The relationship between  behavioral coping, religious  support, gender and symptoms  of depression in the Dutch  elderly

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationships between behavioral coping mechanisms and religious support on the one hand and depressive symptoms on the other during the Covid-19 pandemic and to examine whether gender moderated these relationships. Current study was part of a larger study on behavioral coping in the elderly. The research sample consisted of 244 Dutch elderly aged 65 and older from the general Dutch population. The respondents had completed one online self-reported questionnaire with different topics. One topic focused on behavioral coping (BERQ) and one focused on depressive symptoms (PHQ-9). Gender and religious support were questioned in the sociodemographics of the questionnaire. The relationships were studied using Pearson correlations, a multiple regression analysis and a moderator analysis. The results of the current study showed a negative significant correlation between 'actively approaching' and depressive symptoms. In contrast, 'ignoring' and ...Show moreThe aim of this study was to investigate the relationships between behavioral coping mechanisms and religious support on the one hand and depressive symptoms on the other during the Covid-19 pandemic and to examine whether gender moderated these relationships. Current study was part of a larger study on behavioral coping in the elderly. The research sample consisted of 244 Dutch elderly aged 65 and older from the general Dutch population. The respondents had completed one online self-reported questionnaire with different topics. One topic focused on behavioral coping (BERQ) and one focused on depressive symptoms (PHQ-9). Gender and religious support were questioned in the sociodemographics of the questionnaire. The relationships were studied using Pearson correlations, a multiple regression analysis and a moderator analysis. The results of the current study showed a negative significant correlation between 'actively approaching' and depressive symptoms. In contrast, 'ignoring' and 'withdrawal' had a positively significant correlation with depressive symptoms. It was expected that the other helping coping mechanisms and religious support would also have a negative significant correlation with depressive symptoms and that the relationships would be moderated by gender, but that was not confirmed. A possible explanation for this was the influence of the Covid-19 pandemic. When developing new interventions for the Dutch elderly, it could be helpful to teach them to actively approach problems, although further research is needed to confirm the findings of the current study and to explore the relationship between religious support and depressive symptoms.Show less

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The relationship between behavioral coping, religious support, gender and symptoms of depression in the Dutch elderly