Spirituality Can Help Buffer Stress and Depression

Subject Experts:David B. Larson, MD, M.S.P.H., president, National Institute for Healthcare Research

April 6, 1999

Washington -- Recent scientific research has found an unlikely ally in battling the effects of stress and depression - spirituality.

Several studies conducted in the past few years have found that spirituality and religion may help buffer the effects of stress and depression, as well as help medically ill patients overcome bouts of depression.

•Researchers studying a sample population of 2,730 drawn from the Alameda County Study - a long-term research project of health and mortality - found that people who both attend religious services and participate in other activities through their place of worship receive protection from the stress of financial burdens, health issues and other problems. Interestingly, the researchers also found that participation in organized religion did nothing to buffer the effects of family stresses, and may actually worsen depressive effects. Researchers hypothesize that because family cohesiveness and harmony is especially prized by those who are organizationally religious, family tensions such as abuse and marital problems may very well trigger depression in these people. This finding, however, is not enough to discount religion's roll in preventing and overcoming depression.

• In a study of nearly 600 severely ill hospital patients aged 55 and older, researchers measured 47 ways of coping and discovered patients who sought a connection with a benevolent God as well as support from clergy and church members were less depressed and rated their quality of life as higher, even after taking into account how severe their diagnosis. The researchers also found that patients who gave spiritual support to others, by praying for them or encouraging their faith, also faired better emotionally.

• Another recent study conducted at Duke University revealed more striking results. In the first study to examine the role of religion in recovering from depression, researchers followed 87 patients aged 60 or older who were diagnosed with depressive disorder after being admitted to the hospital for a physical illness. They discovered that religion can help people recover from depression. In fact, the more spiritual the patient, the more quickly he or she recovered!

The link between depression and spirituality has even been found to cross the generational gap. In a study of 60 mothers and 151 children, researchers found that the daughters of women who considered religion to be highly important were 60 percent less likely to have a major depressive disorder at the 10 year follow-up. The study also found that women for whom religion was highly important were 81 percent less likely to have major depression at the follow-up.

According to David B. Larson, MD, president of the National Institute for Healthcare Research "a person's religious beliefs can be an important factor in assisting them to avoid or overcome depression."