Longitudinal relationships of religion with posttreatment depression severity in older psychiatric patients: evidence of direct and indirect effects.

Longitudinal relationships of religion with posttreatment depression severity in older psychiatric patients: evidence of direct and indirect effects.
Depress Res Treat. 2012;2012:745970
Authors: Hayward RD, Owen AD, Koenig HG, Steffens DC, Payne ME
Abstract
Psychiatric patients (age 59+) were assessed before study treatment for major depressive disorder, and again after 3 months. Measures taken before study treatment included facets of religiousness (subjective religiosity, private prayer, worship attendance, and religious media use), social support, and perceived stress. Clinician-rated depression severity was assessed both before and after treatment using the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS). Structural equation modeling was used to test a path model of direct and indirect effects of religious factors via psychosocial pathways. Subjective religiousness was directly related to worse initial MADRS, but indirectly related to better posttreatment MADRS via the pathway of more private prayer. Worship attendance was directly related to better initial MADRS, and indirectly related to better post-treatment MADRS via pathways of lower stress, more social support, and more private prayer. Private prayer was directly related to better post-treatment MADRS. Religious media use was related to more private prayer, but had no direct relationship with MADRS.
PMID: 22461982 [PubMed]

Source: Depression Research and Treatment - March 9, 2013 Category: Psychiatry Tags: Depress Res Treat Source Type: research