Prayer Type, Disclosure, and Mental Health Across Religious Groups

Abstract

Researchers have found that disclosure to God partially explains associations between certain prayer types and mental health in a Christian sample. Although researchers have discovered several mediators explaining associations between prayer types and mental health, the use of predominantly Christian samples limits generalizability. In this study, the authors tested disclosure to God as a mediator in Jewish, Muslim, and Christian subsamples. Analyses indicated several differences among the groups; disclosure to God mediated associations between prayer type and mental health only among Christians.

Disclosure to God as a Mediator Between Private Prayer and Psychological Well-Being in a Christian Sample

“…In the latter, the focus is on awaiting divine wisdom, understanding, or guidance from God, and in the former—on the worship of God, without reference to specific circumstances or needs. The differences in prayer types regarding the presence or quality of communication were considered within the context of Poloma and Pendleton’s ( 1991 ) study of prayer types’ association with mental health (Winkeljohn Black et al 2015 , 2017 ). The aim of this study was to examine whether these differences may affect prayer types’ association with well-being within the Laird et al’s ( 2004 ) conceptualization of prayer.…”

“…Also nowadays, many people disclose their problems, for example health concerns to God (VandeCreek et al 2002 ). Winkeljohn Black et al ( 2015 , 2017 ) have begun investigating how prayers may include disclosures with the benefits to the discloser’s mental health in a Christian sample (Winkeljohn Black et al 2015 ), as well as in Jewish and Muslim samples (Winkeljohn Black et al 2017 ). They found that disclosure to God mediated the positive associations between colloquial and meditative prayer and mental health.…”

“…Winkeljohn Black et al ( 2015 ) suggested disclosure to God as a mediator, which can explain prayer’s relationship with mental health, while tracking the type of prayer an individual most often uses. These mediating effects were analyzed in a Christian sample (Winkeljohn Black et al 2015 ), and Jewish and Muslim samples (Winkeljohn Black et al 2017 ). Winkeljohn Black et al’s ( 2015 , 2017 ) studies, using Poloma and Pendleton’s ( 1989 ) prayer types, found that disclosure to God mediated the relationship between colloquial and meditative prayers with mental health in a Christian sample.…”

“…These mediating effects were analyzed in a Christian sample (Winkeljohn Black et al 2015 ), and Jewish and Muslim samples (Winkeljohn Black et al 2017 ). Winkeljohn Black et al’s ( 2015 , 2017 ) studies, using Poloma and Pendleton’s ( 1989 ) prayer types, found that disclosure to God mediated the relationship between colloquial and meditative prayers with mental health in a Christian sample. However, prayer is a complex, multidimensional construct, which has been described in many different ways.…”

The Sociology of Prayer: Dimensions and Mechanisms

“…The universality of prayer makes its variation considerable. Different religious traditions, cultural norms, and historical eras produce a vast array of prayer types and meanings (Baesler 2001;Black et al 2015Black et al , 2017Chakraborty 2015;Hammerling 2008). In order to methodically understand this variation, we propose four separate dimensions of the prayer experience.…”