Spiritual well-being and depressive symptoms in female African American suicide attempters: Mediating effects of optimism and pessimism.

doi:10.1037/A0036723

Paper

Spiritual well-being and depressive symptoms in female African American suicide attempters: Mediating effects of optimism and pessimism.

Published 2014 · Jameson K. Hirsch, Sheri A. Nsamenang, E. Chang

Psychology of Religion and Spirituality

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35

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1

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Abstract

Spiritual well-being is a well-established predictor of mental health, yet the potential mechanisms of this association are relatively unexplored. We examined the influence of spirituality, including religious and existential well-being, on depressive symptoms, and the potential mediating effect of optimism and pessimism, in a sample of 66 African American female suicide attempters. Participants were recruited from a large, urban hospital and completed the Spiritual Well-Being Scale, Life Orientation Test - Revised, and the Beck Depression Inventory - II. The association between spiritual well-being and depressive symptoms was mediated indirectly through both optimism and pessimism; greater religious and existential well-being was related to more optimism, and less pessimism and, in turn, to fewer depressive symptoms. Historically, spiritual well-being has been important to the African American community, and its beneficial effects on mental health might be explained, in part, by their effect on cognitive-emotional functioning. Language: en

Observational Study

Study Snapshot

Key takeawaySpiritual well-being is associated with fewer depressive symptoms in African American female suicide attempters, mediated by increased optimism and reduced pessimism.

PopulationOlder adults (50-71 years)

Sample size24

MethodsObservational

OutcomesBody Mass Index projections

ResultsSocial networks mitigate obesity in older groups.

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Spiritual well-being and depressive symptoms in female African American suicide attempters: Mediating effects of optimism and pessimism.

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Citations

Longitudinal changes in spiritual well-being and associations with emotional distress, pain, and optimism–pessimism: a prospective observational study of terminal cancer patients admitted to a palliative care unit

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Proverbs can reflect people's mental states and attitudes, but their capacity is limited for those with high depressiveness.

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Compassion-focused therapy reduces experiential avoidance and increases meaning-in-life in women with PTSD due to intimate partner violence, but does not affect sense of coherence.

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