Religious Faith May Shield Youth from Anxiety

Religious faith and an environment that places greater importance on it may be associated with lower rates of anxiety disorders among children and adolescents, suggests a study published in the journal Developmental Science, which examined data from 70 countries.

Researchers analyzed data from 1989 to 2022 and examined the relationship between societal values, such as autonomy, interdependence and the importance of religious faith in upbringing, and the prevalence of anxiety disorders among young people.

The results showed that a greater emphasis on religious faith and interdependence was associated globally with lower rates of anxiety disorders. Conversely, in Western, educated, industrialized and wealthy democracies, a greater emphasis on independence was associated with higher rates of anxiety.

Sociologist Brandon Vaidyanathan noted that in countries where the importance of religious faith in upbringing was declining, anxiety among young people was simultaneously on the rise. Data from the US also yielded interesting results.

Religious norms of the broader social environment predicted children's anxiety levels better than their parents' personal faith. The authors therefore refer to religious socialization as a possible protective factor.

(mja)