Meaning in Life as a Mediator of the Relationship Between Intrinsic Religiosity and Depression Symptoms

Abstract

The objective of this study was to investigate the mediating effect of meaning in life on the relationship between intrinsic religiosity and depression symptoms. A non-clinical sample of 279 participants answered an online survey. The mean age of participants was 33.19 years old and 72% of them were female. The participants answered the following self-report measures: Intrinsic Religiosity Inventory, Meaning in Life Questionnaire, and Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale. Three regression equations were used to test the research hypothesis. In the first regression model, intrinsic religiosity was a statistically significant predictor of meaning in life. In the second model, intrinsic religiosity was a statistically significant predictor of depression symptoms. However, in the third model, when meaning in life was incorporated into the regression model, along with intrinsic religiosity, as possible predictors of depression symptoms, only meaning in life proved to be a statistically significant predictor. The results corroborate the hypothesis that meaning in life mediates the relationship between intrinsic religiosity and depression symptoms. Therefore, intrinsic religiosity has a protective effect against depression symptoms; however, it occurs indirectly, via meaning in life.

Belongingness is a Mediating Factor Between Religious Service Attendance and Reduced Psychological Distress During the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…For example, Steffen et al ( 2017 ) found that intrinsic religiosity—a desire to live one’s religion—was a primary mediator in the association between religious service attendance and reduction of anxiety and depressive symptoms. More recently Campos et al ( 2020 ) identified that meaning in life is an additional mediator in the relationship between intrinsic religiosity and well-being. What these studies demonstrate is that religion relates to distress reduction and well-being enhancement due to multiple interacting factors including those that are objective and those that are subjective.…”

Los efectos negativos de la religiosidad-espiritualidad en la salud mental: una revisión bibliográfica

“…En este ámbito de la vinculación con la salud mental, se ha tratado de dilucidar si religión/espiritualidad o alguno de sus componentes, pueden ser influencia positiva o bien agentes, que actúen nocivamente como generadores o mantenedores de cierta sintomatología en algunas afecciones. A partir de esto, variadas publicaciones han puesto énfasis en destacar los efectos beneficiosos que la religiosidad y/o espiritualidad tienen en la salud mental de un sujeto, tales como en la depresión (Campos et al, 2020;Miller et al, 2012;Ronneberg et al, 2016), esquizofrenia (Grover et al, 2014;Triveni et al, 2021), trastorno bipolar (Stroppa et al, 2018;. No obstante, también, se han evidenciado reportes del papel negativo que puede propiciar la experiencia religiosa; por ejemplo, al favorecer o intensificar emociones tales como culpa, vergüenza, desesperación, ideación suicida, entre otras .…”