Association between religious practice and risk of depression in older people in the subacute setting.

Objective: To identify the association between religious practice and risk of depression in older people admitted to a subacute hospital.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 100 patients aged ≥65 years with Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores ≥24 consecutively admitted to a subacute hospital. Religious practice was measured using the Duke University Religion Index and risk of depression using the 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS).

Results: Geriatric Depression Scale was significantly correlated with intrinsic religiosity (r = -0.21, P = 0.04) and cognition (r = -0.22, P = 0.03).

Conclusion: This cross-sectional study of older people in a subacute setting found depression scores were negatively and independently associated with both intrinsic religiosity and cognition. In conjunction with cognitive assessment, health professionals working with older people may consider taking a spiritual history as part of holistic care.