Health

What the research shows about the connection between substance abuse, mental health, and life expectancy and their relation to family structure and religious practice.

Health Videos

 
  • Religious Practice Matters to Teens Religious Practice Matters to Teens Adolescents who regularly participate in religious activities, pray, and/or place greater importance on religion in their lives are less likely to engage in high-risk behavior such as substance abuse and sexual activity. In addition, they are less likely to exhibit anti-social behavior such as vandalism and delinquency.
  • Religious Attendance Creates Better Citizens Religious Attendance Creates Better Citizens Frequent attendance at religious services has been linked to greater civic engagement, such as volunteerism, charitable donations, and informal acts of giving in both religious and non-religious contexts.
  • Strong Families Help Kids to “Just Say No” Strong Families Help Kids to The intact family appears to act as a protective factor against substance abuse among young people. Living with married biological or adoptive parents is associated with a lower risk of adolescent substance abuse, including smoking, drinking, and drug use.
  • The Importance of Fathers The Importance of Fathers Fathers’ involvement in their children’s lives contributes to a variety of positive outcomes for children and youth, including higher academic performance and a decreased likelihood of anti-social behavior, early sexual activity, teen pregnancy, and substance abuse.
  • Religious Practice is Preparation for Life Religious Practice is Preparation for Life Religious practice leads to a variety of positive social outcomes, such as greater family stability and parental involvement and lower levels of drinking and smoking. In addition, religious behavior is related to an increased likelihood of volunteerism, charity, electoral participation, and civic engagement.
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