Investigation into the relationship between religious orientation and depression in elderly individuals

Aims: In Turkey and around the world, the elderly population continues to grow, and society's expectations of this group have increased. At the same time, different research fields and studies have increasingly considered the effects of religious orientation on ageing. In this study, we examine the relationship between depression and religious orientation in the elderly.

Methods: This descriptive study focused on determining the relationship between religious orientation and depression in the elderly. Data were collected by using a personal information form, the Religious Orientation Scale, and the 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale. Frequencies, percentages, means ± SD, Cronbach's α, and Pearson's correlation analysis were used to evaluate the data.

Results: More than half of the subjects (51.7%) were men, 61.9% were aged 65-74 years old, and 59.2% were married. For 35.2%, the highest level of education was primary school. Around half of the subjects perceived their income as moderate, and 57.4% received social security. With regard to depression, 72.5% of subjects were at risk, with the remaining 27.5% having no risk. There was a weak positive relationship between the mean ± SD scores on the Religious Orientation Scale (48.11 ± 6.36) and the 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale (8.23 ± 1.58; P < 0.01).

Conclusion: This study found a relationship between religious orientation and a tendency towards depression in the elderly that increased with religious orientation.