Religious affiliation and psychiatric morbidity in Brazil: higher rates among evangelicals and spiritists.
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.
Dalgalarrondo
Paulo
P
Department of Medical Psychology and Psychiatry, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, School of Medical Sciences, Campinas, SP, Brazil. pdalga@fcm.unicamp.br
Marín-León
Leticia
L
Botega
Neury José
NJ
Berti De Azevedo Barros
Marilisa
M
Bosco De Oliveira
Helenice
H
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