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

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

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 condi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Sociology of religion Vol. 75; no. 2; pp. 208 - 233
Main Authors: Ellison, Christopher G., Bradshaw, Matt, Flannelly, Kevin J., Galek, Kathleen C.
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Washington Oxford University Press 01-07-2014
Subjects:
Anxiety
Anxiety disorders
Attachment
Gods
Hypotheses
Mental Health
Mental Illness
Prayer
Psychological stress
Psychological symptoms
Quality of life
Religion
Religions
Secure attachment
Stress
Studies
Symptoms
Theory
U.S.A
United States of America
Wellbeing
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Summary: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 = 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.
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ISSN:1069-4404
1759-8818
DOI:10.1093/socrel/srt079