PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Aradhna Kaushal
AU  - Mai Stafford
AU  - Dorina Cadar
AU  - Marcus Richards
TI  - Bi-directional associations between religious attendance and mental health: findings from a British birth cohort study
AID  - 10.1136/jech-2021-216943
DP  - 2022 Feb 01
TA  - Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health
PG  - 190--195
VI  - 76
IP  - 2
4099  - http://jech.bmj.com/content/76/2/190.short
4100  - http://jech.bmj.com/content/76/2/190.full
SO  - J Epidemiol Community Health2022 Feb 01; 76
AB  - Background There is evidence that religious attendance is associated with positive outcomes for mental health; however, there are few longitudinal studies, and even fewer, which take into account the possibility of bi-directional associations. This study aimed to investigate bi-directional associations between religious attendance and mental health.Methods Participants were 2125 study members who provided data at age 68–69 from the Medical Research Council National Survey of Health and Development (1946 British birth cohort study). Mental health was assessed using the 28-item General Health Questionnaire at ages 53, 60–64 and 68–69. Religious attendance was measured using a 4-point scale (weekly=3, monthly=2, less than monthly=1 or never=0) at ages 43, 60–64 and 68–69. Cross-lagged path analysis was used to assess reciprocal associations between mental health and religious attendance, adjusting for gender and education.Results Previous religious attendance was strongly related to later attendance (r=0.62–0.74). Similarly, mental health at baseline was strongly associated with subsequent mental health scores (r=0.46–0.54). Poor mental health at age 53 and 60–64 was associated with more frequent religious attendance at age 60–64 (b=0.04; 95% CI: 0.02 to 0.06; p<0.05), and 68–69 (b=0.03; 95% CI: 0.02 to 0.06; p<0.05), respectively. There was no evidence that religious attendance at age 43, 60–64 or 68–69 was associated with later or concurrent mental health.Conclusion Using birth cohort data from the UK, it was found that poor mental health was associated with later religious attendance but not vice versa. Future research should confirm these novel findings and explore the underlying mechanisms between religious attendance and mental health.Data may be obtained from a third party and are not publicly available. Data sharing is dependent on the approval by the NSHD Data Sharing Committee, a data-sharing agreement being in place between UCL and the academic institution that employs the researcher, and LHA resources being available to meet the requests for data sharing. Metadata can be browsed on Skylark: https://skylark/ucl.ac.uk/Skylark.