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Journal of Aging and Health
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The Effects of Church Attendance and Marital Status on the Longitudinal Trajectories of Depressed Mood Among Older Adults

Rita W. Law, MPhil

The University of Arizona, Tempe, ritawlaw{at}email.arizona.edu

David A. Sbarra, PhD

The University of Arizona, Tempe

Objective: The present study investigated the potential effects of church attendance and marital status on mood trajectories among older adults and whether these effects varied by gender. Method: Data from the Australian Longitudinal Study of Aging were used to examine the effects of church attendance and marital status on changes in depressed mood. Participants included 791 older adults (42.4% men; mean age at study entry = 75.62) who were interviewed at three time points over 8 years. Results: Using multilevel modeling to assess change, church attendance was found to have a protective effect against the emergence of mood problems among older adults. Also, although becoming married was associated with a decrease in depressed mood, becoming nonmarried was associated with an increase in depressed mood. Discussion: A sense of purpose as a potential explanation for the association between church attendance and changes in depressed mood in old age was discussed.

Key Words: depression • church attendance • gender • marital status • Australian Longitudinal Study of Aging

This version was published on September 1, 2009

Journal of Aging and Health, Vol. 21, No. 6, 803-823 (2009)
DOI: 10.1177/0898264309338300
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