Spirituality and Anxiety

Pandemic May Have Triggered Second “Midlife Crisis” for Over-50s

Anxiety and depression that occurred as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic appear to trigger a second “midlife crisis” in those aged 50 and older. Researchers say women struggled more than men with psychological distress during the pandemic, and this may exacerbate and accelerate neurodegeneration, mental health, and overall health disorders.

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Classic Psychedelic Use and Mechanisms of Mental Health: Exploring the Mediating Roles of Spirituality and Emotion Processing on Symptoms of Anxiety, Depressed Mood, and Disordered Eating in a Community Sample

Journal of Humanistic Psychology, Ahead of Print. A resurgence of research has begun to systematically examine the relationship between psychedelic use and mental health and well-being. Although preliminary findings examining the therapeutic value of these substances show promise, the mechanisms through which psychedelic use may predict reduced mental distress remain poorly understood. To this end, we surveyed a community sample of individuals (n = 159) who endorsed lifetime psychedelic use to examine relationships among psychedelic use and self-reported spirituality, difficulties in emotion regulation, and symptoms of mental health issues. Results revealed a pathway through which classic psychedelic use predicted greater spirituality, which in turn predicted better emotion regulation, ultimately predicting lower levels of anxiety, depressed mood, and disordered eating. These results contribute to our understanding of potential mechanisms of change with respect to psychedelics and mental health. They also add to the growing body of literature pointing to the healing effects of the cultivation of spirituality and emotion regulation as separate and related constructs.

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Impulsivity, suicidal thoughts, psychological distress, and religiosity in adolescents and young adults

Impulsivity is associated with suicidal acts and ideation, whereas higher religious commitment has been identified as a potential protective factor linked to lower suicidal ideation. … … Non-planning impulsivity (predictor) was inversely associated with religious commitment (r = −0.33, p < 0.01), and religious commitment (mediator) was inversely related to suicidal ideation (outcome) (r = −0.32, p < 0.01). These findings remained statistically

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