The Relationship Between Religion, Spirituality and Mental Health in Adolescents Who Identify as Transgender - A Systematic Review
Benjamin Doolittle, MD, Yale University School of Medicine
Objective:
While religiosity and spirituality are known to confer protective benefits with regard to mental health and psychological well-being in adolescents, they could potentially be associated with poor mental health outcomes in transgender youth, specifically in the context of youth who belong to traditions that do not affirm their identity. This systematic review critically examines the existing literature to clarify the relationship between religiosity, spirituality and mental health in adolescents who identify as transgender.
Method:
We searched five databases for studies exploring the relationship between religiosity, spirituality and mental health in transgender adolescents and young adults. Both qualitative and quantitative papers whose results included data regarding relevant relationships between religiosity, spirituality and mental health in adolescents identifying as transgender were included.
Results:
A total of 18 papers met the inclusion and exclusion criteria for the review. Of these, six showed a negative relationship between religion/spirituality and mental health, seven showed a mixed relationship, two showed a positive relationship, and three showed a neutral relationship.
Conclusion:
The relationship between religiosity/spirituality and mental health in adolescents identifying as transgender is complex. Quantitative studies at times showed an association between religious identification and various indices of poor mental health while others showed absence of religious identification as being a risk factor for worsened mental health outcomes. Qualitative studies showed a more nuanced relationship between religiosity/spirituality in which religiously motivated stigma from parents or communities resulted in worse mental health outcomes, while intrinsic religiosity appeared to correspond to improved psychological well-being. Implications of these findings for mental health providers and religious leaders are described.
While religiosity and spirituality are known to confer protective benefits with regard to mental health and psychological well-being in adolescents, they could potentially be associated with poor mental health outcomes in transgender youth, specifically in the context of youth who belong to traditions that do not affirm their identity. This systematic review critically examines the existing literature to clarify the relationship between religiosity, spirituality and mental health in adolescents who identify as transgender.
Method:
We searched five databases for studies exploring the relationship between religiosity, spirituality and mental health in transgender adolescents and young adults. Both qualitative and quantitative papers whose results included data regarding relevant relationships between religiosity, spirituality and mental health in adolescents identifying as transgender were included.
Results:
A total of 18 papers met the inclusion and exclusion criteria for the review. Of these, six showed a negative relationship between religion/spirituality and mental health, seven showed a mixed relationship, two showed a positive relationship, and three showed a neutral relationship.
Conclusion:
The relationship between religiosity/spirituality and mental health in adolescents identifying as transgender is complex. Quantitative studies at times showed an association between religious identification and various indices of poor mental health while others showed absence of religious identification as being a risk factor for worsened mental health outcomes. Qualitative studies showed a more nuanced relationship between religiosity/spirituality in which religiously motivated stigma from parents or communities resulted in worse mental health outcomes, while intrinsic religiosity appeared to correspond to improved psychological well-being. Implications of these findings for mental health providers and religious leaders are described.