The Experience of Sacred Moments and Mental Health Benefits Over Time

Sacred moments refer to experiences during which people perceive they encountered the sacred. The goal of the present study was to identify potential salutary effects of experiencing sacred moments over time. Participants included 2,889 adults (M age = 45.46 years; SD = 14.65) who completed online self-report questionnaires at baseline (T1) and 2 weeks (T2), 4 weeks (T3), 3 months (T4), and 6 months (T5) after baseline. Sacred moments were significantly related to engagement in religious and spiritual (r/s) activities and r/s belief salience at the T1 assessment. Relations between sacred moments and mental health variables over time were examined by conducting bivariate latent growth curve models (LCGMs). We included age, sex, and participation in r/s activities (measured at T1) as time-invariant covariates of intercepts and slopes for all variables. Results from LCGMs indicated that people who had higher levels of sacred moments over the course of the study had greater levels of mental health. In addition, people with lower levels of mental health overall were more likely to experience increases in sacred moments over time. Finally, people who had higher levels of sacred moments at baseline showed no change in level of perceived stress, depressed distress, or anxious distress. The paper concludes with a discussion of limitations and future directions for research, as well as the potential benefits of helping individuals cultivate the sacred in their daily lives.

Automated summary

The present study aimed to examine the effects of sacred moments on mental health. The results indicated that individuals who had more sacred moments throughout the study had higher levels of mental health. Moreover, individuals with lower overall mental health were more likely to experience an increase in sacred moments over time.