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Heroin Addiction and Related Clinical Problems: 2024, 26, 39

Association between religiosity/spirituality and opioid abuse: A systematic review

Alessandra Buja, Laura Montecchio, Daniele Vo, and Roberta Lo Bue

Digital Object Identifier:
https://doi.org/10.62401/2531-4122-2024-39

Summary: Background. The literature provides evidence of religiosity being associated with physical and mental health. The objective of this systematic review is to verify the existence of an association between people's religiosity/spirituality and opioid use disorder. Methods. A systematic literature review was conducted in the PubMed and Scopus databases to identify observational (cross-sectional, cohort, and case-control) studies investigating an association between R/S and opioid use. Results. Of the 3912 articles identified in the databases, 13 met our inclusion criteria and were included in our systematic review. Seven of the 13 studies reviewed specifically reported a negative association between religiosity and opioid abuse; 4 did not find any significant association, and 1 showed conflicting evidence. Of the two studies that measured spirituality, only one found that higher spirituality was associated with less opioid use. Conclusion. The review found that religion may be associated with a decreased likelihood of opioid substance abuse. However, longitudinal studies are needed to shed more light on this hypothesis.

Keywords: Religiosity; Spirituality; Opioids; Drug; Systematic Review