Religious faith in society linked to lower anxiety levels among youth

A recent study suggests that societal emphasis on religious faith and interdependence may play a protective role against anxiety disorders among children and adolescents, highlighting the importance of communal norms in mental wellbeing.

A study published in Developmental Science suggests that religious faith in a society may do more than offer comfort or moral structure: it may also be linked with lower levels of anxiety disorders among children and adolescents. Reporting on the research, EWTN News said the findings point to a broader social effect, rather than simply an individual one, with communal norms appearing to matter as much as personal belief.

The researchers examined data spanning 1989 to 2022 from the World Value Survey, the Global Burden of Disease study, the Human Development Report and the Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study. They looked at how societies value independence, interdependence and religious faith, then compared those patterns with youth anxiety rates across countries. The study found that a stronger emphasis on independence was associated with higher anxiety rates in Western, educated, industrialised, rich and democratic nations, while greater emphasis on religious faith and interdependence was linked with fewer anxiety disorders more broadly.

Brandon Vaidyanathan, a sociology professor at The Catholic University of America, said the association was small but notable. According to comments relayed by EWTN News, he said that where religious faith declined in child-rearing, youth anxiety tended to rise. He also said the protective effect appeared to come more from the wider social environment than from a family’s private belief alone, with surrounding religious norms predicting children’s anxiety better than a mother’s own faith in the US data.

The findings fit a wider body of research suggesting that religious practice and spirituality can play a protective role in young people’s mental health. Earlier studies have linked higher religiosity with lower rates of depressive and anxious symptoms in adolescents, and some research has suggested benefits from spiritual counselling and positive religious coping. Even so, the new study does not set out to compare believers with non-believers, nor does it single out individual countries for direct comparison. Instead, it points to a broader pattern: in some settings, religious faith may help provide belonging, routine, meaning and order, all of which may ease the pressures that can feed anxiety.