TY - JOUR
T1 - Affective Aspects of Religiousness and 6-Year Course of Depressive Symptoms in Aged Dutch Citizens
AU - Braam, Arjan W.
AU - van Nieuw Amerongen-Meeuse, Joke C.
AU - Holwerda, Tjalling J.
AU - Schaap-Jonker, Hanneke
AU - Deeg, Dorly J.H.
AU - Beekman, Aartjan T.F.
AU - Huisman, Martijn
PY - 2024/11/25
Y1 - 2024/11/25
N2 - In prospective studies on religiousness and depressive symptoms, it remains unclear whether religiousness is a predictor or parallels the fluctuating course of depressive symptoms. The current study focuses on several affective aspects of religiousness in their associations over time with late life depressive symptoms. As part of the population-based Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam, a subsample of 222 respondents (mean age 76.3 years) completed up to three postal questionnaires with 3-year intervals. The questionnaires included the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale and subscales of the Questionnaire God Representations and the Brief Religious Coping scale. Analyses were performed using mixed model analysis and logistic regression. Positive feelings toward God were associated with fewer depressive symptoms over time. Anxiety toward God, discontent about God, and negative religious coping predicted more depressive symptoms over time (between-subject effects) but also tended to run parallel to the course of depressive symptoms (within-subject effects).
AB - In prospective studies on religiousness and depressive symptoms, it remains unclear whether religiousness is a predictor or parallels the fluctuating course of depressive symptoms. The current study focuses on several affective aspects of religiousness in their associations over time with late life depressive symptoms. As part of the population-based Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam, a subsample of 222 respondents (mean age 76.3 years) completed up to three postal questionnaires with 3-year intervals. The questionnaires included the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale and subscales of the Questionnaire God Representations and the Brief Religious Coping scale. Analyses were performed using mixed model analysis and logistic regression. Positive feelings toward God were associated with fewer depressive symptoms over time. Anxiety toward God, discontent about God, and negative religious coping predicted more depressive symptoms over time (between-subject effects) but also tended to run parallel to the course of depressive symptoms (within-subject effects).
U2 - 10.1177/00914150241297575
DO - 10.1177/00914150241297575
M3 - Article
SN - 0091-4150
JO - International Journal of Aging and Human Development
JF - International Journal of Aging and Human Development
ER -