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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Jennifer A. Nolan, MS, PhD, Center for the Study of Spirituality, Theology and Religion, Duke University Medical Center, P O Box 93412, Durham, NC 27708-3412, 607 280 0286, jan13@duke.edu and Eunice Rodriguez, DrPH, Policy Analysis and Management, Cornell University, Rm 252 MVR Bldg., PAM Dept., College of Human Ecology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853.

Objectives: Determine if alcohol abuse/dependency, heavy drinking and cigarette frequency mediates the relationship between religious participation and depression among a representative sample of 2102 U.S. adults from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979.

Methods: Three steps of testing for mediation were performed using regression models to determine whether there was a significant relationship between religious participation and (1) depression, (2) each mediator, and (3) in the presence of a significant mediator, whether religious participation decreased in significance.

Results: Cigarette frequency was a mediator between the relationship of religious attendance and depression. Alcohol abuse/dependency and heavy drinking were mild mediators. Religious attendance (1982) decreased in significance in the presence of the significant mediators of smoking (1994) (from p=0.05 to p=0.26), and mildly decreased in significance in the presence of the mediators of alcohol abuse/dependency (from p=0.05 to p=0.11), and heavy drinking (from p=0.05 to p=0.07), for the dependent variable of depression (2000), controlling for race/ethnicity, gender, marital status, children, income, work, residence and region (1982).

Young adulthood attendance was protective against alcohol abuse/dependency, heavy drinking and smoking in mid-adulthood. Young adults in 1982 who attended more than once per week, had a 71-73 percent lower odds to abuse/depend on alcohol or drink heavily twelve years later (OR=0.29(0.16,0.53)95%CI; OR=0.27(0.14,0.50)95%CI), and 75 percent lower odds of frequent cigarette smoking (OR=0.24(0.11,0.50)95%CI).

Conclusions: The relationship between religious attendance and depression was mediated by alcohol and cigarette behaviors. Attendance was associated with less alcohol and cigarette use and subsequent lower depression scores.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, the participant (learner) in this session will be able to

• Define mediation
• Identify and list steps to test for mediation
• Evaluate whether a factor is a mediator

Keywords: Alcohol Use, Religion

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Not Answered