Depression for college students in a traditional Christian culture context: the role of attachment, spirituality and social support

ABSTRACT

The role of attachment, perceived social support, and perceived discrepancy from spiritual ideal were assessed in their association with depression in college students in a Christian culture environment. Participants (N = 155) at a small Christian university completed the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale, the Experiences in Close Relationships questionnaire, and questions about satisfaction with social support and discrepancy of their spiritual well-being to an ideal spiritual well-being. Results showed that social support, insecure attachment and discrepancy from spiritual ideal were all significant predictors of depression. Attachment was found to moderate the association between perceived spiritual well-being and depression, with insecurely attached individuals more at risk for depression if they evaluate their spiritual development as lacking. Implications are discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• Depression
• attachment
• college students
• spirituality

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.