SPIRITUALITY AS A RESOURCE FOR MENTAL HEALTH PROMOTION: AN INTEGRATIVE REVIEW

Abstract

Spirituality has been increasingly recognized as a factor associated with the promotion of mental health, encompassing existential dimensions that transcend exclusively biomedical models. The present article provides an integrative review of the scientific literature published between 2020 and 2025, based on empirical studies, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses, examining the relationship between spirituality and religiosity and mental health indicators, as well as the underlying psychological and social mechanisms. The review was conducted in the PubMed/MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and Scopus databases, supplemented by hand-searching of selected scientific journals. Nine studies met the predefined inclusion criteria and were incorporated into the final synthesis. Recent evidence suggests that higher levels of spirituality are associated with lower depressive and anxiety symptoms, greater resilience, and better emotional regulation, with associations that are predominantly small to moderate in magnitude. These findings appear to be mediated by processes such as positive religious coping, meaning-making, and social support, which may be reinforced within community-based contexts of shared belonging and collective identity. However, unfavorable outcomes linked to negative religious coping have also been documented, reflecting poorer mental health indicators and underscoring the need for ethically grounded, non-doctrinal, and culturally sensitive approaches. It is concluded that the careful integration of spirituality may represent a relevant complementary resource in the promotion of psychological well-being, highlighting the need for future longitudinal research and for the development of context-sensitive, non-confessional approaches within the field of Health Education.