Abstract
Asian Americans have been identified as a racial group that is disproportionately affected by childhood trauma. The goal of this study was to assess if religion/spirituality moderate the effects of childhood trauma on adult depressive symptoms among a sample of South Asians in the USA. Our analysis drew from the study on stress, spirituality, and health (SSSH) questionnaire fielded in the Mediators of Atherosclerosis in South Asians Living in America (MASALA) study (n = 990) during 2016–2018. A series of regression models with multiplicative interaction terms were conducted. Emotional neglect, emotional abuse, and physical neglect were associated with higher depressive symptoms. Higher religious attendance and negative religious coping techniques were found to exacerbate this relationship. There were two findings conditional on gender. Among men, gratitude and positive religious coping also exacerbated the relationship between childhood trauma and depressive symptoms. Negative religious coping also exacerbated the association between childhood trauma and depressive symptoms for women. This is the first community-based study of US South Asians to consider the association between various forms of childhood trauma and depressive symptom outcomes. South Asians remain an understudied group in the religion and health literature, and this study sheds light on the important differences in the function and effectiveness of religion/spirituality for those faced with early life trauma.
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Funding
This analysis was supported by a grant from the John Templeton Foundation and the Study on Stress, Spirituality, and Health (grant #59607). The MASALA Study was supported by NIH grants 1R01HL093009, 2R01HL093009, R01HL120725, UL1RR024131, UL1TR001872, and P30DK098722.
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Appendix 1 Full list of SSSH religion/spirituality items
Appendix 1 Full list of SSSH religion/spirituality items
Religious/spirituality measure | Item (if applicable) | Response categories |
|---|---|---|
Religious attendance | How often do you attend religious services? | Never Rarely About once a month 2–3 times per month Once a week Several times per week |
Positive religious coping | In facing recent stressful life events… I saw my situation as part of God’s plan I tried to make sense of the situation with God I worked together with God to relieve my worries I did what I could and put the rest in God’s hands I sought God’s love or care I trusted that God would be by my side I trusted that God would help me get through one day at a time I looked to my faith in God for hope about the future | Not at all Somewhat Quite a bit Very much so |
Negative religious coping | In facing recent stressful life events… I wondered what I did for God to punish me I wondered if God allowed this to happen because of my wrongdoings I believed the devil or evil spirits were responsible for my situation I felt as though the devil, or an evil spirit was trying to turn me away from God I wondered whether God had abandoned me I questioned God’s love or care for me | Not at all Somewhat Quite a bit Very much so |
Gratitude | I have so much in life to be grateful for If I had to list everything that I felt grateful for it would be a very long list | Strongly disagree Somewhat disagree Neutral Somewhat agree Strongly agree |
Non-theistic daily spiritual experiences | I experience a connection to all of life I feel deep inner peace or harmony I am touched by the beauty of creation I feel a selfless caring for others | Never Once in a while Some days Every day Many times a day |
Theistic daily spiritual experiences | I feel God’s love for me through others I desire to be closer or in union with God | Definitely true of me Tends to be true of me Unsure Tends not to be true of me Definitely not true of me |
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Upenieks, L., Kent, B.V., Nagaswami, M. et al. Do Religion and Spirituality Buffer the Effect of Childhood Trauma on Depressive Symptoms? Examination of a South Asian Cohort from the USA. J Relig Health 63, 2998–3026 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-024-02040-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-024-02040-5