Abstract
Objective: To determine whether religiousness, in particular intrinsic religiosity, influences the prognosis of elderly inpatients with major depression, and, if so, whether this effect is related to social support.
Method: A total of 94 patients (71% women; mean age = 76) with DSM-IV major depression were assessed on admission to a psychogeriatric unit in Melbourne, and then reviewed at 6, 12 and 24 months. Depression was measured using the Geriatric Depression Rating Scale – short form, religiousness, using the five-item Duke University Religion Index, and social support using the Social Support Questionnaire.
Results: Just over one-third of the sample was highly intrinsically religious. High intrinsic religiosity on admission predicted lower depression scores at 24 months (standardised β = 0.252; P < 0.05). Intrinsic religiosity's effect was independent of social support as well as other demographic, treatment and health variables.
Conclusion: Intrinsic religiosity (i.e. a person's commitment to and motivation by religious beliefs) predicts lower depression scores over time among inpatients with geriatric depression. Psychogeriatricians should consider a patient's religious history in order to make informed judgements about depression prognosis.
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Acknowledgements
Professor Yvonne Wells at the Lincoln Centre for Research on Ageing, Australian Institute for Primary Care, La Trobe University for comments on the paper and guidance with the statistical analysis.
Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.