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Religiosity and resilience in persons at high risk for major depression

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 August 2011

S. Kasen ,
P. Wickramaratne ,
M. J. Gameroff  and
M. M. Weissman
S. Kasen*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA Division of Epidemiology, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA
P. Wickramaratne
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA Division of Epidemiology, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA Department of Epidemiology, Joseph L. Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA Department of Biostatistics, Joseph L. Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
M. J. Gameroff
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA Division of Epidemiology, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA Department of Epidemiology, Joseph L. Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
M. M. Weissman
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA Division of Epidemiology, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA Department of Epidemiology, Joseph L. Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
*
*Address for correspondence: S. Kasen, Ph.D., 100 Haven Avenue, Tower 3, Suite 31F, New York, NY 10032, USA. (Email: [email protected])
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Abstract

Background

Few studies have examined religiosity as a protective factor using a longitudinal design to predict resilience in persons at high risk for major depressive disorder (MDD).

Method

High-risk offspring selected for having a depressed parent and control offspring of non-depressed parents were evaluated for psychiatric disorders in childhood/adolescence and at 10-year and 20-year follow-ups. Religious/spiritual importance, services attendance and negative life events (NLEs) were assessed at the 10-year follow-up. Models tested differences in relationships between religiosity/spirituality and subsequent disorders among offspring based on parent depression status, history of prior MDD and level of NLE exposure. Resilience was defined as lower odds for disorders with greater religiosity/spirituality in higher-risk versus lower-risk offspring.

Results

Increased attendance was associated with significantly reduced odds for mood disorder (by 43%) and any psychiatric disorder (by 53%) in all offspring; however, odds were significantly lower in offspring of non-depressed parents than in offspring of depressed parents. In analyses confined to offspring of depressed parents, those with high and those with average/low NLE exposure were compared: increased attendance was associated with significantly reduced odds for MDD, mood disorder and any psychiatric disorder (by 76, 69 and 64% respectively) and increased importance was associated with significantly reduced odds for mood disorder (by 74%) only in offspring of depressed parents with high NLE exposure. Moreover, those associations differed significantly between offspring of depressed parents with high NLE exposure and offspring of depressed parents with average/low NLE exposure.

Conclusions

Greater religiosity may contribute to development of resilience in certain high-risk individuals.

Keywords

High-risklongitudinalmajor depressionreligiosityresilience
Type
Original Articles
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 42 , Issue 3 , March 2012 , pp. 509 - 519
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2011

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