Longitudinal Associations Between Depression and Religiosity/Spirituality Among Individuals with Asthma in the United States

Abstract

There is limited literature examining the longitudinal stability of depressive symptoms for individuals with asthma, or how religiosity/spirituality relates to depressive symptoms across time. The present study aimed to identify the stability of and the longitudinal associations between depressive symptoms and R/S across multiple developmental periods for adolesents with asthma (N = 998) within the United States. Depressive symptoms (β_range 0.33 - 0.60) and R/S (β_range 0.26 - 0.73) were stable across time, with some variability. A cross-lagged association demonstrated that use of R/S in young adulthood (Wave 3) was associated with decreased depressive symptoms in adulthood (β = -0.17, p < .001, CI - 0.25 - - 0.09, SE = 0.04). Use of R/S in adolescence (Wave 2) was predictive of increased depression in adulthood (β = 0.13, p < .001, CI 0.05 - 0.20, SE = 0.04). Results demonstrated differential relations between R/S and depressive symptoms across development, and highlight the potential importance of integrating conversations focused on R/S within healthcare settings, especially as R/S during young adulthood may buffer against or reduce depressive symptoms in adulthood.

Keywords: Asthma; Depression; Longitudinal; Religiosity; Spirituality.