Abstract
Recent studies have shown that religiosity (R) is associated with lower rates of depression, whereas spirituality (S) is associated with higher rates. Rumination has also been associated with higher rates of depression. Some have hypothesized that rumination mediates the differential association of religiosity and spirituality with depression. We empirically test this hypothesis in a longitudinal, multigenerational sample through associations between rumination and depression, R/S and depression, and R/S and rumination. Cross-sectionally, total rumination scores were predicted by spirituality (standardized β = 0.13; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.00-0.26), with subscale (reflection, depression, and brooding) standardized betas ranging from 0.11 to 0.15 (95% CI, -0.03 to -0.29). Cross-sectionally, rumination was not predicted by religiosity. Longitudinally, and consistent with previous findings, religiosity, but not spirituality, predicted reduced depressive symptoms (standardized β = -0.3; 95% CI, -0.58 to -0.01). The association between spirituality and rumination was driven by millennials. Psychotherapies that target rumination for depression might therefore be especially effective in the millennial demographic.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 370-377 |
| Number of pages | 8 |
| Journal | Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease |
| Volume | 209 |
| Issue number | 5 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 1 May 2021 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.
Funding
Dr J. Posner has received research support from Takeda (formerly Shire) and Aevi Genomics and consultancy fees from Innovative Science. Dr M. Weissman has in the past 3 years received funding from the Sackler Foundation and the John Templeton Foundation, and receives royalties from the Oxford University Press, Perseus Press, the American Psychiatric Association Press, and MultiHealth Systems; none of these pose conflicts of interest. This work was supported by grant funding from the John Templeton Foundation (#54679 and #61330; principal investigator [PI]: M. Weissman) and the National Institutes of Mental Health (R01MH36197; co-PIs: M. Weissman and J. Posner).
| Funders | Funder number |
|---|---|
| Sackler Foundation | |
| National Institute of Mental Health | R01MH036197 |
| John Templeton Foundation | 61330, 54679 |
Keywords
- Spirituality
- cognitive-behavioral therapy
- depression
- millennials
- religion
- religiosity
- rumination
