Importance of Religion or Spirituality and Mental Health in Canada

Religion/spirituality, perceived need for care, and treatment-seeking behaviour in a sample of distressed Canadians

BACKGROUND

Although religion/spirituality has been shown to play a potential role in the treatment of mental health problems, there is a growing body of evidence suggesting that it may be mis-conceptualized as a substitute for mental health and substance use treatment among those who are religious/spiritual. Therefore, this study aims to: 1) examine the association between religiousness/spirituality and perceived need for care, and, 2) determine whether there is an inverse relationship between religion/spirituality and treatment-seeking behaviour, among a distressed Canadian population.

METHODS

Cross-sectional data from a subsample of 2307 distressed Canadians in the nationally representative 2022 Mental Health and Access to Care Survey was analyzed. Modified Poisson regression analysis was conducted, with perceived need for care and treatment-seeking behaviour (formal and informal) as the outcomes and religiousness/spirituality as the exposure. Effect modification by minority and immigrant status was examined, and associations were adjusted for age, gender, education, and income.

RESULTS

Perceived need for care and treatment-seeking behaviour was lower among distressed individuals who were religious/spiritual compared to non-religious/non-spiritual individuals (p < 0.05). The likelihood of a perceived need for care and formal treatment-seeking behaviour was lowest among visible minorities (non-White) and non-immigrants, who were religious/spiritual compared to non-religious/non-spiritual counterparts. When stratifying by immigrant status, informal treatment-seeking behaviour was higher among immigrants who are religious/spiritual than among those who are non-religious/non-spiritual.

CONCLUSIONS

Differences in the relationship between religiousness/spirituality and help-seeking among visible minorities and immigrants suggest that integration of religion/spirituality into de-stigmatizing treatment approaches may be warranted to better support at-risk individuals.

Spirituality, Conspiracy Beliefs, and Use of Complementary Medicine in Vaccine Attitudes: A Cross-Sectional Study in Northern Italy

Distinct spiritual attitudes and convictions may promote scepticism towards medical interventions, potentially influencing vaccine attitudes. This study investigated the impact of spirituality and CAM (complementary and alternative medicine) use on perceptions of vaccine harmfulness, with a focus on COVID-19 and mandatory childhood vaccinations. Additionally, it examines whether spirituality indirectly influences vaccine hesitancy through CAM use and beliefs in conspiracies. A cross-sectional probability-based survey was conducted with over 1300 participants from South Tyrol, Italy, in 2023, using the GrAw-7 (Gratitude/Awe) scale as a measure of the experiential aspect of non-religious spirituality. Statistical analysis encompassed Spearman's correlation and linear regression to assess the associations between spirituality and vaccine perceptions. A mediation model was applied to evaluate the role of spirituality in shaping attitudes towards vaccination. Higher experiential spirituality was associated with increased perceived harmfulness of COVID-19 and mandatory childhood vaccinations. Spirituality as well as perceived harmfulness of COVID-19 vaccination and mandatory childhood vaccination were correlated with age, increased CAM utilisation and conspiracy ideation, while institutional distrust was solely associated with vaccine scepticism but not with spirituality; well-being and altruism were only associated with spirituality. Mediation analysis revealed that experiential spirituality accounted for a modest but significant portion of the influence of CAM use and conspiracy thinking on vaccine perceptions. Experiential spirituality may indirectly influence vaccine perception by affecting CAM use and conspiracy thinking. Public health initiatives should incorporate spiritual beliefs and convictions into communication strategies and present vaccinations as a community responsibility. Engaging spiritual and community leaders can enhance the acceptance of vaccines among spiritually inclined groups.

Relationships between employment status with self-perceived mental and physical health in Canada

Background

The annual cost of mental illnesses in Canada is estimated to be $50 billion. Research from other countries have suggested that employment status is associated with mental and physical health. Within the Canadian context, there is a dearth of research on the relationship between employment and mental health.

Objective

To explore the relationships between age, gender, income, and employment status on mental and physical health.

Methods

The 2021 Canadian Digital Health Survey dataset was used for this study. Data records, which included responses for the questions on age, gender, income, employment status, mental, and physical health, were used in the analysis. Ordinal logistics regression was applied to investigate the associations that may exist between mental and physical health with the various sociodemographic factors. Descriptive statistics were also provided for the data.

Results

The total sample size included in the analysis was 10,630. When compared to respondents who had full-time employment, those who were unemployed were more likely to have lower self-perceived mental health (OR: 1.91; 95% CI: 1.55-2.34). Retired respondents were less likely to have worse mental health than respondents who were employed full-time (OR: 0.78; 95% CI: 0.68-0.90). Self-perceived physical health was more likely to be lower for those who were unemployed (OR: 1.74; 95% CI: 1.41-2.14) or retired (OR: 1.28; 95% CI: 1.12-1.48) when compared to respondents employed full-time. The likelihood of worsening mental and physical health was also found to be associated with age, gender, and income.

Conclusion

Our findings support the evidence that different factors contribute to worsening mental and physical health. Full-time employment may confer some protective effects or attributes leading to an increased likelihood of having improved mental health compared to those who are unemployed. Understanding the complex relationships on how various factors impact mental health will help better inform policymakers, clinicians, and other stakeholders on how to allocate its limited resources.

Medicine for the soul: (Non)religious identity, coping, and mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic

Although the threat and uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic has become a significant source of distress, using religion to cope may be associated with more positive health. Given the severity and chronicity of the pandemic, religious individuals may also have relied on a variety of non-religious coping methods. Much of the existing COVID-19 research overlooks the role of religious group membership and beliefs in relation to coping responses and associated mental health, with an additional lack of such research within the Canadian context. Thus, this cross-sectional study investigated relations among religiosity, stressor appraisals, (both religious and non-religious) coping strategies, mental and physical health in a religiously-diverse Canadian community sample (N = 280) during the pandemic's 2nd wave from March to June 2021. Numerous differences were apparent in appraisal-coping methods and health across five (non)religious groups (i.e., Atheists, Agnostics, "Spiritual but not religious", Christians, and those considered to be religious "Minorities" in Canada). Religiosity was also associated with better mental health, appraisals of the pandemic as a challenge from which one might learn or grow, and a greater reliance on problem-focused, emotional-engagement, and religious coping. Moreover, both problem-focused and emotional-engagement coping mediated the relations between religiosity and health. Taken together, this research has implications for individual-level coping as well as informing culturally-sensitive public health messages promoting targeted self-care recommendations with integrated religious or spiritual elements during times of threat and uncertainty, such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

Religion/Spirituality, Mental Health, and the Lifespan: Findings from a Representative Sample of Canadian Adults

Theories of adult development and aging suggest that older adults turn towards religion and spirituality (R/S) to increase meaning and purpose in life, and to assist in coping with adverse experience. We sought to examine the relationship between R/S and positive mental health and mental illness (i.e., psychological distress) in adulthood, and to determine the potential moderating role of age. Data from the 2012 Canadian Community Health Survey - Mental Health (CCHS-MH), a national population health study, were used. A multivariable linear regression model revealed a significant R/S by age interaction for positive mental health (p = 0.001). Although R/S was associated with positive mental health among all participants, there was a stronger relationship between R/S and positive mental health for older adults. No statistically significant relationship between R/S and psychological distress was observed. Findings highlight the importance of R/S to positive mental health across the adult lifespan. The differential relationships among R/S, positive mental health, and mental illness underscore the utility of using the dual-continua of mental health and mental illness in order to understand their respective determinants.

Throw BABE Out With the Bathwater? Canadian Atheists are No Less Healthy than the Religious

The belief-as-benefit effect (BABE) is a broad term for the positive association between religion/spirituality (R/S) and health outcomes. Functionally, religious variables and religious identities predict greater wellness, which implies that atheists should report worse health relative to religious groups. Using Cycle 29 of the cross-sectional General Social Survey from Statistics Canada (N > 15,900), I explored health differences in stress, life satisfaction, subjective physical wellbeing, and subjective mental wellbeing across R/S identities (atheists, agnostics, Nones, Catholics, Protestants, Eastern Religions). Results indicated that (1). religious attendance, prayer, and religiosity were generally unrelated to all health outcomes for all R/S identities, (2). averagely religious atheists reported health parity with averagely religious members of all other R/S identities, and (3). when comparing a maximally nonreligious atheist group against several maximally religiously affiliated groups, atheists largely showed health parity. If both low R/S and high R/S are associated with comparable wellness, researchers should actively question whether R/S is genuinely salutary.

What Aspects of Religion and Spirituality Affect the Physical Health of Cancer Patients? A Systematic Review

In recent years, the literature on the relationship between religion and spirituality (R/S) and the health of cancer patients has been flourishing. Although most studies focus on mental health, many study the physical health of these individuals. In order to summarize the findings of these studies, we reviewed the most recent research on this subject using the PubMed and PsycInfo databases. The objective of this systematic review was to recognize the primary R/S variables studied in research on physical health in cancer contexts. We found that spiritual well-being was the most-researched variable in studies of these characteristics, followed by R/S struggles and other variables such as religious coping; religious commitment or practice; or self-rated R/S. In general, R/S seems to have a positive association with the physical health of cancer patients, although the results are quite heterogeneous, and occasionally there are no relationships or the association is negative. Our results may assist in improving interventions that include spirituality in clinical settings as well as the development of holistic approaches, which may have a positive impact on the quality of life and well-being of cancer patients.

Psychometric Properties of a Persian Version of the SpREUK-P Questionnaire: An Instrument for Measuring the Importance and Frequency of Spiritual/Religious Practices in Iranian Patients with Chronic Gastrointestinal Diseases

Attention to spiritual and religious issues is considered an important therapeutic method for patients with chronic disorders. This study aimed to assess the psychometric properties of a Persian version of the SpREUK-P questionnaire for evaluating spiritual and religious opinions among Iranian patients with chronic gastrointestinal diseases. This cross-sectional study was performed on 233 adult patients referring to the gastrointestinal clinic affiliated to Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran, in 2017. The Persian version of the SpREUK-P questionnaire was prepared through the forward-backward translation method. The internal consistency of the questionnaire was evaluated by Cronbach's alpha coefficient. Furthermore, the construct validity of the instrument was assessed via exploratory factor analysis, while convergent and discriminant validity were investigated using Spearman correlation. Cultural adaptation, linguistic equivalency, and content validity of the Persian version of the SpREUK-P questionnaire were approved by a ten-member team of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences. Content validity indices were more than 0.8% across all items. Cronbach's alpha coefficients in terms of importance and practices were 0.81 and 0.71, respectively. Furthermore, the Persian version of the SpREUK-P showed excellent convergent validity and moderate to excellent discriminant validity. The results of exploratory factor analysis showed that all items were loaded properly on their own subscales, except for two items in the practice aspect and one item in the importance aspect. In conclusion, this study showed that the developed Persian SpREUK-P questionnaire is appropriate for assessing spiritual/religious opinions in Iranian patients with chronic diseases.

The Influence of Religiosity and Spirituality on Health in Canada: A Systematic Literature Review

The association between religion and health has been the subject of growing interest in academia. However, limited reviews of such studies in Canada exist. The paper systematically reviews and synthesizes existing literature on the relationship between spirituality and health in Canada. Available general databases such as: Medline; Web of Science, PubMed, Sociological abstract, Social Service Abstracts, Google scholar, Humanities International Index, JSTOR, CPI.Q Canadian Periodicals, and American Theological Library Association were searched for the period between 2000 and April 2019 inclusive. Collected data were then systematically analysed for common themes about spirituality and health in Canada. In total, 151 articles were found, but only 128 had relevance with the study objectives. Overall, the analysis showed that religion and spirituality do influence health behaviours, and well-being. However, more gender-based studies need to be conducted to tease out the differences in religion/spirituality and health across different genders, and ethnic groups in Canada.

Godless in the Great White North: Assessing the Health of Canadian Atheists Using Data from the 2011/2012 Canadian Community Health Survey

An overlooked reason to study atheism and health is that it provides a reasonably strong test of the broader religion-health relationship. Using data from the 2011/2012 Canadian Community Health Survey (n > 8000) I explored the health differences between atheists and eight categories of religious identities (nonreligious, Anglican, Baptist, Christian, Protestant, Catholic, United Church, and All Others). Surprisingly, results showed no substantive differences between atheists and non-atheists for self-rated health, emotional well-being, and psychological well-being. In contrast, results showed substantive and consistent differences between atheists and non-atheists with respect to social well-being. Results appear to suggest that while religious groups report superior scores on health proxies relative to atheists, this does not translate into substantive health differences.

The Effect of Spirituality on the Subjective Recovery of Psychiatric Patients

Spiritual well-being is among the factors that affect subjective recovery. This study aimed to explore the relationship between subjective recovery and spiritual well-being among psychiatric patients and to identify the factors that affected their subjective recovery. A descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted with 96 patients admitted to the psychiatry clinic of a hospital. It was found that the patients had high subjective recovery assessment levels and medium levels of spiritual well-being. There was a positive association between the patients' subjective recovery assessments and their spiritual well-being, and spiritual well-being was a significant predictor of the subjective recovery level. It is recommended that mental health professionals focus on serving patients through a holistic healthcare approach and enhancing patients' subjective recovery levels through applications that will strengthen the spiritual dimension.

Validity and reliability of the Turkish version of the Spiritual Needs Assessment Scale of Patients with Cancer

OBJECTIVE

This research was conducted to determine the psychometric characteristics of the "Spiritual Needs Assessment Scale of Patients with Cancer" in Turkish patients with cancer.

METHODS

This study used psychometric methods to test the adapted tool. The participants of this study were patients with a diagnosis of cancer in the outpatients and inpatients medical oncology and hematology clinics of a university hospital in Turkey. 400 patients determined by power analysis were included in the study. The data were collected in 2018. We used the descriptive form and "Spiritual Needs Assessment Scale of Patients with Cancer." The obtained data were evaluated using Cronbach's α reliability coefficient, Pearson's correlation coefficient, and factor analysis.

RESULTS

In the present study, the factor loads of the items were sufficient and explained 39.18% of the total variance. Cronbach's α value of the scale was 0.85.

SIGNIFICANCE OF RESULTS

As a result, it was found that the validity and reliability of the "Spiritual Needs Assessment Scale of Patients with Cancer" were ensured and they could be used in Turkish patients.

Nurses' post-traumatic stress symptoms and growth by perceived workplace bullying: An online cross-sectional study

AIM

The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between workplace bullying and mental health, focusing on the indirect effect of post-traumatic stress responses and moderation of nurses' perception of workplace bullying.

BACKGROUND

Post-traumatic stress symptoms frequently result from workplace bullying, but how nurses' individual appraisals relate to negative consequences is unclear.

METHOD

A cross-sectional online survey was conducted with 319 Korean nurses; participants were divided into the perceived and non-perceived workplace bullying groups. Moderated mediation models were tested using structural equation modelling with Stata version 16.

RESULTS

Regardless of nurses' appraisals, higher levels of workplace bullying were associated with poor mental health. Post-traumatic stress symptoms indirectly impacted the relationship in both groups, but post-traumatic growth did not. The perceived group showed a partial negative association between post-traumatic growth and mental health.

CONCLUSION

It is necessary to develop systems for early detection of mental health problems to create safe work environments not only for nurses who perceive workplace bullying but also for those who do not.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT

Staff education and institutional support that consider PTSS are recommended for all nurses.

With a little help from my (Canadian) friends: Health differences between minimal and maximal religiosity/spirituality are partially mediated by social support

RATIONALE

Higher levels of religion and spirituality (R/S) are associated with better health in both Canadian and American samples. One mechanism that can account forthis relationship is social support, which is positively associated with higher R/S and is positively associated with overall wellness. Although social support has been found to mediate the relationship between R/S and health in American samples, parallel research on Canadian samples is lacking.

OBJECTIVE

While having cultural similarities, Canada and the United States have noteworthy differences with respect to religion, politics, and demographics. Consequently, it is problematic to assume that social support accounts for the R/Shealth relationship for Canadians. The goal of the current study was to explore whether social support mediated the relationship between R/S and health outcomes.

METHOD

Using individuals ≥20 years of age from the 2012 Canadian Community Health Survey - Mental Health component (N ≥ 9043), we isolated people who had either the lowest or highest possible score on a composite measure of R/S. We then compared 'minimal R/S' respondents to 'maximal R/S' respondents on 11 health outcomes and investigated if these health disparities attenuated when accounting for differences in social support.

RESULTS

Maximal R/S was associated with better health for nine of the tested outcomes, but seven of these relationships were attenuated when social support was added to the model. The two remaining outcomes, drug abuse/dependence and alcohol abuse/dependence, were not significantly impacted by the inclusion of social support.

CONCLUSION

Social support plays a mediating role in many R/S-health relationships for Canadians. Although R/S appears to have a statistical relationship with many health outcomes, several of these lack practical significance.

Religion, Health, and Life Satisfaction: Evidence from Australia

In this article, we examine the influence of religion on health and life satisfaction while controlling for an extensive range of demographic characteristics and life conditions-marital satisfaction, job satisfaction, financial stress, and social resources-using data drawn from the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey. Our findings suggest that, on average, high levels of faith and attendance at religious services are associated with lower health. In contrast, however, we find no relationship between high levels of faith, attendance, and life satisfaction. Further research is required to unravel how faith and attendance influence health and life satisfaction.

Relationship Between Praying and Self-Care in Elderly with Heart Failure: A Cross-Sectional Study in West of Iran

Given the prevalence of Heart Failure (HF), the current study was conducted, aiming to determine the relationship between praying and self-care in the patients with HF in Iran in 2018. The type of the study is descriptive-analytical, which has been conducted in patient group of more than 65, suffering HF. The population of study has consisted of HF patients, referring to Shahid Mostafa Khomeini Hospital of Ilam province. Therefore, the patients, referring to this hospital for medical treatments, were included in this study. The study data were analyzed using software SPSS16. The findings showed there was a significant relationship between the severity of prayer and the demographic variables, such as gender (p < 0.004), education (p < 0.03), and duration of the disease (p < 0.001). The findings also showed that there was a relationship between self-care and gender (p < 0.001), education (p < 0.004), and duration of disease (p < 0.001). Also, the findings showed that there is a relationship between self-care and prayer (r = 727), so that increasing the amount of prayer will increase self-care. The mean (SD) of total prayer is 167.33 (10.49) and total self-care is 35.86 (10.60). With the increase in the rate of praying, their self-care increased. Based upon this, religious interventions are recommended to be held for this group of patients, focusing on praying.

The Association of Cyber-Bullying and Adolescents in Religious and Secular Schools in Israel

Internet usage during leisure time is a growing area of research, especially among adolescents. Our aim was to evaluate the association between Internet usage patterns of religious and secular adolescents, exposure to cyber-bullying, and psychosomatic symptoms in Israel. A cross-sectional study was carried out using questionnaires administered to 7166 students aged 11-17 (4223 secular; 2943 religious). Cyber-bullying was more common among secular students (11.4%) than religious students (8.4%). Multiple logistic regression predicting cyber-bullying showed significant results for boys, primary school age, Internet usage, bad moods, sleeping disorders, and dizziness. A comparison across school levels and between the education sectors did not show major differences in the probability to experience bullying. However, different characteristics played the role in explaining propensity to that experience. These findings can help to plan school-level oriented intervention programs to educate adolescents on prudent use of the Internet to combat the spread of cyber-bullying.

Religious Identity and Health Inequalities in Canada

In the past few decades, most new immigrants to Canada have originated from non-Christian countries. During the same period, the unaffiliation rates have sharply increased in Canada. This paper investigates whether there are any health inequalities associated with religious identity, including also the individuals who do not identify with organized religion in the analysis. The study uses the Canadian General Social Survey of 2012 (N = 23,093), focused on Caregiving and Care-receiving. Employing multivariate regression analysis and controlling for a large set of characteristics inclusive of the degree of religious commitment, individuals who identify as Protestant are found at a physical and mental health advantage, compared with Roman Catholics and most other groups. On the other hand, individuals who identify as Jehovah's Witnesses are found at a considerable physical health disadvantage. Among the unaffiliated individuals, those who have retained some ties with organized religion without formally identifying with it are found at a mental health disadvantage compared with all religious groups, as well as the secular individuals who are strictly committed to their nonreligious views. Possible causes and various implications are discussed.

Treatment seeking for problematic pornography use among women

Background and aims Previous studies examined psychological factors related to treatment seeking for problematic pornography use (PU) among males. In this study, we focused on females who seek treatment for problematic PU and compared them with non-problematic pornography users with regard to variables related to problematic PU. Second, we investigated the relationships between critical constructs related to problematic PU with the path analysis method, emphasizing the predictors for treatment seeking among women. We also compared our results with previous studies on males. Methods A survey study was conducted on 719 Polish-speaking Caucasian females, 14-63 years old, including 39 treatment seekers for problematic PU. Results The positive relationship between the mere amount of PU and treatment seeking loses its significance after introducing two other predictors of treatment-seeking: religiosity and negative symptoms associated with PU. This pattern is different from the results obtained in previous studies on males. Discussion Different from previous studies on male samples, our analysis showed that in the case of women, mere amount of PU may be related to treatment-seeking behavior even after accounting for negative symptoms associated with PU. Moreover, religiousness is a significant predictor of treatment seeking among women, which may indicate that in the case of women, treatment seeking for problematic PU is motivated not only by experienced negative symptoms of PU but also by personal beliefs about PU and social norms. Conclusion For females, negative symptoms associated with PU, the amount of PU and religiosity is associated with treatment seeking. Those factors should be considered in treatment.