Do religiosity and spirituality really matter for social, mental, and physical health?: A tale of two samples

ABSTRACT

Some prior research has found that religiosity and spirituality can be related to health. However, the relationships are inconsistent, measures of religiosity and spirituality are often problematic and conflated with the health outcomes they are supposed to predict, and very little research on this topic specifies which aspects of health supposedly benefit from religiosity and spirituality. Using two sets of survey data (Sample 1 N = 347; Sample 2 N = 404), we examined whether religiosity and spirituality had direct or indirect effects on physical, mental, and/or social health. We found that spirituality, when conceptualized as belief and experience of the supernatural, had no direct or indirect effect on physical, mental, or social health. Religiosity had a small but significant direct effect on social health in one sample but not the other. We consider our findings in relation to religious privileging in the United States and how proreligious biases can lead to health inequalities.

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Notes on contributors

Deborah Cragun

Deborah Cragun is the director of genetic counseling at the University of South Florida. Her research and teaching explores public health communication dynamics, biosocial health outcomes, and processes of genetic counseling.

Ryan T. Cragun

Ryan T. Cragun is an associate professor of sociology at the University of Tampa. His teaching and research explores religion, nonreligion, and Mormon culture.

Brian Nathan

Brian Nathan is a continuing Master’s student in the Department of Sociology at the University of South Florida.

J. E. Sumerau

J. E. Sumerau is an assistant professor of sociology and the director of applied sociology at the University of Tampa. Zir teaching and research focuses on the intersection of sexualities, gender, religion, and health in the lives of sexual, religious, and gender minorities.

Alexandra C. H. Nowakowski

Alexandra C. H. Nowakowski is a research professor at the Florida State University College of Medicine. Their teaching and research focuses on practical applications of medical sociology, chronic mental and physical health conditions, and societal health disparities.