Pholphirul Piriya, Srijamdee Kitisak
Graduate School of Development Economics, National Institute of Development Administration, Klong-Chan, Bangkapi, Bangkok, 10240, Thailand.
Faculty of Economics, Ramkhamhaeng University, Hua Mak, Bangkapi, Bangkok, 10240, Thailand.
J Relig Health. 2025 Jun 19. doi: 10.1007/s10943-025-02354-y.
While research supports a positive link between religious practices and mental health, few studies examine the influence of multidimensional religious practices on diverse mental health outcomes, often focusing on Western, primarily Christian, populations. This study investigates this relationship among Thai Buddhists, addressing limitations of prior research that employed single-item religiosity measures and predominantly Western samples. Using national representative data from over 22,000 Thai Buddhists, we estimated binary probit models to examine the association between Buddhist practices and mental well-being. While age, education, and residence were associated with mental health, Buddhist activities and religious engagement were significantly associated with improved outcomes. Consistent daily practices (e.g., praying, giving alms), occasional practices (e.g., meditation, listening to sermons), and more demanding practices (e.g., ordaining) were all significantly associated with positive mental health, with ordaining demonstrating the strongest association. These findings suggest that integrating Buddhist activities into community health programs, supporting mindfulness initiatives, and training mental health professionals and religious leaders in collaborative holistic care could promote mental health among Thai Buddhists.
虽然研究支持宗教活动与心理健康之间存在积极联系，但很少有研究考察多维宗教活动对不同心理健康结果的影响，这些研究往往聚焦于西方主要是基督教人群。本研究调查了泰国佛教徒中的这种关系，解决了以往研究采用单项宗教信仰测量方法且主要以西方样本为主的局限性。利用来自22000多名泰国佛教徒的全国代表性数据，我们估计了二元概率模型，以检验佛教活动与心理健康之间的关联。虽然年龄、教育程度和居住情况与心理健康有关，但佛教活动和宗教参与与改善结果显著相关。持续的日常活动（如祈祷、施舍）、偶尔的活动（如冥想、听布道）以及要求更高的活动（如受戒）都与积极的心理健康显著相关，其中受戒的关联最为强烈。这些发现表明，将佛教活动纳入社区健康项目、支持正念倡议，以及培训心理健康专业人员和宗教领袖进行协作式整体护理，可能会促进泰国佛教徒的心理健康。
