Religiousness, Spirituality, and Meaning in Life in Depression

Abstract

Religiousness, spirituality, and meaning in life are multidimensional constructs that are woven into the Indian culture for centuries. However, the relevance of these concepts is being recognized in mainstream psychological research only in the recent decades. The present study investigated the effect of depression on these variables. It was hypothesized that the levels of religiousness, spirituality, presence of meaning, and search for meaning would be significantly different in people with and without depression. The Non-religious Non-spiritual Scale (NRNSS) by Cragun, Hammer, and Nielsen (2015), Meaning in Life Questionnaire (MLQ) by Steger, Frazier, Oishi, and Kaler (2006), and the Beck Depression Inventory-I (BDI-I) by Aaron T. Beck (1961) were administered to a sample of 72 individuals between the ages of 20 to 30, with 36 in the experimental group and 36 in the control group. The MANOVA conducted to analyze the difference showed the Wilk’s Lambda (λ) to be .825, F(4, 67)=3.562, p<.05, while the value of Pillai’s trace was found to be .175, F(4,67)=3.562, p<.05. With respect to individual tests of between-subjects effect, a significant difference was found only in the levels of presence of meaning, F (1, 70)= 14.036, p<.01. The results of the study are useful in integrating discussions of religiousness, spirituality, and meaning in life into psychotherapy, as well as operationalizing these variables as interventions. Given their cultural value, focus on agency, and high transfer of training, these can function as veritable treatment and management approaches.