Spirituality, religiousness, and mental health: A review of the current scientific evidence

Table 1 Summary of the results of the studies included in this review

Mental health problem	Ref.	Summary of results
Depression	[15-26]	Higher levels of S/R are generally associated with lower depressive symptoms
Anxiety	[27-31]	Mixed findings with both positive and negative relationships
Suicide	[32-39]	Higher levels of S/R are generally associated with lower suicidality
Substance use disorder	[40-48]	Higher levels of S/R are generally associated with lower substance use
Psychotic disorder	[49-58]	Religious delusions are associated with a poor prognosis. Nonpsychotic religious beliefs are generally associated with better outcomes
Obsessive compulsive disorder	[59-61]	Few studies with mixed results - both positive and negative relationships
Bipolar disorder	[62-65]	Few studies, higher levels of S/R are generally associated with better outcomes
Post-traumatic stress disorder	[66-70]	S/R may serve to buffer against post-traumatic stress, generally increasing the psychological growth
Eating disorders	[71-75]	Few studies with mixed results - both positive and negative relationships

S/R: Spirituality/religiousness.