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Religious coping and depression among elderly, hospitalized medically ill men

Harold George Koenig, Harvey Jay Cohen, Dan German Blazer, Carl F. Pieper, Keith G. Meador, Frank E. Shelp, Veera Venkata Nishanth Goli, B DiPasquale·1992·American Journal of Psychiatry
DOI 10.1176/ajp.149.12.1693
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Abstract

OBJECTIVE: The investigators examined the frequency of religious coping among older medical inpatients, the characteristics of those who use it, and the relation between this behavior and depression. METHOD: The subjects were 850 men aged 65 years and over, without psychiatric diagnoses, who were consecutively admitted to the medical or neurological services of a southern Veterans Administration medical center. Religious coping was assessed with a three-item index. Depressive symptoms were assessed by self-rating (the Geriatric Depression Scale) and observer rating (the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression). RESULTS: One out of every five patients reported that religious thought and/or activity was the most important strategy used to cope with illness. Variables that were associated with religious coping included black race, older age, being retired, religious affiliation, high level of social support, infrequent alcohol use, a prior history of psychiatric problems, and higher cognitive functioning. Depressive symptoms were inversely related to religious coping, an association which persisted after other sociodemographic and health correlates were controlled. When 202 men were reevaluated during their subsequent hospital admissions an average of 6 months later, religious coping was the only baseline variable that predicted lower depression scores at follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that religious coping is a common behavior that is inversely related to depression in hospitalized elderly men.

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    “Regarding gratefulness, five of five studies found positive associations with R/S [121, 122]”

    From Religion, Spirituality, and Health: The Research and Clinical Implications (2012) · cites this paper as [122]

  • Nine studies examined the relationship between R/S and stroke, of which four reported a lower risk of stroke, all having quality ratings of seven or higher.

    “We located nine studies that examined this relationship, of which four reported a lower risk of stroke, all having quality ratings of seven or higher [414–417].”

    From Religion, Spirituality, and Health: The Research and Clinical Implications (2012) · cites this paper as [415]

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Authors
Koenig, H. G., Cohen, H. J., Blazer, D. G., Pieper, C. F., Meador, K. G., Shelp, F. E., Goli, V. V. N., & DiPasquale, B.
Affiliations
Duke Medical Center (US)
ORCID
Venue
American Journal of Psychiatry
Publisher
American Psychiatric Association Publishing
Published
1992-12-01
Volume
149
Issue
12
Pages
1693-1700
ISSN
  • 0002-953X (ISSN-L)
  • 1535-7228
DOI
10.1176/ajp.149.12.1693
OpenAlex
W2221031758
Cited by
544
References
30
Citations by year
2026: 4 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 8 · 2023: 11 · 2022: 14 · 2021: 6 · 2020: 10 · 2019: 11 · 2018: 16 · 2017: 16 · 2016: 10 · 2015: 17 · 2014: 24 · 2013: 18 · 2012: 21
FWCI
8.77
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • American Journal of Psychiatry (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
  • National Institute on Aging (AG00371)
  • National Institute of Mental Health (MH 40159)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Health › Religion, Spirituality, and Psychology
  • Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Conservation › Art Therapy and Mental Health
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Religion and Society Interactions
Keywords
religious coping, depression, older men, older adults, depressive symptoms, social support, religious affiliation, race, cognitive function, alcohol consumption, psychiatric history, predictors of depression
MeSH terms
Adaptation, Psychological, Age Factors, Aged, Alcohol Drinking, Mental Disorders, Black or African American, Depressive Disorder, Follow-Up Studies, Health Status, Humans, Inpatients, Life Change Events, Longitudinal Studies, Patient Readmission, Religion and Psychology, Retirement, Social Support

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