title: Twelve-year history of late-life depression and subsequent feelings to God.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Growing evidence shows several possible relations between religiousness and late-life depression. Emotional aspects of religiousness such as facets of the perceived relationship with God can be crucial in this connection. The aim of the current study was to examine the association between the course of late-life depression and feelings about God and religious coping.
  
  
  METHODS
  Longitudinal survey study; naturalistic; 12-year follow-up.
  
  
  METHODS
  Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam; population-based, in three regions in The Netherlands.
  
  
  METHODS
  A subsample of 343 respondents (mean age: 77.2 years), including all respondents with high levels of depressive symptoms at any measurement cycle between 1992 and 2003 (assessed by using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale and the Diagnostic Interview Schedule) and a random sample of nondepressed respondents who completed a postal questionnaire in 2005.
  
  
  METHODS
  Scales on God Image and Religious Coping. Twelve-year depression course trajectories serve as predicting variables and are specified according to recency and seriousness.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Persistent and emergent depression are significantly associated with fear of God, feeling wronged by God, and negative religious coping. In terms of negative religious coping, significant associations were observed after adjustment for concurrent depression with a history of repeated minor depression and previous major depression.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Late-life depression seems to maintain a pervasive relationship over time with affective aspects of religiousness. Religious feelings may parallel the symptoms of anhedonia or a dysphoric mood and could represent the experience of an existential void.
authors: VU University Medical Center, EMGO+ Institute for Health and Care Research, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Altrecht Mental Health Care, Department of Emergency Psychiatry and Department of Specialist Training, and University for Humanistic Studies, Department of Humanist Counseling, Utrecht, The Netherlands. Electronic address: a.braam@vumc.nl.
authors: Arjan W
authors: AW
authors: Braam
authors: Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies, Department of Comparative and Historical Study of Religion, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands, and Center for Religion, World View and Mental Health, Dimence Institute of Mental Health, Zwolle, The Netherlands.
authors: Hanneke
authors: H
authors: Schaap-Jonker
authors: VU University Medical Center, EMGO+ Institute for Health and Care Research, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors: Marleen H L
authors: MH
authors: van der Horst
authors: University Medical Center Utrecht, Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, Department of Primary Care, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors: Bas
authors: B
authors: Steunenberg
authors: VU University Medical Center, EMGO+ Institute for Health and Care Research, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; GGZ Ingeest Mental Health Care, VU University Medical Center, Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors: Aartjan T F
authors: AT
authors: Beekman
authors: GGZ Ingeest Mental Health Care, VU University Medical Center, Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors: Willem
authors: W
authors: van Tilburg
authors: VU University Medical Center, EMGO+ Institute for Health and Care Research, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors: Dorly J H
authors: DJ
authors: Deeg
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007406:Interview, Psychological; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012069:Religion and Psychology; D029181:Spirituality; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Depression; God image; old age; population; religious coping; religiousness