or religion may be important factors in terms of coping with a mental illness. For example, North American authors have recently highlighted significant religiosity factors that had an effect on mental health outcomes in a large national sample (Rasic et al, 2009;Rasic, Robinson, Bolton, Bienvenu, & Sareen, 2011), and others have demonstrated relationships between religiosity and mental health treatment outcomes (Rosmarin et al, 2012). These findings, coupled with observations that "spirituality" (belief in God or a higher power) may be an important part of Australian people's lives (Australian Bureau of Statistics [ABS], 2006), provide an incentive for mental health specialists to explore this topic within the Australian context.…”

Measuring spirituality in South Africa: Validation of instruments developed in the USA

“…Research has shown consistently that spirituality holds positive outcomes for both the individual and the organization. Previous studies have established that spirituality advances individuals ' mental health and well-being (Hadzic, 2011;Rosmarin et al, 2013), and positive organizational outcomes (Altaf & Awan, 2011;Clark et al, 2007). These and other associations which have been reported regarding spirituality have led to increased focus on spirituality, particularly in the context of the workplace.…”