Spirituality and multiple dimensions of religion are associated with mental health in gay and bisexual men: Results from the One Thousand Strong panel

Background: The impact of religion/spirituality on mental health among gay/bisexual men  (GBM) is understudied; they are often measured as unidimensional constructs with a focus on negative health outcomes.

Methods: 1,071 racially diverse, nationally recruited GBM completed an online survey that measured sociodemographic characteristics, religiosity, religious coping, spirituality, exposure to religious antigay messages (RAMS) in religious settings, depression, rejection sensitivity, resilience, and social support. Hierarchal linear regressions determined the associations between each mental health variable and the sociodemographic variables and spirituality/religion variables.

Results: Only GBM who completed the RAMS (n=227) were included. These men were more likely to have completed college, had higher incomes, and higher levels of spirituality, religiosity, and religious coping than men who did not complete the RAMS. All spirituality and religion variables were significantly associated with mental health outcomes after controlling for sociodemographic variables. Spirituality was negatively associated with depression (p<.001) and rejection sensitivity (p<.05), and positively associated with resilience (p<.01) and social support (p=.001). Religiosity was positively associated with depression (p<.05). RAMS were positively associated with depression (p<.05) and rejection sensitivity (p<.05) but negatively associated with resilience (p<.05) and social support (p<.001).

Conclusions: Findings suggest that GBM with higher levels of spirituality have lower levels of negative mental health outcomes whereas men with higher levels of religiosity and RAMS have poorer mental health outcomes. Interventions aimed at reducing mental health disparities among GBM may benefit from being inclusive of spirituality.