An Irish study highlighted on April 23 in the Irish Catholic suggests pupils who are religious cope significantly better with mental health challenges. Religious belief and practice are associated with higher levels of psychological wellbeing among Irish secondary school students, according to research conducted across 10 post-primary schools. The study examined how faith, religious coping and belief in God relate to resilience, purpose and emotional health among adolescents.
The research was carried out by Ms Mannion, a lecturer in education at Mary Immaculate College, and involved more than 100 students in Transition Year and senior cycle classes. It forms part of a growing body of international evidence examining the relationship between religion and mental health among young people.
Participants completed questionnaires measuring three key areas: religiosity, religious coping and psychological wellbeing. Researchers defined religiosity as the degree to which students hold religious beliefs, engage in practices such as prayer, and identify with a faith tradition. Religious coping referred to the ways in which individuals draw on religion when dealing with stress, grief or uncertainty.
The study found that students who believed in God and reported stronger religious commitment were more likely to report higher levels of wellbeing and a clearer sense of purpose in life. Those who engaged in positive religious coping – such as prayer, trust in God, gratitude and forgiveness – also tended to report better emotional resilience.
One participant described the role of faith in managing stress, saying: “I can just say the Rosary and it kind of calms me down … if I’m having a very stressful day, I can just sit down and relax and pray.” Another student linked belief in divine providence to coping with adversity, stating: “If something bad happens, I feel like it’s happening for a reason … that God is there and that He has a plan.”
By contrast, the research found that negative forms of religious coping – including anger towards God, feelings of abandonment by the Church, or interpreting suffering as punishment – were associated with lower reported wellbeing. Researchers described the relationship between religion and mental health as “complex but meaningful”, rather than uniformly positive
The study also revealed a gap between religious identity and belief. While 80 participants identified as Catholic, only 55 reported belief in God, reflecting broader patterns of cultural affiliation without consistent religious conviction among young people in Ireland.
Ireland remains historically one of Europe’s most Catholic societies, with the Church playing a central role in education and social services throughout the 20th century. However, census data show a steady decline in religious practice and institutional trust in recent decades, particularly following social change and public scrutiny of Church governance. Despite this, surveys continue to find that many young people maintain some form of spiritual belief or religious identity.
International research has similarly identified links between religious participation and wellbeing among adolescents. Studies conducted by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and other academic institutions have reported associations between regular religious attendance and lower rates of depression, substance misuse and suicidal behaviour among young people, while emphasising that causation is difficult to establish.
Researchers in the Irish study also highlighted the social dimension of religion. Participation in parish groups, youth activities and shared worship was reported to foster friendships and a sense of belonging, factors widely recognised in psychological literature as protective for mental health. One student noted that involvement in parish life “helps me make friends … meeting people who feel the same or differently and being able to talk about it”.
