Religion and depression in adolescence

Fruehwirth, J. C., Iyer, S. and Zhang, A. (2019) Religion and depression in adolescence. Journal of Political Economy, 127(3), pp. 1178-1209. (doi: 10.1086/701425)

Abstract

Depression is the leading cause of illness and disability in adolescence. Many studies show a correlation between religiosity and mental health, yet the question remains whether the relationship is causal. We exploit within-school variation in adolescents’ peers to deal with selection into religiosity. We find robust effects of religiosity on depression that are stronger for the most depressed. These effects are not driven by the school social context; depression spreads among close friends rather than through broader peer groups that affect religiosity. Exploration of mechanisms suggests that religiosity buffers against stressors in ways in which school activities and friendships do not.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Zhang, Dr Anwen
• Authors: Fruehwirth, J. C., Iyer, S., and Zhang, A.
• College/School: College of Social Sciences > Adam Smith Business School > Economics
• Journal Name: Journal of Political Economy
• Publisher: University of Chicago Press
• ISSN: 0022-3808
• ISSN (Online): 1537-534X
• Published Online: 03 May 2019
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2019 The University of Chicago
• First Published: First published in Journal of Political Economy 127(3): 1178-1209
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced in accordance with the publisher copyright policy