The Impact of Religious Beliefs on Mental Health

A Self-Assessment Study Among Medical Students

Bibliographic Data

ID20249778
AuthorsCarmen Sandu (Universitatea de Medicină, Farmacie, Științe și Tehnologie „George Emil Palade” din Târgu Mureș), Camelia Sandu, Nada Mahmoud (0000-0002-3819-1944, Universitatea de Medicină, Farmacie, Științe și Tehnologie „George Emil Palade” din Târgu Mureș), Otilia Butiu (Universitatea de Medicină, Farmacie, Științe și Tehnologie „George Emil Palade” din Târgu Mureș), Rebeca Isabela Molnár, Réka Molnár (0000-0002-3128-825X, Universitatea de Medicină, Farmacie, Științe și Tehnologie „George Emil Palade” din Târgu Mureș), Adriana Mihai (0000-0002-2683-7111, Universitatea de Medicină, Farmacie, Științe și Tehnologie „George Emil Palade” din Târgu Mureș, corresponding author)
Year2025
Volume16
Issue12
Pages1501
Publication date2025-11-27
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueReligions (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2077-1444 • E-ISSN: 2077-1444
PublisherMDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT)
DOI10.3390/rel16121501
OpenAlexW4416765562
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited24

Religion can provide comfort, a sense of purpose and community support, but when it comes to mental health, it may also have a negative impact by triggering feelings of guilt, fear and social stigma. The aim of this study is to explore the medical students’ beliefs about possible impact of religion on mental health. A 16-item questionnaire was distributed online to 100 medical students with different religious backgrounds. It assessed beliefs, the frequency of religious activities and the perceived influence on mental health. Data were analyzed using the Chi-square test and Fisher’s exact test (via GraphPad Prism 10.5.0 (774) software). The participants were young adults (61% aged 20–25), predominately female (59%) and Islam was the most represented religion (51%). 64% reported mental struggles and 76% had faced hardships that affected their mental state. Among these, 66% said hardships brought them closer to faith and 85% found religious refuge helpful. Also, 83% valued religious community support. On the other hand, 56% have reported frequent feeling of guilt related to religious practices and 41% believe that being too religious can affect mental health. Significant associations were found between level of religious practice and several beliefs, indicating differences in how more and less practicing individuals perceived guilt, religious coping, and the impact of hardships. Religion may provide psychological support, offering effective coping tools and emotional help. However, it may also contribute to mental distress through guilt and social stigma. These findings highlight the need for culturally and spiritually sensitive mental health care that respects each individual’s beliefs

Distress · Faith · Feeling · Islam · Mental distress · Mental health · Religious community · Cultural Competency in Health Care · Mental Health Treatment and Access · Religion, Spirituality, and Psychology