Study links faith to Black Americans’ mental health outcomes

Church pews, gospel songs and prayer have offered comfort in Black communities for generations. But, even the strongest devotion to faith can also carry uncertainty, guilt or grief that weigh on the mind.

A new study from the University of Mississippi explored how those spiritual crossroads shape the mental health of Black Americans, offering insights that could improve care.

These insights arrive at a crucial time. National data show Black adults also report higher rates of persistent emotional distress than white adults, and seek care less than white counterparts experiencing similar or lower rates of stress.

“So many people and cultures already have built-in resources,” said Elijah Mudryk, a clinical psychology doctoral candidate at Ole Miss and lead author on the project.

“We as psychologists tend to ask, ‘What skills can I give them? What can I add into their life?’ Religious followers have got fire on the ground already. They know what they’re doing and being able to meet someone on their terms is a really core tenet of psychology.”

The study, published in Practice Innovations, examined how different religious perspectives influence symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress. Its findings show that positive religious coping, such as seeking strength, hope and meaning through faith, was linked to lower mental health symptoms.

Conversely, negative religious coping, which includes feeling punished or abandoned by God, was tied to greater distress.

Mudryk co-authored the research with Aaron Lee, assistant professor of clinical psychology; Caitlyn Geraci, a clinical psychology doctoral candidate; and Laura Johnson, professor of psychology.

The Ole Miss research team found that gender, age and marital status also shaped coping patterns. Women, married individuals and older adults tended to report higher levels of positive religious coping.

Mudryk believes those demographic differences underscore established research that faith-based resilience can grow stronger with time, experience and connection to community.

Experts cited several contributing factors, including a lack of providers who understand Black culture and religious significance. Those disparities make it even more important for clinicians to recognize faith as both a potential resource and risk factor, Mudryk said.

The research contributes to a broader shift in psychology toward holistic cultural competence, a practice that considers not only race and ethnicity but also age, gender, spirituality and social context. But the research grew from Mudryk’s clinical experience working with patients who seek care for chronic pain, transplants, bariatrics and behavioral health.

While completing his rotation at a rehabilitation center, Mudryk also encountered patients whose faith strongly shaped their outlook on care. Some declined therapy, medical recommendations or transplant opportunities because they viewed health complications as divine punishment or believed treatment conflicted with their spiritual conviction, he said.

His team’s results mirror what clinicians see daily in medical psychology settings, where faith often emerges at critical turning points in treatment.

Abigail Shonrock, clinical assistant professor and assistant director of transplant psychology at the University of Florida, is one of Mudryk’s predoctoral internship supervisors. Her department often encounters patients facing life-or-death medical decisions, and she sees why more psychologists should consider a religious perspective during intake.

Working with a range of patients with various medical conditions, professionals at the UF Department of Clinical and Health Psychology also noticed a gap in spiritually informed counseling, Shonrock said.

Another of Mudryk’s supervisors, Lori Waxenberg, created religious coping statements that are frequently used in the department across services. Chaplain consultations are routinely utilized alongside psychological care, Shonrock said.

She and Mudryk believe exploring the impact that religion plays on mental and physical health outcomes is paramount, especially in the South, where faith is often the foundation of many family’s belief systems.

“When we recognize a patient’s spirituality as a legitimate part of their coping system, engagement improves,” Waxenberg said. “People feel seen. They feel that their values matter as much as their diagnosis.

“Especially in the health care systems, there’s not a lot of room for faith compared to science, but we’re trying to better understand its role in improving care.”