The role of religious identity in the mental health of older working and retired adults

This study investigates whether religious identity explains unique variance of the self esteem and depressive symptoms of older working and retired adults. Data were collected from a larger, five-year project begun in 1992 that compared the well-being of older workers and with that of new retirees l...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Aging & mental health 2007-07, Vol.11 (4), p.434-443
Main Authors: Keyes, C. L. M., Reitzes, D. C.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aged
Depression
Depression (Psychology)
Employment
Female
Humans
Longitudinal Studies
Male
Mental Health
Middle Aged
Middle Aged Adults
North Carolina
Older people
Religion
Religiosity
Religious identity
Retired people
Retirement
Self Concept
Self Esteem
Selfesteem
Social Identity
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Summary:This study investigates whether religious identity explains unique variance of the self esteem and depressive symptoms of older working and retired adults. Data were collected from a larger, five-year project begun in 1992 that compared the well-being of older workers and with that of new retirees living in the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill, North Carolina metropolitan area. Data are from the third and final wave, collected between March and June, 1997, during which 242 of the eligible 255 people participated. Net of religious attendance, religiosity, and various control variables, religious identity predicted both mental health outcomes. As predicted, self esteem increased and depressive symptoms decreased as religious identity increased (i.e., viewing oneself as more competent, confident, and sociable as a religious person). Though there was a trend towards religious identity being more strongly predictive of mental health among retirees than among the working adults, these interactions did not reach statistical significance.
ISSN:1360-7863
1364-6915
DOI:10.1080/13607860601086371