The Religious/Spiritual Beliefs, Behaviours and Health Research Programme is based at the University of Bristol. The overall programme of research is aimed at understanding whether different aspects of Religious/Spiritual Beliefs and Behaviours (RSBB) are associated with physical health, mental health and well-being. The primary data source for this research is the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC). It has been generously funded by two grants from the John Templeton Foundation (JTF).
Executive Summary (from JTF Grant no. 61917) as submitted in 2019
There is controversy among the public and academia as to whether RSBB influences any aspects of health, positively or negatively. Many studies are cross-sectional and therefore cannot assess causality, and a major large longitudinal study has long been needed to answer the question. Our research will use the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) which has followed parents and their offspring for 28-29 years, with information on changes over time including their RSBB and health.
A previous grant from JTF for Phase I has ensured that the participants have answered questions about their current RSBB in 2020. This research programme will address a number of major questions including whether any aspect of the RSBB of parents influences their own mental or physical health or that of their offspring, either by preventing or moderating ill health. In parallel we will determine the associations between the RSBB of the offspring themselves on their own health.
The results will be used to inform the public of any advantages (or disadvantages) of RSBB to health. Information on the parents and offspring are being linked with relevant new data collected by this project. Statistical analysis pays attention to identification of confounders, moderators and mediators, as well as to sex differences, and attempts to determine biological mechanisms such as inflammation as well as genetic and epigenetic associations.
Especial attention will be paid to determining whether individuals with RSBB are more resilient to stress, adversity and illness than those without RSBB. The study benefits by being multidisciplinary covering a variety of fields involved with different research questions, analyses and interpretation of results. This research programme is providing robust evidence to the Big Question as to whether and how different aspects of RSBB influence a wide range of health outcomes.
The Aims of the Programme
This project asks a number of major research questions concerning RSBB and their impact on health and well-being which include the following:
- Is there any evidence that the RSBB of adults is associated with health benefits or disadvantages in the short or long-term?
- Is the RSBB of one or both parents associated with the health of their offspring?
- Which factors mediate or moderate the health associations in (a) or (b)?
- If an individual has a particular disorder (e.g. asthma) or impairment (e.g. impaired hearing), or lives in an adverse environment (e.g. a violent household), is there any evidence that RSBB results in a less or more serious health outcome?
In addition, there are a number of more specific questions that this project will answer including:
- Almost a third of the study children attended a faith primary school. Does this influence their subsequent mental or physical health, or their RSBB?
- Are any health consequences of RSBB ‘explained’ by biomarkers indicating chronic inflammation or DNA methylation, or moderated by specific genes such as those related to oxytocin or serotonin?
- Is there evidence that individuals exposed to a traumatic childhood will be more resilient than their non-traumatised peers to long-term mental health consequences according to their own RSBB or that of their parents?
- Is there evidence that acute or chronic illness changes an individual’s RSBB, and is this associated with a difference in their well-being?
- Is there evidence that aspects of RSBB influence the health behaviours and/or parenting behaviours of the individual and, if so, whether this mediates any associations found with health outcomes?
Elsewhere in this site we outline ways in which we are addressing these aims with outlines of the new data collected, the publications and conference presentations and our future plans.