The Gift of Spirituality

Consequences of spiritual activity for mental health
For those who find meaning or purpose in life through religion or spirituality, church attendance is
often (although not always) associated with lower levels of depression and this is true for both adults,
children and young people 44 . One way of understanding this effect is the possibility that some faith
communities promote social inclusion (either passively or actively), which affects both incidence of
and coping with depression. This possible mechanism will be examined in more depth in section 3.
Similarly, most of the research shows that people involved in religions that encourage internalisation of
a set of values are at substantially reduced risk of depression, compared to those who attend a church
because of obligation or duty 22;45 . One study found that for every 10-point increase in a person’s intrinsic
religiosity, there was a 70% increase in recovery from depressive symptoms after physical illness 46 .
Similar findings have been found amongst those who believe in a transcendent being or higher
power 47-49 and amongst those who belong to a community with others who share their values and offer
support 50 .
In short, the overall conclusion drawn by much of the research is that many expressions and elements
of spirituality are helpful in reducing depressive symptoms and/or increasing general wellbeing 1;51 . The
mechanisms through which these effects may occur are discussed in Section 3.
2.2 Spirituality and anxiety
Similar research has examined the relationship between spirituality and anxiety or stress. The symptoms
commonly associated with anxiety can be emotional, intellectual, physical and/or social. These include
feelings of shame, grief or aloneness; difficulty concentrating or an inability to learn new details;
increased breathing and pulse rate, difficulty sleeping and problems with eating; social apprehension,
isolation or withdrawal and irritability or unusual levels of aggression. In addition, Swinton argues that
stress and anxiety can have spiritual symptoms, including:
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a loss of meaning in life
obsessional religious thoughts and actions
feelings of alienation and indifference
loss of previous spiritual belief
no sense of the future
fear of death
fear of the consequences of ‘sins’ or religiously-defined ‘bad’ behaviour and/or
an inability to focus on ‘God’ or to meditate 8
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The impact of spirituality upon mental health