Joshua Buckman of University College London and colleagues conducted a retrospective cohort study and found that Muslims are less likely to respond to psychotherapy than members of other faiths and the non-religious. The analysis included more than 70,000 people (average age 39.2 years; 68.2 percent women) who received psychotherapy for anxiety and depression at five London NHS Trust sites from 2011 to 2020 and reported their religious affiliation. Religious affiliation was assessed across four groups: non-religious, Christians, Muslims, and adherents of any other religion (a sensitivity analysis included Buddhists, Hindus, Jews, Sikhs, and others). The results were published in JAMA Network Open.
After adjusting for sociodemographic, treatment-related, and clinical characteristics, the odds of sustained recovery after psychotherapy were lowest among Muslims. Compared with non-believers, the odds ratio was 1.34; among Christians, 1.39; and among those of other religions, 1.25. This association was weaker among Asian, Black, and mixed-race Muslims, and stronger among Whites and those of other ethnic backgrounds.
