I’ve been trying to understand why people are affected by religion the way they are. Because it’s mixed. Some people say their faith-based worldview gave them the tools to handle life’s hardships. It gave them a sense of purpose, structure, and community. But, maybe because of the nature of my content, I hear a lot from the other side too. People tell me their religious upbringing made their depression and anxiety worse. That it had a serious negative impact on their mental well-being.
I came across this research article I wanted to share. It’s called Religiosity and Spirituality in the Prevention and Management of Depression and Anxiety in Young People: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. I know, long title. But the article itself was eye-opening to me.
T he researchers reviewed 152 different studies on how religious practices affect depression and anxiety in young people. These studies weren’t asking if religion caused mental illness. They were looking at whether religious practices could help prevent or manage it.
The findings from this research were about what I expected. The positive aspects of religion come from things like social support, a sense of belonging, shared values, and a strong identity. You can also learn positive coping skills, especially if your idea of God is one that’s forgiving, full of grace, and wants you to grow. That kind of belief system can have a real impact—lowering depression and anxiety during critical ages like 10 to 24.
But the flip side matters too.
If your religious experience involved negative social interactions, or if your coping skills centered around a harsh, punishing view of God, then things look different. The study calls this negative religious coping. This happens when someone sees God as angry or disappointed. Maybe they believe they’ve lost favor with God. They feel condemned or shamed. When those ideas get internalized, they can actually worsen depression and anxiety.
The researchers found that if someone goes through a depressive episode while relying entirely on religious coping—especially negative religious coping—it can make symptoms worse. It can even increase the chance of a depressive relapse later in life.
To me, that’s important. It shows that religion can be either helpful or harmful, depending entirely on the experience and the way that your perception of God is internalized.
That concept of God that you create, lives in your head and influences your self worth. Whether you imagine him as graceful or vindictive, that idea shapes your emotional responses long after childhood ends.
So here’s my takeaway: religion isn’t always bad, but it’s not always good either. Every person’s experience is different. Your family culture, your local community, the denomination itself—those all matter. Were you Mormon? Evangelical? Catholic? Muslim? Something else entirely?
But more importantly, what did you learn?
Did your religion teach you self-compassion, forgiveness, and personal growth? Or did it teach you guilt, shame, and fear of doubt?
The kind of spiritual experience you have in your youth can have a lasting impact. So if you take anything from this, let it be that people’s relationships with religion are complex. One person’s safe haven might be another person’s source of trauma.
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Aggarwal, Shilpa et al. “Religiosity and spirituality in the prevention and management of depression and anxiety in young people: a systematic review and meta-analysis.” BMC psychiatry vol. 23,1 729. 10 Oct. 2023, doi:10.1186/s12888-023-05091-2