Spiritually significant places as adaptive psycho-spatial resources: Mattering struggles, spiritual ties to place, and mental well-being in US adults

This study explores how mattering struggles and spiritual ties to place relate to mental well-being in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. We used cross-sectional data from a nationally representative sample of US adults ( n = 3640) who reported their experiences of mattering struggles, perceived increase in spiritual ties to place, and perceived change in mental well-being since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Mattering struggles were associated with a perceived decline in mental well-being, while perceived increase in spiritual ties to place was associated with a perceived improvement in mental well-being. Adjusting for relevant covariates, there was evidence of a two-way interaction between mattering struggles and perceived increase in spiritual ties to place (i.e. a sense of connection to the sacred in place) on perceived change in mental well-being, such that mattering struggles were less strongly associated with a perceived decline in mental well-being when perceived increase in spiritual ties to place was higher compared with when it was lower. These preliminary cross-sectional findings introduce the possibility that spiritual ties to place may attenuate the negative association of mattering struggles with mental well-being, and lay the groundwork for further work inquiring into the role of place-based spiritual resources in supporting mental health among people experiencing struggles around mattering.