title: Spirituality attenuates the association between depression symptom severity and meaning in life.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This cross-sectional study examined whether spirituality moderates the association between depression symptom severity and meaning in life among treatment-seeking adults.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants were 55 adults (≥60 years of age) newly seeking outpatient mental health treatment for mood, anxiety, or adjustment disorders. Self-report questionnaires measured depression symptom severity (Patient Health Questionnaire-9), spirituality (Spirituality Transcendence Index), and meaning in life (Geriatric Suicide Ideation Scale-Meaning in Life subscale).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Results indicated a significant interaction between spirituality and depression symptom severity on meaning in life scores (β = .26, p = .02). A significant negative association between depression symptom severity and meaning in life was observed at lower but not the highest levels of spirituality.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In the presence of elevated depressive symptomatology, those participants who reported high levels of spirituality reported comparable levels of meaning in life to those without elevated depressive symptomatology. Assessment of older adult patients' spirituality can reveal ways that spiritual beliefs and practices can be can be incorporated into therapy to enhance meaning in life.
authors: a Department of Psychology , West Virginia University , Morgantown , WV , USA.
authors: Patricia
authors: P
authors: Bamonti
authors: b Department of Psychiatry , University of Rochester Medical Center , Rochester , NY , USA.
authors: Sarah
authors: S
authors: Lombardi
authors: b Department of Psychiatry , University of Rochester Medical Center , Rochester , NY , USA.
authors: Paul R
authors: PR
authors: Duberstein
authors: b Department of Psychiatry , University of Rochester Medical Center , Rochester , NY , USA.
authors: Deborah A
authors: DA
authors: King
authors: b Department of Psychiatry , University of Rochester Medical Center , Rochester , NY , USA.
authors: Kimberly A
authors: KA
authors: Van Orden
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D026441:Mind-Body Therapies; D019964:Mood Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000523:psychology*; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology; D012069:Religion and Psychology; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D029181:Spirituality; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: depression; meaning in life; spirituality