Depression and religious coping among youth with asthma: A longitudinal examination
Abstract
Youth with asthma are at an increased risk for depressive symptoms. Religious coping has been linked to decreased psychological difficulties among several pediatric populations. There is limited data on the stability of depression and religious coping among youth with asthma; further, no studies have examined the longitudinal relations between depression and religious coping among youth with asthma across multiple developmental periods. The present study aimed to identify the following among youth with asthma: 1) the stability of depression and religious coping across adolescence and into adulthood 2) identify the longitudinal associations between depression and religious coping across multiple developmental periods. Youth from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health) who reported having asthma (N = 998) were included in the present study. Depressive symptoms were measures using a 9-item version of the CES-D. Religious coping was measured using a sum score created from four items that assessed religious affiliation, frequency of church attendance, frequency of prayer, and importance of religion. Data from four assessment waves were utilized (Wave 1=1994-1995; Wave 2=1996; Wave 3=2001; Wave 4=2008). Aims were examined using an autoregressive cross-lagged path model. The autoregressive paths demonstrated moderate stability across time for depression (β range .33 - .6) and religious coping (β range .26 - .73). Use of religious coping during W3 was associated with decreased depressive symptoms in W4 (β = .13, p < .001, CI .05 - .20, SE = .04). Interestingly, use of religious coping in W2 was predictive of increased depression in W4 (β = -0.17, p < .001, CI -.25 - -.09, SE = .04). Depressive symptoms and religious coping were stable across time for youth with asthma; suggesting the need for early assessment and intervention. The way religious coping relates to depression appears to vary by developmental period: Higher religious coping in adolescence was associated with increased depressive symptoms in adulthood (W4), however, increased religious coping in young adulthood (W3) was associated with decreased depressive symptoms in adulthood (W4). Results highlight the need for more research on how religious coping may impact depressive symptomatology across each developmental period.
Collections
- OSU Theses [15752]