Content area
Full Text
J Relig Health (2017) 56:269283
DOI 10.1007/s10943-016-0282-z
ORIGINAL PAPER
David R. Paine1 Steven J. Sandage1
Published online: 9 July 2016 Springer Science+Business Media New York 2016
Abstract Multiple studies have examined the relationship between religious involvement and depression. Many of these investigations reveal a negative correlation between these constructs. Several others yield either no association or a positive correlation. In this article, we discuss possible explanations for these discrepant ndings. We investigate the degree to which relational spirituality factors mediate the relationship between religious involvement and depression in a sample of graduate students. Results indicated that spiritual instability and disappointment in God were distinct predictors of depression over and above the predictive strength of religious involvement. Implications for training and conceptualization are discussed.
Keywords Religion Spirituality Depression Training
Introduction
Scholarly interest in the association between religion and spirituality (R/S) and mental health has grown extensively over the past two decades (see Hill and Pargament 2008; Koenig 2012). Researchers have demonstrated that religious and spiritual factors are correlated with decreased anxiety, decreased depressive symptoms, lower levels of substance abuse, and a greater sense of meaning and purpose in life (Koenig 2012). However, recent empirical ndings reveal that individuals also experience religious and spiritual struggles, which are linked with negative mental health outcomes (Exline et al. 2014). Divergent ndings on religion and spirituality are evident in studies of religious involvement and depression. Religious involvement may be understood as a construct
& David R. Paine [email protected]
1 The Albert and Jessie Danielsen Institute at Boston University, 185 Bay State Rd, Boston, MA,
USA
http://crossmark.crossref.org/dialog/?doi=10.1007/s10943-016-0282-z&domain=pdf
Web End = http://crossmark.crossref.org/dialog/?doi=10.1007/s10943-016-0282-z&domain=pdf
Web End = Religious Involvement and Depression: The Mediating Effect of Relational Spirituality
123
270 J Relig Health (2017) 56:269283
comprised of (1) the importance individuals place on their religious beliefs (Koenig et al. 2014; Pargament et al. 1988; Schnittker 2001; Worthington et al. 2003) and (2) engagement in communal religious activities (see Ai et al. 2013; Koenig et al. 2014; Krause 2009). While multiple studies indicate religious involvement is negatively associated with depressive symptoms (see Koenig 2012), several studies yield either no association (Koenig et al. 2014) or a positive association (Eliassen et al. 2005; Miller et al. 2008). Contrasting ndings suggest that the relationship between religious involvement and...