Association of self‐reported religiosity with the development of major depression in multireligious country Japan

Abstract

Aim: In Western Christian countries, religiosity is generally believed to be associated with a lower risk for depression, which is supported by epidemiological evidence. However, the association between religiosity and depression in multireligious countries is unknown. The objective was to evaluate the association between religiosity and subsequent depression in a multireligious population. Methods: A longitudinal study was conducted in a large hospital in Tokyo, Japan, from 2005 to 2018. All participants who underwent health checkups without a prior history of depression or depression at baseline were included. Our outcome was development of major depressive disorder (MDD), which was compared according to the degree of religiosity, adjusting for potential confounders. Results: Among 67 723 adult participants, those who were more religious tended to be older, female, married, and to have healthier habits but also more medical comorbidities at baseline. During a median follow-up of 2528 days, 1911 (2.8%) participants developed MDD. Compared to the reference group, religious group participants tended to have higher odds ratios (OR) for developing MDD in a dosedependent manner. Among them, the extremely religious group (OR, 1.51; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.28-1.78) and the moderately religious group (OR, 1.30; 95% CI, 1.14-1.49) were statistically associated with increased development of MDD compared to the not-religious-at-all group. Those who had increased their religiosity from baseline had statistically lower development of MDD (OR, 0.85; 95% CI, 0.75-0.97) compared to those who remained in the same degree of religiosity from baseline. Conclusion: Religiosity was associated with future MDD in a dose-dependent manner in a multireligious population, which was in the opposite direction from that seen in previous Western longitudinal studies.

Japanese Clinical Psychologists' Consensus Beliefs about Mental Health: A Mixed‐Methods Approach

“…Although religious beliefs are found to be one of the most influential factors shaping people's mental health beliefs in the West (Koenig & Larson, 2001), it was one of the least salient items in this study. This finding is consistent with studies reporting lower levels of religiosity in Japan compared to Western countries (Kobayashi, First, Shimbo, Kanba, & Hirano, 2020).…”

“…Although religious beliefs are found to be one of the most influential factors shaping people's mental health beliefs in the West (Koenig & Larson, 2001), it was one of the least salient items in this study. This finding is (Kobayashi, First, Shimbo, Kanba, & Hirano, 2020). Participants rated extend health insurance coverage as the second most salient term for how Japanese mental healthcare ought to be reformed, reflecting the limitations of current Japanese health insurance coverage.…”

Purpose in Life and Character Strengths as Predictors of Health Sciences Students’ Psychopathology During the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Taking all of this into account in medical and nursing students, it is worth highlighting the protective role that a high PIL has in terms of the appearance of anxiety, depression and total psychopathology. On the contrary, intense spirituality is associated with lower subjective wellbeing in medical students (39) and can increase the levels of anxiety and depression (40)(41)(42), also among nursing personnel (43). However, other studies have opposite conclusions, stating that spirituality protects against the appearance of psychopathology (44)(45)(46).…”

Spirituality, religiousness, and mental health: A review of the current scientific evidence

“…Despite these positive findings, different results have been reported in non-Western countries. For example, a 13-year longitudinal study which investigated 67723 adults in Japan[ 21 ] found that highly religious individuals had more major depressive disorders compared to non-religious individuals, highlighting that cultural aspects could help to explain the different outcomes reported in the literature. Furthermore, a cross-sectional study of a representative sample of South Americans[ 22 ] involving 7524 participants from Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay found that highly religious women, but not men, had 50% lower likelihood of having depression.…”