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Jewish Spirituality, Depression, and Health: an Empirical Test of a Conceptual Framework

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Abstract

Background

Little is known about the links between spirituality and mental health among Jews.

Purpose

This study assessed trust/mistrust in God and religious coping and examined their relationships to depressive symptoms and physical health. Religious affiliation and intrinsic religiousness were examined as moderating variables and religious coping was examined as a mediator.

Method

Anonymous internet surveys were completed by 208 Jewish women and men of diverse denominations who resided primarily in the USA.

Results

Trust in God and positive religious coping were associated with lower levels of depressive symptoms and mistrust in God and negative religious coping were associated with greater depressive symptoms. Intrinsic religiosity showed a small moderation effect for mistrust in God and negative religious coping in relation to depressive symptoms and for trust in God in relation to physical health. Further, positive religious coping fully mediated the link between trust in God and less depressive symptoms and negative religious coping fully mediated the relationship between mistrust in God and greater depressive symptoms.

Conclusion

The data lend themselves to a possible integrative cognitive-coping model, in which latent core beliefs about the Divine activate coping strategies during times of distress, which in turn impact psychological health. The findings highlight the potential clinical significance of spirituality to mental health among Jews and provide a basis for future longitudinal, experimental, and treatment outcome research.

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Acknowledgment

Funding for this study was provided by the Diane and Guilford Glazer Institute for Jewish Studies and the Gertrude B. Nielsen Charitable Trust. The authors wish to express gratitude to Kenneth I. Pargament for his ongoing mentorship.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Social Science Division, Pepperdine University, 24255 Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu, CA, 90263, USA

    Elizabeth J. Krumrei

  2. Department of Counseling and Clinical Psychology, Teachers College, Columbia University, Box 303, 525 West 120th St., New York, NY, 10027, USA

    Steven Pirutinsky

  3. Department of Psychiatry, McLean Hospital/Harvard Medical School, 115 Mill Street, Belmont, MA, 02478, USA

    David H. Rosmarin

Authors
  1. Elizabeth J. Krumrei
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  2. Steven Pirutinsky
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  3. David H. Rosmarin
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Correspondence to Elizabeth J. Krumrei.

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Krumrei, E.J., Pirutinsky, S. & Rosmarin, D.H. Jewish Spirituality, Depression, and Health: an Empirical Test of a Conceptual Framework. Int.J. Behav. Med. 20, 327–336 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12529-012-9248-z

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