Religion and Depression in Adolescence
利用校内同伴差异处理选择偏差，发现宗教虔诚对青少年抑郁有因果抑制作用，且对重度抑郁者更强；这种效应并非通过学校社交环境传导，而是通过缓冲压力实现。
Depression is the leading cause of illness and disability in adolescence. Many studies show a correlation between religiosity and mental health, yet the question remains whether the relationship is causal. We exploit within-school variation in adolescents' peers to deal with selection into religiosity. We find robust effects of religiosity on depression that are stronger for the most depressed. These effects are not driven by the school social context; depression spreads among close friends rather than through broader peer groups that affect religiosity. Exploration of mechanisms suggests that religiosity buffers against stressors in ways that school activities and friendships do not.