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Religiosity spirituality and nonreligious spiritual practices linked to anxiety and depressive symptoms.

Patryk Główczyński, Paweł Dębski, Karina Badura-Brzoza

Scientific Reports February 28, 2026 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-026-41882-9 (opens in new tab)

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Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Cross-sectional study Peer reviewed
Sample size 1,240
Population Young adults aged 18-25 in Poland
Topics Anxiety
Keywords Atheist Catholic Religiosity Sbnr Spirituality Young adults
Key findings Higher total spirituality and the domains Direct Connection with the Creator, Asceticism, and Divine Love were inversely associated with depressive symptom severity, while anxiety levels were highest among participants engaging in non-religious forms of spiritual practices regardless of religious affiliation.

Abstract

Spirituality and religiosity are increasingly examined as factors relevant to mental health, yet less is known about individualized nonreligious forms of spiritual practices. In this cross-sectional study, we investigated associations between spirituality, religious affiliation, non-religious forms of spiritual practices (NFSP) and symptoms of anxiety and depression in 1240 young adults aged 18-25 in Poland. Participants were categorized as Catholics, Catholics engaging in NFSP, atheists, or atheists engaging in NFSP. Spirituality was assessed using the Interfaith Spirituality Scale and anxiety and depressive symptoms using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Group differences were evaluated using the Kruskal-Wallis test with Dunn post hoc tests and associations were examined with Spearman rank correlations. Higher total spirituality and the domains Direct Connection with the Creator Asceticism and Divine Love were inversely associated with depressive symptom severity in the total sample. Anxiety levels differed between groups and were highest among participants engaging in NFSP regardless of religious affiliation. In group specific analyses, anxiety correlated positively with the Meditation domain in Catholics and atheists and correlated negatively with Divine Love in Catholics engaging in NFSP and with Asceticism in atheists engaging in NFSP. These findings suggest that spirituality may function as a protective correlate for depressive symptoms whereas links with anxiety are more heterogeneous and may depend on how spirituality is expressed and integrated with worldview.

Comparable studies

Other cross-sectional and survey studies on anxiety, most cited first.

Study Year Design Participants
Psychological flexibility mediates the relations between acute psychedelic effects and subjective decreases in depression and anxiety. International sample of people who reported having used a psychedelic 2020 Cross-sectional survey n = 985
The Challenging Experience Questionnaire: Characterization of challenging experiences with psilocybin mushrooms Internet survey respondents reporting challenging experiences with psilocybin 2016 Questionnaire development and validation
Psychedelics and Mental Health: A Population Study Adult population in the United States 2013 Cross-sectional survey n = 130,152
Ecstasy/MDMA attributed problems reported by novice, moderate and heavy recreational users Ecstasy users who participated in a WWW study of recreational drug use 2002 Cross-sectional survey n = 282
5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine (5-MeO-DMT) used in a naturalistic group setting is associated with unintended improvements in depression and anxiety. Adults who used 5-MeO-DMT in a group setting with structured procedures 2019 Cross-sectional survey n = 362

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