Jewish Spirituality, Depression, and Health: an Empirical Test of a Conceptual Framework

Little is known about the links between spirituality and mental health among Jews.

This study assessed trust/mistrust in God and religious coping and examined their relationships to depressive symptoms and
physical health. Religious affiliation and intrinsic religiousness were examined as moderating variables and religious coping
was examined as a mediator.

Anonymous internet surveys were completed by 208 Jewish women and men of diverse denominations who resided primarily in the
USA.

Trust in God and positive religious coping were associated with lower levels of depressive symptoms and mistrust in God and
negative religious coping were associated with greater depressive symptoms. Intrinsic religiosity showed a small moderation
effect for mistrust in God and negative religious coping in relation to depressive symptoms and for trust in God in relation
to physical health. Further, positive religious coping fully mediated the link between trust in God and less depressive symptoms
and negative religious coping fully mediated the relationship between mistrust in God and greater depressive symptoms.

The data lend themselves to a possible integrative cognitive-coping model, in which latent core beliefs about the Divine activate
coping strategies during times of distress, which in turn impact psychological health. The findings highlight the potential
clinical significance of spirituality to mental health among Jews and provide a basis for future longitudinal, experimental,
and treatment outcome research.