Despite the prediction that religion would wane in the 21st century, evidence suggests otherwise. It is important therefore for mental health professionals to understand the role of religion in the lives of their clients and to appreciate its impact on mental health. Research suggests a moderate inverse relationship between religion and depression and anxiety with some cross-cultural support. The relationship is however complex and context needs to be taken into account. The effect of culture and the importance of intrinsic religiosity are discussed. Much research is conducted in the US in the field of psychiatry, suggesting a gap in the British psychological literature. Some implications for clinical practice are discussed. The interplay between religion, culture and wellbeing is discussed

There is a long-standing debate on whether high-achieving students experience a better or worse psychological well-being than their peers. This retrospective cohort study adds to the current literature by examining the differences in rates of psychological disorders, social anxiety, and perfectionism between high-achieving and typical undergraduate students. A convenience sample of 357 students was gathered from the University of Central Florida (UCF). Participants were asked to fill out a brief survey which included questions about demographics, grade point average (GPA), social anxiety, perfectionism, enrollment in The Burnett Honors College, inclusion in any childhood gifted programs, and diagnosis of psychological disorders. Two groups (a High-Achieving group and a Comparison group) were formed based on GPA scores and enrollment in The Burnett Honors College at UCF. Relative risk and chi-squared analyses were conducted to see if there was a significant relationship between group classification and the incidence of psychological disorders, self-injury, and social anxiety. T-tests were used to compare group means of social anxiety and perfectionism. A statistically significant relationship was found between group classification and the incidence of psychological disorders, self-injury, and social anxiety (p = .033, p = .028, and p < .001). The High-Achieving group scored significantly higher on the SPAI-23 SP Subscale (p = .032), the SPAI-23 Difference Score (p < .001), and the APS-R Standards Subscale (p < 0.001). Altogether, the findings of this study indicate that High-Achieving undergraduate students experience a worse psychological well-being than their typical undergraduate student peers.

Lindahl Waldenström, Simon (2016). Ledarskap, kreativitet och mental hälsa, Förändringsorienterat ledarskap och självskattad kreativitet ur ett arbetshälsovetenskapligt perspektiv. Projektkurs arbetshälsovetenskap, Högskolan i Gävle. Bakgrund: Den mentala ohälsan toppade listan för orsaker till sjukskrivningar i Sverige år 2015, samtidigt som den allt mer snabbföränderliga arbetsmarknaden ställer krav på kreativitet följt av innovation och i sin tur förändringsorienterat ledarskap inom organisationer. Typ av ledarskap är en viktig faktor gällande den mentala hälsan och möjlighet till kreativitet för medarbetare inom en organisatorisk kontext. Då kreativitet och förändringsorienterat ledarskap redan är vitt erkända faktorer för organisationers finansiella framgång hoppas studien kunna belysa dessas roll ur ett arbetshälsovetenskapligt perspektiv. Syfte: Syftet med studien var att undersöka hur förändringsinriktat ledarskap och kreativitet är associerat med mentala hälsan hos anställda. Metod: En tvärsnittsstudie utfördes. Alla deltagare(N=147) arbetade inom en organisation i Uppsala län, Sverige. För att mäta typ av ledarskap, mental hälsa och kreativitet användes tre väletablerade formulär; Cange-, produktion-, and employee-oriented leadership, The Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale och Epstein creativity competencies inventory. Två logistiska regressioner utfördes för att besvara syfte och frågeställningar. Resultat och slutsats: Resultatet från genomförd studie indikerar förändringsorienterat ledarskap som en positiv faktor i motverkande av ångest hos medarbetare inom en organisatorisk kontext. Det indikerar emellertid att det inte är förändringsorienterat ledarskap i sig som är av störst vikt att beakta i analyser av personalens upplevda ångest utan snarare möjlighet till kreativitet. Resultatet påvisar således framförallt vikten av möjligheten till kreativitet ur ett arbeteshälsovetenskapligt perspektiv men även förändringsorenterat ledarskap då studien visar på ett samspel faktorerna emellan. / Lindahl Waldenström, Simon (2016). Leadership, creativity and mental health. Change oriented leadership and opportunity for creativity from an occupational health science perspective. Project work in Health at work 15 credits, University of Gävle. Background: Mental illness topped the list of factors causing sick leave in Sweden in 2015 and is together with the opportunity for creativity highly affected by the type of leadership an employee is exposed to. Since creativity and change-oriented leadership already are recognized factors affecting organizations’ financial success this study will highlight their role from an occupational health perspective. Objective: The purpose of the study is to examine how change-oriented leadership and creativity is associated with mental health of employees. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted within an organization (N=147) to identify type of leadership, mental health and creativity. Three well-established methods were used; Change-, production, and employee -oriented leadership, The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and Epstein Creativity Competencies Inventory. Results and Conclusion: The results indicated an association between change-oriented leadership and anxiety, where lack of change-oriented leadership increased risk of anxiety among employees. Furthermore, the results indicated that the opportunity for creativity play a crucial role in the association between change-oriented leadership and anxiety, thus indicating change -oriented leadership and creativity as important factors for mental health in organizational contexts.

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