Top

Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology

Published in:

01-03-2014 | Original Paper

The effect of spirituality and religious attendance on the relationship between psychological distress and negative life events

Authors: Rubeena Kidwai, Brent E. Mancha, Qiana L. Brown, William W. Eaton

Published in: Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology | Issue 3/2014

Abstract

Purpose

The aim of this study was to assess the effect of religious attendance and spirituality on the relationship between negative life events and psychological distress.

Methods

This was a cross-sectional study of 1,071 community dwelling adults from East Baltimore, Maryland who participated in the fourth (2004–2005) wave of the Baltimore Epidemiologic Catchment Area study. The 20-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-20) was used to measure psychological distress. Multiple regression models were used to assess the association between negative life events and distress as well as to measure the effect of religious attendance and spirituality on the association between psychological distress and negative events while adjusting for demographic variables, past distress and social support from friends and relatives.

Results

In pooled analysis, negative events were significant predictors of distress, b = 1.00, β = 0.072, p < 0.05. Religious attendance and spirituality did not affect or modify the association between negative events and distress. However, religious attendance was inversely associated with distress with higher frequency of attendance associated with lower distress after controlling for demographic and social support factors, b = −2.10, β = −.110, p < 0.01 for attending 1–3 times a month; b = −2.39, β = −0.156, p < 0.01 for attending weekly; and b = −3.13, β = −0.160, p < 0.001 for attending more than once per week. In stratified analysis, negative events were associated with distress for those who were low on spirituality, b = 1.23, β = 0.092, p < .05, but not for those who were high on spirituality; the association between religious attendance and decreased distress was true only for those scoring high in spirituality. Social support accounted for some of the inverse association between religious and distress.

Conclusion

Religious attendance and spirituality may play a role in how people experience and deal with difficult life situations.

Beard JR, Heathcote K, Brooks R, Earnest A, Kelly B (2007) Predictors of mental disorders and their outcome in a community based cohort. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 42:623–630. doi:10.1007/s00127-007-0182-3 PubMedCrossRef

Koenig HG, King DE, Carson VB (2012a) Coping with stress. In: Handbook of religion and health, 2nd edn. Oxford University Press, NewYork, pp 74–93

Bjorck JP, Thurman JW (2007) Negative life events, patterns of positive and negative religious coping, and psychological functioning. J Sci Study Relig 46(2):159–167. doi:10.1111/j.1468-5906.2007.00348.x CrossRef

Koenig HG, King DE, Carson VB (2012b) Definitions In Handbook of religion and health, 2nd edn. Oxford University Press, NewYork, pp 35–50

Koenig HG (2011). Definitions. in spirituality and health research: methods, measurement, statistics, and resources. Templeton Press, West Conshohoken, pp 193–206

Tanyi RA (2002) Towards clarification and meaning of the meaning of spirituality. J Adv Nurs 39(5):500–509PubMedCrossRef

Pargament KI (1999) The psychology of religion and spirituality? Yes and no. Int Psychol Relig 9(1):3–16CrossRef

Pargament KI, Brant CR (1998) Religion and coping. In: Koenig HG (ed) Handbook of religion and mental health. Academic Press, San Diego, pp 111–128CrossRef

McIntosh DN, Silver RC, Wortman CB (1993) Religion’s role in adjustment to a negative life event: coping with the loss of a child. J Personal Soc Psychol 65(4):812–821. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.65.4.812 CrossRef

10.

Kelley MM, Chan KT (2012) Assessing the Role of Attachment to God, Meaning, and Religious Coping as Mediators in the Grief Experience. Death Stud 36(3):199–227. doi:10.1080/07481187.2011.553317 PubMedCrossRef

11.

Rand KL, Cripe LD, Monahan PO, Tong Y, Schmidt K, Rawl SM (2012) Illness appraisal, religious coping, and psychological responses in men with advanced cancer. Support Care Cancer 20(8):1719–1728. doi:10.1007/s00520-011-1265-y PubMedCrossRef

12.

Webb AP, Ellison CG, McFarland MJ, Lee JW, Morton K, Walters J (2010) Divorce, religious coping, and depressive symptoms in a conservative protestant religious group. Fam Relat Interdiscip J Appl Fam Stud 59(5):544–557CrossRef

13.

O’Connor DB, Cobb J, O’Connor RC (2003) Religiosity, stress and psychological distress: no evidence for an association among undergraduate students. Personal Individ Differ 34(2):211–217. doi:10.1016/s0191-8869(02)00035-1 CrossRef

14.

Brown DR, Gary LE, Greene AD, Milburn NG (1992) Patterns of social affiliation as predictors of depressive symptoms among urban Blacks. J Health Soc Beh 33(3):242–253. doi:10.2307/2137354 CrossRef

15.

Schwadel P, Falci CD (2012) Interactive effects of church attendance and religious tradition on depressive symptoms and positive affect. Sociology Department, Faculty Publications, Paper 171. http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/sociologyfacpub/171

16.

Maselko J, Gilman SE, Buka S (2009) Religious service attendance and spiritual well-being are differentially associated with risk of major depression. Psychol Med 39(6):1009–1017. doi:10.1017/s0033291708004418 PubMedCentralPubMedCrossRef

17.

Farhood LF, Dimassi H (2012) Prevalence and predictors for post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and general health in a population from six villages in South Lebanon. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 47:639–649. doi:10.1007/s00127-011-0368-6 PubMedCrossRef

18.

Falco’n LM, Todorova I, Tucker K (2009) Social support, life events, and psychological distress among the Puerto Rican population in the Boston area of the United States. Aging Ment Health 13(6):863–873CrossRef

19.

Nezlek JB, Allen MR (2006) Social support as a moderator of day-to-day relationships between daily negative life events and daily psychological well-being. Eur J Personal 20:53–68. doi:10.1002/per.566 CrossRef

20.

Chen YY, Contrada RJ (2007) Religious involvement and perceived social support: interactive effects on cardiovascular reactivity to laboratory Stressors. J Appl Biobehav Res 12(1):1–12CrossRef

21.

George LK, Ellison CG, Larson DB (2002) Target article: explaining the relationships between religious involvement and health. Psychol Inq 13(3):190–200. doi:10.1207/S15327965PLI1303_04 CrossRef

22.

Hughes JW, Tomlinson A, Blumenthal JA, Davidson J, Sketch MH, Watkins LL (2004) Social support and religiosity as coping strategies for anxiety in hospitalized cardiac patients. Ann Behav Med 28(3):179–185PubMedCrossRef

23.

Izutsu T, Tsutsumi A, Asukai N, Kurita H, Kawamura N (2004) Relationship between a traumatic life event and an alteration in stress response. Stress Health 20:65–73. doi:10.1002/smi.997 CrossRef

24.

Eaton WW, Kalaydjian A, Scharfstein DO, Mezuk B, Ding Y (2007) Prevalence and incidence of depressive disorder: the Baltimore ECA follow-up, 1981–2004. Acta Psychiatr Scand 116(3):182–188PubMedCentralPubMedCrossRef

25.

Eaton WW, Kessler LG (1985). Epidemiologic field methods in psychiatry: the nimh epidemiologic catchment area program. Academic Press, Inc., Orlando

26.

Leaf PJ, Meyers JK, McEvoy LT (1991) Procedures used in the Epidemiologic Catchment Area Study. In: Robins LN, Regier DA (eds) Psychiatric disorders in America. The Epidemiologic Area Catchment Study. The Free Press, New York, pp 11–32

27.

Goldberg DP, Gater R, Sartorius N, Ustun TB, Piccinelli M, Gureje O, Rutter C (1997) The validity of two versions of the GHQ in the WHO study of mental illness in general health care. Psychol Med 27:191–197PubMedCrossRef

28.

Penninkilampi-Kerola V, Miettunen J, Ebeling H (2006) A comparative assessment of the factor structures and psychometric properties of the GHQ-12 and the GHQ-20 based on data from a Finnish population-based sample. Scand J Psychol 47:431–440. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9450.2006.00551.x PubMedCrossRef

29.

Kessler RC, McGonagle KA, Zhao S, Nelson CB, Hughes M, Eshleman S et al (1994) Lifetime and 12-month prevalence of DSM-III-R psychiatric disorders in the United States: results from the National Comorbidity Survey. Arch Gen Psychiatry 51:8–19PubMedCrossRef

30.

StataCorp [Statistical Software] (2009) 10.1: Special Edn. Stata Corporation, College Station

31.

Acock AC (2010) A Gentle introduction to Stata, 3rd edn. Stata Press, College Station

32.

Bradshaw M, Ellison CG (2010) Financial hardship and psychological distress: exploring the buffering effects or religion. Soc Sci Med 21:196–204. doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2010.03.015 CrossRef

33.

Ellison CG, Lee J (2010) Spiritual struggles and psychological distress: is there a dark side of religion? Soc Indic Res 98:501–517. doi:10.1007/s11205-009-9553-3 CrossRef

34.

Ellison CG, George LK (1994) Religious involvement, social ties, and social support in a Southeastern Community. J Sci Study Relig 33(1):46–61. http://www.jstor.org/stable/1386636

35.

Ferraro KF, Koch JR (1994) Religion and health among Black and White adults: examining social support and consolation. J Sci Study Relig 33(4):362–375CrossRef

36.

Taylor RJ, Chatters LM (1988) Church members as a source of informal social support. Rev Relig Res 30(2): 193–203. http://www.jstor.org/stable/3511355

37.

Pargament KI, Koenig HG, Perez L (2000) The many methods of religious coping: development and initial validation of the RCOPE. J Clin Psychol 56(4):519–543PubMedCrossRef

38.

Pargament KI, Smith BW, Koenig HG, Perez L (1998) Patterns of positive and negative religious coping with major life stressors. J Sci Study Relig 37(4):710–724CrossRef

39.

Ano GG, Vasconcelles EB (2005) Religious coping and psychological adjustment: a meta-analysis. J Clin Psychol 61(4):461–480. doi:10.1002/jclp.20049 PubMedCrossRef

40.

Schieman S, Pudrovska T, Milkie MA (2005) The sense of divine control and the self-concept: a study of race differences in late life. Res Aging 27(2):165–196. doi:10.1177/0164027504270489 CrossRef

41.

Schieman S, Pudrovska T, Pearlin LI, Ellison CG (2006) The sense of divine control and psychological distress: variations across race and socioeconomic status. J Sci Stud Relig 45(4):529–549CrossRef

42.

Krause N (2011) Religion and health: making sense of a disheveled literature. J Relig Health 50:20–35. doi:10.1007/s10943-010-9373-4 PubMedCrossRef

43.

Koltko-Rivera ME (2006) Rediscovering the later version of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs: self-transcendence and opportunities for theory, research and unification. Rev Gen Psychol 10(4):302–317. doi:10.1037/1089-2680.10.4.302 CrossRef

Title: The effect of spirituality and religious attendance on the relationship between psychological distress and negative life events
Authors: Rubeena Kidwai
Brent E. Mancha
Qiana L. Brown
William W. Eaton
Publication date: 01-03-2014
Publisher: Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Published in: Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology / Issue 3/2014
Print ISSN: 0933-7954
Electronic ISSN: 1433-9285
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-013-0723-x

At a glance: The ONWARDS insulin icodec trials

Springer Medicine

The effect of spirituality and religious attendance on the relationship between psychological distress and negative life events

Abstract

Purpose

Methods

Results

Conclusion

At a glance: The ONWARDS insulin icodec trials

Springer Medicine

Abstract

Purpose

Methods

Results

Conclusion

Please log in to get access to this content

Other articles of this Issue 3/2014

A two-stage epidemiologic study on prevalence of eating disorders in female university students in Wuhan, China

Determinants of the development of post-traumatic stress disorder, in the general population

Traumatic events and their relative PTSD burden in Northern Ireland: a consideration of the impact of the ‘Troubles’

Severity of club drug dependence and perceived need for treatment among a sample of adult club drug users in Shanghai, China

Posttraumatic stress disorder and symptoms among American Indians and Alaska Natives: a review of the literature

Positive affect in the family environment protects against relapse in first-episode psychosis