title: Religious affiliation and psychiatric morbidity in Brazil: higher rates among evangelicals and spiritists.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To verify the association between the prevalence of mental symptoms and excessive alcohol intake with religious affiliation, church attendance and personal religiosity.
  
  
  METHODS
  A household survey of 515 adults randomly sampled included the WHO SUPRE-MISS questionnaire, SRQ-20 and AUDIT. Weighted prevalences were estimated and logistic analyses were performed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Minor psychiatric morbidity was greater among Spiritists and Protestants/ Evangelicals than in Catholics and in the ;no-religion' group. The latter had a greater frequency of abusive alcohol drinking pattern and Protestants/Evangelicals showed lower drinking patterns.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although belonging to Protestant/Evangelical churches in Brazil may inhibit alcohol involvement it seems to be associated to a higher frequency of depressive symptoms. Processes of seeking relief in new religious affiliations among sub-groups with previous minor psychiatric symptoms may probably occur in the Brazilian society.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Psychology and Psychiatry, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, School of Medical Sciences, Campinas, SP, Brazil. pdalga@fcm.unicamp.br
authors.forename: Paulo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Dalgalarrondo
authors.forename: Leticia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Marín-León
authors.forename: Neury José
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Botega
authors.forename: Marilisa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Berti De Azevedo Barros
authors.forename: Helenice
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Bosco De Oliveira
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D008875:Middle Aged; D033303:Protestantism; D012067:Religion; D013140:Spiritualism; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014505:Urban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D055815:Young Adult