title: Religious attendance and social adjustment as protective against depression: a 10-year prospective study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Previous research has identified elevated social adjustment and frequent religious attendance as protective against depression. The present study aims to examine the association of frequency of religious services attendance with subsequent depression, while accounting for the effects of social adjustment.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants were 173 adult offspring of depressed and nondepressed parents, followed longitudinally over 25 years. Diagnosis was assessed with the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia-Lifetime Version. The Social Adjustment Scale-Self Report (SAS-SR) was used to assess social adjustment and frequency of religious services attendance was self-reported. In a logistic regression analysis, major depression at 20 years was used as the outcome measure and the frequency of religious services attendance and social adjustment variables at 10 years as predictors.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Frequent religious services attendance was found to protect against subsequent depression at a trend level. High functioning social adjustment was found to protect against subsequent depression, especially within the immediate and extended family. Adults without a depressed parent who reported attending religious services atleast once a month had a lower likelihood of subsequent depression. Among adults with a depressed parent, those with high functioning social adjustment had a lower likelihood of subsequent depression.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Measurement of social adjustment was non-specific to religious services.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Frequent religious attendance may protect against major depression, independent from the effects of social adjustment. This protective quality may be attenuated in adults with a depressed parent. High functioning social adjustment may be protective only among offspring of depressed parents.
authors.affiliation: Columbia University, Teachers College, USA.
authors.forename: Yakov A
authors.initials: YA
authors.lastname: Barton
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: Priya
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Wickramaratne
authors.forename: Marc J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Gameroff
authors.forename: Myrna M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Weissman
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D032721:Adult Children / Q000523:psychology*; D016241:Child of Impaired Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012069:Religion and Psychology; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012917:Social Adjustment; D055815:Young Adult