The nation’s mental health crisis seems to be getting worse, but is the remedy much closer to home than we think?
The problem is particularly sharp among youth, with recently published research in Pediatrics showing as many as 40 percent of high schoolers reporting persistent sadness and hopelessness, and a frightening 10 percent report having attempted suicide.
But religious practice, it seems, can offer protection. Recently, the Wheatley Institute published a report which found that religious involvement is associated with better mental, physical and social health.
It’s therefore not surprising that the rise of religious non-affiliation over the last 40 years has been accompanied by the epidemic of loneliness, suicide, and explosive growth in mental illness.
This certainly isn’t the only driver of the crisis. The smartphone revolution, and the social media and digital mazes it has produced, has undoubtedly contributed.
Yet, even here, religious practice tends to mitigate and protect from the effects of this horrific situation.
And, while religious non-affiliation appears to have plateaued in the last few years, it remains at or near all-time historic highs. The rise of the “nones” is often described by the phenomenon of “generational succession” by sociologists.
This simply means that religious non-affiliation is the result of younger generations being less religious than previous ones. To say this differently, parents over the last 40 years have been less effective at transmitting faith to their kids than in the past.
Research recently released provides insights to parents on how they can better share faith practice and increase the likelihood that their children do not join the “nones” when they reach adulthood.
Drawing on data from more than 60,000 Americans, Passing the Torch: How Faith Moves Across Generations, examines the factors behind carrying faith into adulthood.
The new report – commissioned by the Institute for Family Studies and Communio – showed that those who grew up in households with regular conversations about faith were more than twice as likely to attend church, pray daily, and say religion was very important to them in young adulthood.
The good news here is that any parent reading this can start having conversations about faith today. They don’t need to be a pastor or biblical scholar; they can simply ask questions and ask their kids what they might need prayer for.
The report also found that children were more likely to carry religious practice into adulthood when they saw their parents attending church and praying, when family prayer and grace before meals were part of normal life, and when they grew up with strong relationships with both parents.
A top-line conclusion in this new report is that marriage matters – a ton!
Adults whose parents remained married when the child was 12 were more likely to attend church weekly, pray daily, read the Bible, believe in God, and place a high importance on their faith.
The powerful influence of a parent’s marriage on a child’s religious practice is also seen directly in their future mental health. New data gathered by the Austin Institute’s 2025 Relationships in America Survey found that adults today whose parents divorced before they were 18 were 70 percent more likely to be depressed than those adults whose parents remained married. Those whose parents never married were twice as likely to report feeling depressed as adults than intact, married families. Adults whose parents never married or who divorced were also far more likely to feel lonely.
For policymakers and those who aren’t religious or who are indifferent to marriage, they ought to care about these findings because of their concern for the health of their fellow Americans and the health of our nation.
So for parents, loving the one you’re with by investing in your marriage relationship through activities like a regular date night, praying together, or attending an annual marriage class will also go a long way to protecting your kids from problems down the road.
Being intentional in the religious formation of your kids will increase the likelihood that your children will live a healthy life and flourish as adults. Marriage matters!
J.P. De Gance is the founder and president of Communio, a nonprofit ministry that trains and equips churches, focusing on the renewal of healthy relationships, marriages, and the family. He is the co-author of 'Endgame: The Church’s Strategic Move to Save Faith and Family in America’.