An Attitude of Gratitude: How Psychological and Social Resources Mediate the Protective Effect of Religiosity on Depressive Symptoms
MSU Affiliation
College of Arts and Sciences; Department of Psychology
Creation Date
2026-01-15
Abstract
Background: A positive relation between religiosity and psychological well-being has been established, but the mechanisms explaining this protective effect against affective distress are not well understood. Guided by the Lazarus and Folkman Stress and Coping model, this study tested the hypothesis that the relation between religiosity and psychological well-being is mediated by the coping resources of gratitude (a psychological resource) and social support (a social resource). Methods: Data were drawn from two national U.S. samples: the MIDUS 2 (N = 1052) and the MIDUS Refresher (N = 625). Participants completed questionnaires assessing religiosity, gratitude, social support, and three indicators of psychological well-being: depressive symptoms (CESD), perceived stress (PSS), and life satisfaction (SWL). Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was used to test the hypothesized mediation model in the primary sample, with the second sample used for replication. Because data were cross-sectional, causality cannot be inferred; results instead reflect patterns of association consistent with theory. Results: The relation between religiosity and psychological well-being was fully mediated by gratitude and social support across both datasets. Higher religiosity was significantly associated with higher levels of gratitude and social support. In turn, greater gratitude and social support were significantly associated with lower levels of depressive symptoms and perceived stress, and higher life satisfaction. Conclusions: Religiosity may confer protection against affective distress by fostering key psychological and social coping resources. These findings highlight the potential clinical utility of interventions designed to cultivate gratitude and strengthen social support networks as a strategy to improve well-being and reduce symptoms of affective disorders.
Publication Date
12-19-2025
Publication Title
Journal of Affective Disorders
Publisher
Elsevier
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Lantz, E. D., & Nadorff, D. K. (2026). An attitude of gratitude: How psychological and social resources mediate the protective effect of religiosity on depressive symptoms. Journal of Affective Disorders, 397, 120851. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2025.120851
