A new report is showing that church attendance may improve mental health outcomes. The report, entitled “The Religion and Mental Health Connection” by the Wheatley Institute, analyzed various mental health issues like depression, anxiety, suicide, substance abuse, stress and emotional well-being. It is the first in a three-part series that will also explore religion’s impact on physical and social health as well.

The report analyzed over 1,000 studies, with 961 finding a positive association between faith activities and mental and 101 that found negative associations. “Across the mental health domains we examined, the best available science indicates that religious beliefs, practices and participation in faith communities are most often linked to improved mental health outcomes,” said report lead author, Loren D. Marks. Eighty-nine percent of the studies showed lower depression rates amongst religious individuals. In one study, women who attended religious services weekly were 75% less likely to commit suicide over a 16-year period, while men were 48% less likely over 26 years. The report showed similar results for depression, with 74% showing better outcomes for religious individuals. Sixty-nine percent of the studies found lower levels of anxiety amongst religious individuals as well. The study also showed that the more regularly involved a person is in those activities, the better the outcomes. “It is not nominal affiliation but committed religious involvement that appears to matter most,” the report stated.

Shima Baughman, a law professor and a Distinguished Fellow at Wheatley Institute pointed out religion’s significant impact on addiction. “…it’s like 93% were showing that the addiction was just so much less likely to be a problem if you regularly went to church,” she told KSL TV. She also said that church attendance’s benefits went well beyond mere social interaction. “People think that, well, it’s just a social interaction … and it’s actually not,” she said. “Social clubs, mahjong groups, sports clubs, political groups, that’s not going to give you the same effect as active religious engagement.”

Baughman stated that the best thing for those with mental health issues is to begin or continue attending religious activities, even when it’s hard to want to. “Religion is part of the solution … it’s a kind of part of the, a holistic solution on helping with your mental health. If you’re having a hard, hard time, you should just try to keep going.”