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Religious doubt and depression in later life: gender differences in the buffering role of supportive pastoral relationships

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 March 2023

Laura Upenieks Open the ORCID record for Laura Upenieks [Opens in a new window] ,
Rebecca Bonhag  and
Amanda C. McGowan
Laura Upenieks*
Affiliation:
Department of Sociology, Baylor University, Waco, TX, USA
Rebecca Bonhag
Affiliation:
Department of Sociology, Baylor University, Waco, TX, USA
Amanda C. McGowan
Affiliation:
Department of Sociology, Baylor University, Waco, TX, USA
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: Laura Upenieks, Department of Sociology, Baylor University, One Bear Place, Waco, TX 76798, USA. Email: laura_upenieks@baylor.edu.
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Abstract

Objectives:

Research suggests that religious/spiritual (R/S) matters take on increasing importance in later life and tend to be favorably associated with mental health, but religious doubt or uncertainty can undermine this salubrious relationship. Few studies assess whether social relationships, and the support contained within them, can mitigate these negative mental health consequences. The current study focuses on an important yet understudied social relationship in the context of spiritual struggles in later life: informal support from a religious pastor. Members of the clergy occupy a highly prestigious position in the church and are often a trusted resource for older adults as they confront problems.

Design/Participants:

We use two waves of longitudinal data of Christian older adults in the Religion, Health, and Aging Study (2001–2004) from the United States (N = 639) to test whether support from a pastor attenuates any detrimental mental health effects of carrying religious doubt in later life.

Results:

Results from lagged dependent variable models suggest that increases in religious doubt are associated with increases in depression over time, and that greater pastoral support attenuates the relationship between increases in religious doubt and depression, but only for men.

Conclusions:

We highlight the need for future research to explore this important social relationship with religious clergy for older adults in confronting both spiritual and secular challenges and the importance of considering gender differences in the process. We also suggest several practical implications for religious clergy, family members, and older adults in dealing with or helping others confront spiritual struggles.

Keywords

depressiongenderpastoral supportreligious doubt
Type
Original Research Article
Information
International Psychogeriatrics , First View , pp. 1 - 12
Copyright
© International Psychogeriatric Association 2023

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