Assessing the Impact of the Way of Saint James on Psychological Distress and Subjective Well-being: The Ultreya Study

Abstract

This study aimed to examine the impact of a pilgrimage on the Way of St. James on psychological distress and subjective well-being, and to compare these outcomes with a control group on non-pilgrimage vacations. Additionally, the study explored psychological process variables that may mediate the pilgrimage's beneficial effects. A nonrandomized pretest-posttest design was used, involving 444 pilgrims and 124 controls. Participants completed baseline and post-experience self-reported measures of psychological distress, subjective well-being, and psychological processes (i.e., mindfulness, nonattachment, engaged living). A 3-month follow-up was conducted only in the pilgrim group. Mediation analyses examined psychological processes as potential mediators of pre-post change in the pilgrim group (vs. control). Within-group analyses revealed that the pilgrim group experienced improvements in psychological distress, subjective well-being, and psychological processes immediately post-experience, with most measures sustaining improvement at the 3-month follow-up. Compared to the control group, pilgrims showed significantly greater increases in positive affect, life satisfaction, and valued living, alongside greater reductions in anxiety, depression, and perceived stress. Valued living partially mediated the relationship between pilgrimage and positive affect, and fully mediated the effects on perceived stress, negative affect, life satisfaction, and subjective happiness. Pilgrimage on the Way of St. James effectively reduced psychological distress and enhanced subjective well-being, with greater benefits observed compared to a non-pilgrimage vacation control group. Consistent with the concept of pilgrimage as a transformative experience, significant improvements in valued living were noted, which mediated some of the positive outcomes post-pilgrimage. The Way of St. James may serve as a valuable complementary approach for alleviating distress and promoting well-being. Further studies exploring the effects of this pilgrimage on specific populations and using more robust study designs are warranted.Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier NCT04141813.