Religiousness on mental health in older adults: the mediating role of social support and healthy behaviours

ABSTRACT

The positive association between religiousness and mental health among the faithful is well-established; here, social support (SS) and healthy behaviours (HB) are investigated as mechanisms underlying the benefits of faith on depression and anxiety in a survey sample of 97 religious older adults aged 62–96 (M_age= 79). Initial regression models revealed a significant direct effect (higher religiousness = less depression and less anxiety). For depressive symptoms, both individual mediators rendered the effect of religiousness non-significant, with HB explaining more variance (36% vs. 27%); in the combined model, both demonstrated independent, additive effects (SS = −.18, p = .006; HB = −.34, p < .0001). For anxiety, only SS emerged as a significant mediator and predicted anxiety in the combined model (SS = −.25, p = .005). The results help inform those working with religious older adults facing depression and anxiety by highlighting key aspect(s) of the person’s faith experience that will be most effective in helping to improve his or her mental health.

KEYWORDS:

• Depressive symptoms
• anxiety
• social support
• health behaviours
• religiousness
• aging

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available on request from the corresponding author. The data are not publicly available due to the ongoing nature of the study and the risk to confidentiality posed to participants.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

ORCID

Brenda Whitehead http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8383-6537