Beliefs About God and Mental Health Among American Adults

• Published in: Journal of religion and health Vol. 53; no. 5; pp. 1285 - 1296
• Main Authors: Silton, Nava R., Flannelly, Kevin J., Galek, Kathleen, Ellison, Christopher G.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Boston Springer 01-10-2014; Springer US; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adult; Aging; Anxiety; Anxiety disorders; Clinical Psychology; Control variables; Culture; Depressive disorders; Female; God; Humans; Male; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Mental Disorders - psychology; Mental health; Obsessive behavior; Original Paper; Paranoid disorders; Psychological symptoms; Psychology of religion; Public Health; Religion & psychology; Religion and Psychology; Religiosity; Religious Studies; Surveys and Questionnaires; United States; United States; Obsession–compulsion; Paranoia; Beliefs; ETAS theory; Social anxiety; Religion; General anxiety
• ISSN: 0022-4197; 1573-6571
• DOI: 10.1007/s10943-013-9712-3

This study examines the association between beliefs about God and psychiatric symptoms in the context of Evolutionary Threat Assessment System Theory, using data from the 2010 Baylor Religion Survey of US Adults (N = 1,426). Three beliefs about God were tested separately in ordinary least squares regression models to predict five classes of psychiatric symptoms: general anxiety, social anxiety, paranoia, obsession, and compulsion. Belief in a punitive God was positively associated with four psychiatric symptoms, while belief in a benevolent God was negatively associated with four psychiatric symptoms, controlling for demographic characteristics, religiousness, and strength of belief in God. Belief in a deistic God and one's overall belief in God were not significantly related to any psychiatric symptoms.