The following is excerpted from an online article posted by StudyFinds
Across much of the developed world, raising children without religious faith has become increasingly common, even fashionable. But a sweeping new study spanning 70 countries and three decades of data raises an uncomfortable question: could that secular shift be linked to rising anxiety among children?
Countries where [religious faith] became less of a child-rearing priority over time tended to see anxiety rates in kids go up. The researchers write that their findings suggest “religiosity may serve as a protective factor by fostering a sense of purpose and social connectedness, globally.”
One notable finding: a child’s anxiety symptoms appeared more closely tied to how religious their broader community was than to whether their own mother was personally devout. A child growing up in a more religious social environment, one where faith-based values were widely shared, tended to fare better mentally even when accounting for the mother’s individual beliefs.
Researchers also ran an analysis tracking whether religiosity or anxiety came first across the years of the study. Lower maternal religiosity at age 3 was associated with higher anxiety in adolescence at age 15, while the reverse did not hold. That pattern is consistent with religiosity having a protective effect on children’s mental health over time, though researchers are careful to note it stops short of proof.
Source: StudyFinds
https://studyfinds.com/religion-declines-child-anxiety-rises/