How Christianity can impact wellbeing!

How Christianity can impact wellbeing!

Teleios has previously shown that Christians who adhere to their faith report better general wellbeing than those who do not routinely practice their faith, and the more one adheres generally to their faith the better their wellbeing (1,2). Here is compelling evidence!

Wellbeing is improved in Christians or religious people in Christian countries, affecting:

• Demographics – All age groups (10 years and older), both genders, and African-American as well as Caucasian races (2-11).

• Broad wellbeing effect – Specific wellbeing related measures such as: sense of purpose, satisfaction, hope, stronger social relationships, and ability to forgive (1,12).

• Social measures – Vital areas of life such as the family, career, a sense of community and socialization.

• Family life – Christianity is associated with good health and higher levels of education and less substance abuse in the children (13). Family religiosity predicts better functioning for parents (14), better social network, and ties with families of friends (9). Further, church promotes happy marital relationships by encouraging spouses, especially the men, to live decent lives and to treat their partners decently (15).

• Careers – Christianity helps people’s ability to make career decisions and assists them to being open to a variety of career options. They also have been shown to have more positive feelings toward work (16,17).

• Service – Those who serve in or outside the church have better wellbeing questions including contentment, peace, joy, purpose and community acceptance (1).

• Practice of the faith – Those who practice the faith especially engaging in prayer, praise, fellowship, church attendance, studying the Bible and outreach to others have better wellbeing than those who do not. Further, the more one practices their faith the better generally will be their wellbeing.

• Physical health, healthy and patient populations – Christianity assists wellbeing in specific diseases including: glaucoma, rheumatoid arthritis, various cancers, chronic pain, fatigue, diabetes, diabetic eye disease, congestive heart failure, and HIV (18-23).

Teleios recently explored the effects of Christianity by evaluating evangelicals versus non-believers and self-reported levels of wellbeing. This is the first survey, to our knowledge, evaluating wellbeing in young Christians versus non-Christians. These findings make sense based on prior research. The survey was conducted on two Instagram accounts frequented by adolescents and millennials; one being mostly followed by Christians and another by the general population.  See full results here - Christians have better personal wellbeing than non-Christians.

There were 1186 responses. The majority of responses were: female (68%), < 30 years (76%), and primarily from the United States (40%) and Europe (16%). The respondents identified themselves as: evangelical Christians (33%), social Christians (29%), Christian seekers (5%) and non-Christians (33%).

Personal wellbeing was better among evangelical Christians (4.6, on a scale of 0-6 with 6 being highest) compared to social Christians (4.1), Christian seekers (4.0) or non-Christians (4.3, P=0.001). The findings for wellbeing were also supported by further results that evangelicals were more content (P=0.001), at peace (P>0.001), and joyful (P=0.002) than the other groups. No differences between groups were observed in feelings of guilt (P=0.426).

We do not know all of the factors associated with good wellbeing and Christianity, but here are a few good potential reasons:

• A sure confident relationship with God leaving guilt behind

• A source of truth for daily living which helps avoid unethical people and damaging situations while allowing you to conduct a healthy life with good professional and family relationships

• A confident hope for the future, and that no matter what happens in this life as well as in death, you have a sure home with God

In summary - Our gracious and loving God has provided us a wonderful salvation and a way through scripture to live a wise, fruitful and joyful life. Join us again soon for another exciting blog in the benefits of scripture.

William C. Stewart, MD

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Disclaimer - This blog and its content are provided only as information and are intended for visitors 18 and older. No content on the website should be taken as advice or recommendation to any personal or institutional situation. The views expressed are those of the author and not necessarily either shared or endorsed by Teleios. Both the blog and the contents are subject to change at any time without notice. Although I endeavor to ensure that the blog and the content are current and accurate, it may contain errors. I do not represent that the blog or the content is current, accurate or complete, or appropriate for your specific requirements. I do not accept any liability from any person for the blog, the content or any other information (or the use of such information) I provide. I do not have a seminary degree, but I have trained myself in the scriptures to teach and provide this information. For any specific question, I suggest you contact experts in that field and or do your own research into the scriptures.

References

1. MacIlvaine WR, et al. Association of strength of community service to personal well-being. Community Ment Health J 2014;50:577-82.

2. MacIlvaine WR, et al. Association of strength of religious adherence to quality of life measures. Complement Ther Clin Pract 2013;19:251-5.

3. Francis LJ, Kaldor P. The relationship between psychological well-being and Christian faith and practice in an Australian population sample. J Sci Study Relig 2002;41:79-184.

4. Francis LJ, et al. Religiosity and general health among undergraduate students: a response to O’Connor, Cobb, and O’Connor (2003). Pers Indiv Differ 2004;37:485-94.

5. Leondari A, Gialamas V. Religiosity and psychological well-being. Int J Psychol 2009;44:241-8.

6. Koenig LB, Vaillant GE. A prospective study of church attendance and health over the lifespan. Health Psych 2009;28:117-24.

7. Krause N. God-mediated control and change in self-rated health. Int J Psychol Relig 2010;20:267-87.

8. Hamilton JB, et al. Reading The Bible for guidance, comfort, and strength during stressful life events. Nurs Res 2013;62:178-84.

9. Smith C. Religious participation and network closure among American adolescents. J Sci Study Relig 2003;42:259-67.

10. Demir M, Urberg KA. Church attendance and well-being among adolescents. J Belief Values 2004;25:63-8.

11. Markstrom CA. Religious involvement and adolescent psychosocial development. J Adolesc 1999;22:205-22.

12. Stewart WC, et al. The source and impact of specific parameters that enhance well-being in daily life. J Rel Health 2016;55:1326-35.

13. Caputo RK. Parent religiosity, family processes, and adolescent outcomes. Fam Soc: J Contemp Soc Serv, 2004;85:495-510.

14. Agate ST, et al. Praying, playing, and successful families: an examination of family religiosity, family leisure, and family functioning. Marriage & Family Review 2007;42:51-75.

15. Wilcox WB, Wolfinger NH. Living and loving “decent”: religion and relationship quality among urban parents. Soc Sci Res 2008;37:828-43.

16. Duffy RD, Blustein DL. The relationship between spirituality, religiousness, and career adaptability. J Voc Behav 2005;67:429-40.

17. Martinson OB, Wilkening EA. Religion, work specialization, and job satisfaction: interactive effects. Rev Relig Res 1983;24:347-56.

18. Stewart WC, et al. Association of strength of religious adherence to attitudes regarding glaucoma or ocular hypertension. Ophthalmic Res 2011:45:53-6.

19. Chen S, et al. Prevalence and correlates of supportive care needs in oral cancer patients with and without anxiety during the diagnostic period. Cancer Nursing 2010;33:280-9.

20. Cotton S, et al. Exploring the relationships among spiritual well-being, quality of life, and psychological adjustment in women with breast cancer. Psychooncology 1999;8:429-38.

21. Matthews D, et al. Effects of intercessory prayer on patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Southern Medical Journal 2000;93:1177-86.

22. Silvestri G, et al. Importance of faith on medical decisions regarding cancer care. J Clinical Oncology 2003; 21:1379–1382.

23. Stewart WC, et al. Review of clinical medicine and religious practice. J Relig Health Mar 2013;52:91-106.