Religious Attendance and Major Depression Among Asian Americans From a National Database: The Mediation of Social Support

• Published in: Psychology of religion and spirituality 2013-05, Vol.5 (2), p.78-89
• Main Authors: Ai, Amy L., Huang, Bu, Bjorck, Jeffrey, Appel, Hoa B.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acculturation; Asians; Cultural Identity; Ethnic Identity; Female; Human; Immigration; Major Depression; Male; Mental Health; Race and Ethnic Discrimination; Religion; Religiosity; Social Support
• ISSN: 1941-1022; 1943-1562
• DOI: 10.1037/a0030625

Religious involvement has been shown to serve a protective role regarding mental health for African and European Americans, but little research has examined its role in Asian Americans. We addressed the gap using the National Latino and Asian American Study (NLAAS) database, the first national epidemiological household survey of Asian Americans in the United States. We examined the effect of religious involvement on major depression among Asian Americans, above and beyond the effects of known predictors (e.g., demographics, discrimination, and acculturation factors). Logistic regression analyses were conducted to predict the presence of the diagnosis over the past year, using the WHO Composite International Diagnostic Interview, similar to the DSM-IV (1994) criteria. Years in the United States and discrimination were significantly associated with the greater likelihood of major depression. Conversely, employment status, English proficiency, and older age were related to the lesser likelihood of depression. Even after controlling for these variables, more frequent religious attendance, but not religious coping, significantly predicted the reduced likelihood of major depression. Our findings suggest that religious attendance might have the potential protection regarding Asian Americans' mental health. Furthermore, entry of social support eliminated the influence of attendance, indicating its mediation in the attendance-depression association, a finding consistent with the collectivist nature in various Asian cultures. This study is the first of its kind with respect to this association as demonstrated in a national database of Asian Americans, which, however, should be further examined in longitudinal studies. Implications for culturally relevant research, theory, and culturally sensitive mental health services are discussed.