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The protective effect of religiosity under terrorism
Itzhak Levav1, Robert Kohn, Miriam Billig
1Division of Mental Health Services, Ministry of Health, Jerusalem, Israel. Itzhak.Levav@moh.health.gov.il
Psychiatry
|April 2, 2008
Summary
Higher religiosity offers mental health protection against terrorism. However, this effect diminishes when personal religious observance clashes with community religious practices.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Sociology
- Mental Health
Background:
- Religious observance is linked to improved mental health during adversity.
- The impact of religion on mental health under terrorism remains understudied.
- Settlers in Gaza and West Bank have experienced terrorism, varying in secularism and religious observance.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between religiosity and demoralization scores in settlers facing terrorism.
- To control for confounding variables in the analysis of mental health outcomes.
- To examine how dissonance between individual and community religiosity affects mental health.
Main Methods:
- Quantitative analysis of PERI-Demoralization mean scores.
- Statistical controls for confounding variables.
- Assessment of religiosity levels and community religious observance.
Main Results:
- Increased religiosity correlated with lower demoralization scores.
- A protective effect of religiosity was observed.
- This protective effect was reduced when individual religiosity dissonated with settlement religious practices.
Conclusions:
- Religiosity can be a protective factor for mental health in populations exposed to terrorism.
- Dissonance between personal faith and community religious norms can weaken religion's mental health benefits.
- Understanding these dynamics is crucial for mental health support in conflict zones.
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