Prayer, Attachment to God, and Symptoms of Anxiety-Related Disorders among U.S. Adults

Abstract

Considerable research has examined the relationship between religion and mental health. This study adds to the literature in this area by addressing two main questions: (1) Is the frequency of prayer associated with symptoms of anxiety-related disorders among US adults? (2) Is this association conditional on the nature of individuals' attachment to God? We examine these questions using data from the 2010 Baylor Religion Survey (N ¼ 1,511). Results reveal no meaningful associations between the frequency of prayer and anxiety symptoms. In contrast, anxious attachment to God is positively correlated with psychiatric symptoms, while secure attachment to God bears a modest inverse association with these outcomes (when anxious attachment is excluded from the model). Results also show that prayer is inversely associated with symptoms of anxiety-related disorders among individuals who have a secure attachment to God, but positively associated with these outcomes among those who have a more insecure or avoidant attachment to God. Several study limitations and promising directions for future research are discussed.

Religious Attachment and the Sense of Life Purpose among Emerging Adults

“…Anxious attachment, in contrast, was positively correlated with psychiatric symptoms such as general and social anxiety, obsession, and compulsion (Ellison et al 2014). Interestingly, Ellison et al (2014) also found that individuals that pray frequently while perceiving a close relationship with God experienced certain health benefits, while those that pray yet perceive God as distant do not experience the same benefits in return. Bradshaw and Kent (2017) find similar results, suggesting prayer does not have a main effect on psychological well-being in later life, but rather the association is moderated by attachment to God.…”

“…Studies have found secure attachment to and intimacy with God to be inversely associated with psychological distress and psychopathology (Bradshaw et al 2008;Bradshaw et al 2010), and positively associated with greater resilience after perceived negative events (Ellison et al 2014). Anxious attachment, in contrast, was positively correlated with psychiatric symptoms such as general and social anxiety, obsession, and compulsion (Ellison et al 2014).…”

“…In contrast, insecure attachment can erode positive affect which may foster feelings of vulnerability and doubts that are barriers to the sense of purpose. Therefore, just as general attachment literature asserts secure attachment bodes well for individuals' cognitive framework, so might attachment to God provide a religious framework that enhances the sense of direction and meaning, so long as individuals perceive God as benevolent and actively involved in their lives (Kirkpatrick 1992;Kelley and Chan 2012;Ellison et al 2014;Galek et al 2015).…”

Prayer, Meditation, and Anxiety: Durkheim Revisited

“…These mixed results have been evident in cross-sectional investigations and longitudinal studies, with some suspicion and evidence that types (styles) of prayer (e.g., scripted versus unscripted), contexts of prayer (e.g., high-anxiety versus low-anxiety situations), and expectancies about prayer (e.g., beliefs about whether or not prayers can be answered) may account for these variegated findings (Belding et al 2010;Ellison et al 2014;Harris et al 2005;Wiegand 2004). There is some evidence that coordinated communal prayers are especially efficacious in inhibiting depression and anxiety, with such effects being evident in both short-term and long-term time periods (Boelens et al 2009(Boelens et al , 2012.…”

Attachment theory and religious violence: theorizing adult religious psychopathology

“…However, Cicirelli (1991a;1991b) has maintained that when adults are separated from their primary caregivers for a long period, a surrogate attachment figure emerges as part of the working model where the adult becomes drawn to an object of attachment that represents the primary caregiver. This symbolic attachment motivates adults to develop religious beliefs in which they perceive a relationship with God or a religious figure as a symbolic attachment -exhibiting attachment religious behaviour in the form of prayer, devotion to a sacred space, reading religious texts, rituals, and so on, to maintain the relationship (Williams & Watts 2014;Ellison et al 2015;Counted & Watts 2017). This symbolic attachment is a representation of a primary caregiver who is unavailable to the individual.…”