ArticleJournal of religion and health2023
Unpacking the Relationship Between Prayer and Anxiety: A Consideration of Prayer Types and Expectations in the United States.
Article in Journal of religion and health, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
9 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- The convergent neuroscience of Christian prayer and attachment relationships in the context of mental health: a systematic review.Frontiers in psychology · 2025Pooled it
- Religion, Spirituality, Well-Being and Praying the Rosary: Results of a Cross-Sectional Study from Germany.Journal of religion and health · 2025Article
- The power of emotion regulation: how managing sadness influences depression and anxiety?BMC psychology · 2025Article
- Prayer and Mental Well-Being in the United States: An Overview of Original and Comprehensive Prayer Data.Journal of religion and health · 2024Article
- Why Is Religious Attendance Linked to More Anxiety in U.S. South Asians? The Mediating Role of Congregational Neglect.Journal of racial and ethnic health disparities · 2024Article
- Frequency of Private Prayer Predicts Survival Over 6 Years in a Nationwide U.S. Sample of Individuals with a Chronic Illness.Journal of religion and health · 2024Article
- Religious Involvement and Allostatic Resilience: Findings from a Community Study of Black and White Americans.Journal of racial and ethnic health disparities · 2024Article
- Is Irreligion a Risk Factor for Suicidality? Findings from the Nashville Stress and Health Study.Journal of religion and health · 2023Article
- Perceived Neighborhood Disorder, Self-Esteem, and the Moderating Role of Religion.Review of religious research · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
1 author.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Prayer, considered by some to be the essence of religion, has been a universal behavior throughout human history. Scholars have increasingly recognized that there are different types of prayer and various prayer purposes, but little work has been done to examine their mental health consequences beyond an examination of prayer frequencies. In this study, we draw on nationally representative data from Wave 6 of the Baylor Religion Survey (2021) to examine whether four subtypes of prayer are associated with anxiety: prayer efficacy (the belief that prayer can solve personal and world problems); devotional prayer (praise of God and prayer for the well-being of others); prayers for support (e.g., better health, financial aid); and prayer expectancies (whether God answers prayers). Results suggest that prayer efficacy, prayers for support, and one form of devotional prayer (asking God for forgiveness) all correlate with higher anxiety, while another form of devotional prayer (praise of God) and prayer expectancies are associated with lower anxiety in the American population. We note the importance of capturing multidimensional phenomenon that comprise religious prayer life within the extensive religion and health literature.
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