Exploring the Relationship between Spirituality and Health Outcomes in India: A Review

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20054955

Parul Patneja, Laxmi Rani, and Sandeep Singh (Department of Applied Psychology, Guru Jambheshwar University of Science & Technology, Hisar, Haryana)

Spirituality plays an important role in physical, psychological, and social health. Spirituality and its effect on health have gained attention for many years. It not only manages diseases in individuals but also acts as a preventive and protective factor for them. The present review aims to synthesize previous researches on the relationship between spirituality and health outcomes, and also identify research gaps in Indian studies. It synthesizes studies conducted in India that studied the relationship between spirituality and physical, psychological, and social health outcomes. Findings suggest that spirituality is significantly associated with better physical health, promotes psychological well-being, and improves social functioning. Higher levels of spirituality are linked to reduced stress, better coping abilities, improved psychological well-being, and enhanced quality of life. We also found that most Indian studies are cross-sectional in nature and rely primarily on self-report measures, which may increase the likelihood of response bias and limit causal interpretation. Future research should include other measures and focus on longitudinal and intervention-based studies within the Indian context to obtain a more detailed understanding of the role of spirituality in health.