Recent research conducted by BYU religion professor Justin Dyer found an increase in temple attendance may improve mental health.
A report published in October 2024 from the Family Foundations of Youth Development project found a correlation between temple attendance and decreased depression over time among youth Church members.
The project surveyed 1,000 individuals between ages 12 and 20 in Utah and Arizona since 2016, assessing the relationship between temple attendance, youth characteristics, worship practices, disaffiliation with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, mental health and character. The project examined Church members, members of other religions and those who are not religious. The data from the report focused specifically on Church members.
“The overall purpose was to better understand adolescent faith development and how that influenced and was influenced by mental health and family relationships,” Dyer said.
According to the World Health Organization, 14% of adolescents ages 10 to 19 experience mental health issues. Depressive disorders can be found in 1.4% of 10- to 14-year-olds and 3.5% of 15- to 19-year-olds.
“Protecting adolescents from adversity, promoting socio-emotional learning and psychological well-being, and ensuring access to mental health care are critical for their health and well-being during adolescence and adulthood,” the World Health Organization said.
Dyer said past research on religion and mental health has typically found people who are more religious may have better mental health. However, he said temple attendance had not yet been considered in this type of research.
“It's an indicator of an individual that is perhaps more than a fairly engaged person within the religion because (temple attendance is) not necessarily a requirement,” Dyer said. “You have to meet certain standards in order to do it, and it's a fairly, if you will, deep religious practice where you're engaging in religious practice, religious ceremonies with others.”
The report also found having depression can lead to a decrease in temple attendance.
“When we connect up our religious life with the more, if you will, secular sorts of things,” Dyer said, “that's really important to make us, if you will, whole individuals and just to demonstrate how these religious kinds of things do have an influence on the other parts of our lives.”
Dyer hoped this research can help others note the benefits of religious practices such as temple attendance.
“It's important to recognize that not everybody that attends the temple is going to experience a decrease in depression,” Dyer said. “But, whenever we get outside of ourselves and when we're able to participate in these kinds of things with other individuals, you feel deeper senses of belonging. You feel closer to God, and then, as a byproduct of that, can be feeling better in terms of their mental health.”
Lorenzo Shakespeare, a BYU family studies major, worked on the Family Foundations of Youth Development research with Dyer. Shakespeare recommended parents organize temple trips with their children and establish appreciation for the temple.
“(It) will really help self-sufficiency and mental health in the long run because that seems to be the pattern, that the more united the family is in spirituality, the better the mental health is,” Shakespeare said.
Shakespeare also hoped adolescents recognize the temple as a place for the salvation of souls and see that it can make a positive impact on one’s life.
Shakespeare said he has tried to attend the temple each week after returning from his mission three years ago. While he is not perfect at achieving this goal, he noticed frequent temple attendance has made a difference in his life.
“I feel like I have an anchor in the temple,” Shakespeare said. “I have plenty of mental health stuff just like everybody does. But, I've noticed that to have kind of one foot in the temple and one foot out really makes a big difference with the way that I see myself, the way that I can see that I can overcome things.”
He said temple attendance has improved his patience, love towards others and himself, social life and education.
Eliza Peterson, a research assistant for the Family Foundations of Youth Development project, hoped this research may influence people to attend the temple more often.
“If the temple does not currently help someone in this way, I hope this research is not used to hurt them or make them feel less than, but that it can be a way to see a different perspective,” Peterson said. “For parents and leaders, I hope this encourages them to dig deeper into their own temple experience so that they can help their struggling youth.”
Peterson said she works in the temple, which allows her to attend every week.
“I have actually struggled emotionally with some parts of the temple, but being in the temple often has given me the chance to seek the Lord more often and even overcome some of those challenges,” Peterson said. “Going and being intentional has stretched me in good ways.”
Peterson stressed statistical analysis presents the average experience of attending the temple. She clarified there are people on both sides of that average — those whose mental health is very positively affected by temple attendance and those who do not feel an effect at all.
“Knowing that it helps the average youth have better mental health can help leaders and parents be more confident in promoting temple attendance to their youth generally, but it is important to also minister to the one who is not experiencing things in the ideal way,” Peterson said.
The report also found temple attendance decreased over time, scripture study may increase temple attendance and a lack of temple attendance increased likelihood of disaffiliation with the Church.