Health, Canada (Commonwealth Union) – Spirituality and mental health have long been intertwined in various cultures and belief systems. Throughout history, people have turned to spiritual practices and beliefs to cope with life’s challenges and find meaning and purpose. In recent years, there has been growing interest in understanding the relationship between spirituality and mental health, with research suggesting that incorporating spiritual practices into daily life can have a positive impact on overall well-being.
Recent research led by an international team, with Brock University, Assistant Professor of Health Sciences Valerie Michaelson at the helm, proposes the inclusion of spirituality among the factors influencing children’s mental health.
Examining spirituality as a potential “non-tangible determinant of health” in adolescents aged 11 to 15, the researchers, spanning eight countries, defined spirituality as connections with others, nature, the transcendent, and inner self, emphasizing the importance of having a sense of meaning and purpose in their lives.
The study, conducted in Canada, England, Scotland, Wales, Lithuania, Latvia, Moldova, and Poland, surveyed 42,843 children within the specified age group, focusing on their health, health behaviors, and the various factors that impact them. Traditional determinants of health, such as adequate housing, food security, and family income, were also considered in the research.
The research team discovered that a higher socio-economic status is associated with elevated levels of spiritual health among children in various populations. Furthermore, there is a consistent protective impact of spirituality on the mental well-being of young individuals. This positive influence is believed to stem from the cultivation of a profound sense of “meaning and purpose” in life. Additionally, the study highlighted that Western and Eastern cultural contexts contribute to distinctive and nuanced outcomes, shaping the results in intriguing ways.
Michaelson pointed out that the research team’s results were striking.
The realm of spirituality encompassing “connections to oneself,” involving reflections on the significance and purpose of life, consistently demonstrated a robust protective influence on adolescent mental health. Unequal access to these experiences was observed among young individuals based on their socio-economic circumstances, according to her findings.
Youth from socio-economically advantaged backgrounds expressed a heightened sense of meaning and purpose in life. In contrast, disadvantaged children reported significantly lower levels of meaning and purpose, highlighting the impact of socio-economic factors on these spiritual dimensions.
“This is a matter of social justice,” Michaelson added. “When it comes to mental health, having a sense of meaning and purpose in life is really important, but the resources that foster this seem to be inequitably distributed.”
She emphasizes that the results of the study underscore the pressing requirement to distribute health-promoting resources, including intangible ones, in an equitable manner to facilitate the thriving of children.
“Establishing spirituality as an intermediary determinant of health among 42,843 children from eight countries” which is set to appear in the February issue of Preventive Medicine.
Child participants were enlisted via the World Health Organization’s Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study, a continual cross-national research initiative examining youth aged 11 to 15 years. This study collects data every four years on the well-being, health behaviors, and social contexts of young individuals.
William Pickett, Brock Professor of Health Sciences and a team member, co-leads the HBSC study, collaborating with the international HBSC network for the recruitment of child participants. He underscores the significance of the HBSC study in uncovering novel and innovative insights into the health of young people.
“HBSC represents one of the largest and most diverse population health surveys of its kind in North America and Europe and provides opportunities for researchers to explore complex ideas about the determinants of health in child populations,” he explained.
Alongside Michaelson and Pickett, the Brock University team includes Associate Professors of Health Sciences Karen Patte and Pauli Gardner.
