News Release

Religious faith and spirituality may help people recover from substance abuse

Peer-Reviewed Publication

American Psychological Association

Increased coping and lower levels of anxiety associated with spirituality and religious faith, study finds

WASHINGTON -- Among people recovering from substance abuse, a new study finds that higher levels of religious faith and spirituality were associated with several positive mental health outcomes, including more optimism about life and higher resilience to stress, which may help contribute to the recovery process.

The study involved 236 people who were recovering from alcoholism and/or drug addiction and represents the largest self-report study ever undertaken examining the relation between religious faith, spirituality and mental health outcomes among people recovering from substance abuse. The findings will be presented during the American Psychological Association's (APA) 108th Annual Convention in Washington D.C., August 4 -- 8.

Results of the study by Dustin A. Pardini, M.A., of the University of Alabama, Thomas G. Plante, Ph.D., of Santa Clara University and other co-authors, show that higher religious faith and spirituality are associated with increased coping, greater resilience to stress, an optimistic life orientation, greater perceived social support and lower levels of anxiety. The findings are similar to previous studies that show people recovering from substance abuse tend to place great importance on prayer, belief in a God and a strong sense of faith. The findings are also similar to the result of studies examing the relationship between religion and mental health with other populations. Those studies reported increased coping skills and greater resilience to stress and overall life satisfaction.

The current study found that recovering individuals tend to report high levels of religious faith and religious affiliation, but choose to rate themselves as being more spiritual than religious, and that spirituality and religiosity may have different therapeutic benefits to people recovering from substance abuse. The study suggests that spirituality contributes to a more optimistic life outlook whereas religious faith acts as a buffer to stress. However, the concept of spirituality and how it differs from religiosity remains vague, as noted in the study.

There were some denomination effects noted in the study. Results suggest that Protestant groups may maintain a closer relationship between faith and psychological health than Catholic groups in terms of anxiety management but Catholic groups might be more stress resilient. Too few Jewish and Muslim participants were available for comparison.

Dr. Plante says he hopes the results of the study will lead to more cooperation between members of religious organizations and professionals in the mental health and medical fields. The two groups have started to collaborate more in recent years, he notes, with positive results. Studies have found that religious faith and spirituality are associated with many positive mental and physical health outcomes. The authors add that future studies should look into how changes in religious and spiritual factors affect recovering individuals' mental health and investigate how these effects can be influential in substance abuse recovery.

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Presentation: "Religious Denomination Affiliation and Psychological Health: Results From a Substance Abuse Population," Thomas G. Plante, Ph.D., Santa Clara University and Dustin A. Pardini, M.S., University of Alabama; Session 4013, 8:00 -- 8:50 AM, August 7, 2000, Capital Hilton Hotel -- Pan American Room.

Full text of the article is available from the APA Public Affairs Office

Thomas G. Plante, Ph.D., can be reached at his Santa Clara University office phone number at 408-554-4471. If not available there, please call his other office at 650-326-5930 or his home at 650-327-8922.

The American Psychological Association (APA), in Washington, DC, is the largest scientific and professional organization representing psychology in the United States and is the world's largest association of psychologists. APA's membership includes more than 159,000 researchers, educators, clinicians, consultants and students. Through its divisions in 53 subfields of psychology and affiliations with 59 state, territorial and Canadian provincial associations, APA works to advance psychology as a science, as a profession and as a means of promoting human welfare.

Contact: David Partenheimer
Public Affairs Office
202-336-5706 (until 8/2)
202-962-4285 (between 8/3 -- 8/8)



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