The Relationship Between Spirituality And Depression, Church Attendance, And Prayer Among Elderly People

Abstract

ABSTRACT

MONIQUE ELISE JIMERSON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SPIRITUALITY AND DEPRESSION, CHURCH ATTENDANCE, AND PRAYER AMONG ELDERLY PEOPLE Under the direction of W. DAVID LANE, Ph.D.

The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine if there was a relationship between levels of spirituality and levels of depressive symptoms, church attendance, and prayer experiences in elderly people. Researchers have projected that all baby boomers (those born between 1945 and 1964) will be 65 years of age or older by 2030 (Cleary, Sayers, Bramble, Jackson, & Lopez, 2017). Although the future seems optimistic, many elderly people are vulnerable to depression. This research reviewed the literature on aspects of spirituality and depression and proposes to study: (a) the use of daily spiritual experiences (DSE) as a treatment to lower depression for the elderly, (b) the role of spirituality in increasing or decreasing depression among the institutionalized elderly, (c) how older adult’s perception of spirituality and religion impacts physical and/or mental health, (d) the role of spirituality among depressed individuals, (e) assessment instruments for the study, and (f) Pargament’s (2009) theoretical model for understanding and evaluating spirituality. The literature review revealed a gap concerning the relationship of spiritual practices and the occurrence of depression. A sample of elderly people were obtained using the convenience sampling method by contacting members of a local church. Relationships between the variables were analyzed using Pearson’s product-moment correlation for three research questions. The results indicated no statistically significant relationships between levels of spirituality and depression and between levels of spirituality and prayer. Last, the results indicated a large-positive statistically significant correlation between levels of spirituality and church attendance. Keywords: elderly, depression, spirituality, religion, Pargament’s (2009) theoretical model for understanding and evaluating spirituality