The effect of religious coping on depression and anxiety in adolescence

Research has revealed evidence that stressful life events are related to problems among adolescents, including poor health, abdominal pain, cancer, psychological distress, depression, anxiety, suicide, and runaway behavior. Research also has revealed several moderators of stress in adolescence, including high self-esteem, an internal locus of control orientation, and social support from family and friends.;A moderator of stress that has received modest attention in the adult literature and even less attention in the adolescent literature is religious coping. Religious coping has been generally defined as the means by which individuals seek help from a higher power during times of life stress. Spiritual beliefs such as trusting God, doing good deeds such as attending church, and pleading by asking for a miracle are just a few of the many ways one might use religious coping during times of stress. This study focused on a specific form of religious coping called spiritually based coping. Spiritually based coping is defined as coping that reflects a personal relationship with God, who serves as a guide and helper in coping with life stress.;The purpose of this study was to explore three ways in which spiritually based coping may affect adolescent depression and anxiety. First, this study investigated whether spiritually based coping had a direct effect on depression and anxiety. Second, this study investigated whether spiritually based coping moderated the impact of stress on depression and anxiety. Finally, this study examined whether the effect of spiritually based coping on anxiety and depression was mediated through levels of self-esteem and social support.;Scales measuring life event stress, spiritually based coping, social support, self-esteem, depression and anxiety were given to 95 adolescents, 61 females and 34 males, ages 12-17. Subjects were recruited through the youth groups of several Christian denominations throughout a university town in Oregon.;Results revealed that spiritually based coping did not have a direct effect, nor did it operate as a moderator of stress in predicting depression and anxiety. However, path analysis revealed that the effect of spiritually based coping on depression and anxiety was mediated through levels of self-esteem and social support.;This is an exploratory study of the relationship of spiritually based coping to depression and anxiety in adolescence. It provides evidence that the impact of spiritually based coping on depression and anxiety is mediated through self-esteem and social support.