Religious upbringing linked to poorer mental health later in life.
Religious upbringing in childhood linked to poorer mental and cognitive health after 50.
Why it matters
- Long-term effects of childhood experiences on health are crucial for parenting and education.
- Complex relationship between religion and health outcomes is highlighted.
By the numbers
- Study sample: 10,346 adults aged 50+ from 10 European countries.
- Average effect size: -0.10 points on a five-point health scale.
The big picture
- Association varies: poorer mental/cognitive health but better physical health.
- Negative link stronger for certain subgroups (e.g., adverse family circumstances, older individuals).
What they're saying
- Anecdotal support for findings: poorer mental health among religiously raised friends.
- Caution on small effect size (2% difference).
- Guilt and ignorance in religions may harm mental health.
Caveats
- Retrospective self-reports may have memory biases.
- Cross-sectional design cannot establish causality.
- Broad measure of religious upbringing, not capturing intensity or type.
What’s next
- Longitudinal data to track individuals over time.
- Detailed measures of religious education to explain varying health effects.