The natural history of male mental health: Health and religious involvement

• Published in: Social science & medicine (1982) Vol. 66; no. 2; pp. 221 - 231
• Main Authors: Vaillant, George, Templeton, Janice, Ardelt, Monika, Meyer, Stephanie E.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01.01.2008; Elsevier; Pergamon Press Inc
• Series: Social Science & Medicine
• Subjects: Adaptation, Psychological; Adolescent; Adult; Adult and adolescent clinical studies; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Ageing; Aging; Biological and medical sciences; Depression; Depression - psychology; Development; Health Status; Health Surveys; Human development; Humans; Longitudinal Studies; Longitudinal study; Male; Males; Medical sciences; Men; Mental depression; Mental Health; Middle Aged; Miscellaneous; Mood disorders; Physical fitness; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Public health. Hygiene; Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine; Religion; Religion Longitudinal study Mental health Human development Aging Depression USA Men; Religiosity; Religious practice; Stress; Stress, Psychological - psychology; Studies; U.S.A; United States of America; USA; United States; North America; America; USA; Longitudinal study; Mental health; Men; Religion; Aging; Human development; Depression; Mood disorder; Human; Senescence; Pathogenesis; Ageing; Male; Follow up study; Development; Social medicine; Public health
• ISSN: 0277-9536; 1873-5347
• DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2007.09.011

In prior studies, the effect of religious involvement upon physical health has shown generally positive results, but these studies have been marred by confounders. The 65-year-old US prospective Study of Adult Development has offered an opportunity to repeat these studies with somewhat better control over confounders. The physical and mental health of 224 Harvard University sophomores was monitored for 65 years. Their religious involvement from church attendance to private spirituality was prospectively monitored every 2–4 years from age 47 to 85. In this analysis we focus on the male respondent. We found that religious involvement, no matter how measured was uncorrelated with their late life physical, mental and social well-being. The exception was that the 44 men with major depression or with multiple negative life events were twice as likely to manifest high religious involvement as men with the least “stress.” If these findings can be generalized, they suggest that religious involvement may exert the greatest mental health benefits on people with the fewest alternative social and personal resources.