A recent study investigated the relationship between religiousness, sexual orientation, and depression among emerging adults in U.S. higher education. The study analyzed data from 103,161 undergraduate and graduate students who participated in the Healthy Minds Study during the 2020–2021 academic year.

Religiousness—defined as religious affiliation and the perceived importance of religion—was generally associated with lower odds of depression. Among Christian students, greater religious importance was associated with reduced rates of depression; however, this protective effect was primarily observed among heterosexual students. For sexual minority students, the associations were weaker or not statistically significant.

Overall, 42% of the sample met the criteria for moderately severe or severe depression (PHQ-9 score greater than or equal to 10). Prevalence was higher among sexual minority groups: 53.8% of gay/lesbian students, 64.5% of bisexual students, and 62.8% of those identifying as queer, questioning, or other, compared with 36.8% of heterosexual students.

“Associations between religious importance and depression varied across sexual minority groups and religious affiliations,” said Hans Oh, PhD, of the Suzanne Dworak Peck School of Social Work at USC in PLOS Mental Health.

Among Catholic students, the association between religious importance and lower odds of depression was statistically significant for students identifying as queer, questioning, or other. Among Christian students overall, religious affiliation was associated with lower odds of depression (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.70; 95% CI, 0.66–0.75), while non-Christian affiliation was not significantly associated with depression. Students reporting multiple religious affiliations had greater odds of depression (aOR, 1.09; 95% CI, 1.01–1.18).

The authors noted the complexity of the association between religiousness and mental health, particularly for sexual minority students. Experiences of discrimination within religious contexts may limit access to mental health benefits commonly associated with religious involvement.

The study highlights the importance of considering the intersection of religious affiliation and sexual orientation when addressing mental health among emerging adults in higher education.

The authors reported no conflicts of interest.