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Evidence Demonstrates Higher Power Power

An area of increasing interest among researchers is the association between religious beliefs and practices (religiosity) and mental and physical health. Religiosity, however, is a multidimensional construct, and therefore difficult to measure. In a study involving male and female twins in Virginia, researchers sought to categorize major dimensions of religiosity, and determine the association between these dimensions and risks for common psychiatric and substance abuse disorders, namely: depression, anxiety disorder, phobia, panic disorder, bulimia nervosa, nicotine dependence, alcohol dependence, drug use or dependence, and adult antisocial behavior.

Seven major dimensions of religiosity and spirituality were constructed, and questionnaires were created. The first dimension, general religiosity, involved questions seeking one’s place within the universe and involvement with God on a daily basis as well as in times of crisis. Questions concerning social religiosity assessed church attendance, interaction with other religious individuals, and attitudes about substance use. Questions that reflect one’s belief in a deity who is actively and positively involved in human affairs constituted the third dimension. Involved God; positive attitudes reflecting a caring, loving, and forgiving approach to the world were assessed by questions in the fourth dimension, forgiveness. Questions in the fifth dimension, God as judge, emphasized the judgmental and punitive nature of divinity. Questions in dimensions six (unvengefulness) and seven (thankfulness) assessed one’s attitude toward the world, such as retaliation rather than forgiveness, and gratitude versus ingratitude toward life and God.

Among the important findings of the study is that the dimensions of general religiosity, involved God, forgiveness, and God as judge predicted a reduced risk for nicotine dependence, alcohol dependence, drug abuse or dependence, and adult antisocial behaviors. Unvengefulness was associated with reduced risk of depression, anxiety disorder, phobia, panic disorder, and bulimia nervosa. The study is consistent with the literature in this area of research in that high levels of religious involvement predict a reduced risk for substance misuse. Curiously, high levels of general religiosity were associated with an increased risk for panic disorder. Further research is needed to determine whether religiosity may alter the risk of illness, whether illness may have an effect on religiosity, or whether a third factor may affect both.

(Kendler, KS, Liu, X-Q, Gardner, CO, McCullough, ME, Larson, D, Prescott, CA: Dimensions of religiosity and their relationship to lifetime psychiatric and substance use disorders. The American Journal of Psychiatry 160: 496–503, 2003.)

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