Religiosity, spirituality and mental health in high school students: a cross-sectional study

• Autor(a) principal: Chies, Gabriel Antônio Flores
• Data de Publicação: 2024
• Outros Autores: Takimi, Lucia Naomi
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: por
• Título da fonte: Debates em Psiquiatria (Online)
• Texto Completo: https://revistardp.org.br/revista/article/view/1098
• topic: espiritualidade; saúde mental; religiosidade; ensino médio; estudantes; estudo transversal; ansiedade; depressão; cross-sectional study; anxiety; depression; spirituality; mental health; education, secondary; religiosity; students; estudio transversal; ansiedad; espiritualidad; salud mental; educación secundaria; depresión; religiosidad

Introduction: The prevalence of anxiety and depression among adolescents is increasing worldwide. Religiosity and spirituality are related to both physical and mental health, as well as quality of life and well-being. Objective: To investigate the association between religiosity, spirituality, and anxiety and depression outcomes in adolescents. Method: A cross-sectional and quantitative study was conducted with a sample of 133 high school students, aged 14 to 19, from a public school in the metropolitan region of Porto Alegre. The following self-administered scales were used: Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED), Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI-II), Duke University Religious Index (DUREL-P), and Measure of Life Orientation and Spiritual Health (SHALOM). Results: The prevalence of depression was 56.1%. Sociodemographic risk factors for depression included female gender, non-heterosexual orientation, past bullying victimization, alcohol consumption, and previous diagnosis or family history of psychiatric disorder. The prevalence of anxiety was 65.9%, and the associated factors were female gender, past bullying victimization, and family history of psychiatric disorder. Participants with lower levels of intrinsic religiosity, ideal spirituality, and spiritual experience had a higher chance of depression. Lower scores on spiritual experience were also associated with a higher chance of anxiety). Conclusion: The results suggest that religiosity/spirituality may play a protective role in relation to mental health in the adolescent population, reducing the prevalence of depressive and anxious symptoms. However, further research is needed to deepen the understanding of this relationship and the underlying mechanisms.