Religious Coping and Depression Among Spouses of People with Lung Cancer

A cancer diagnosis frequently activates a range of coping responses in patients and their spouses and may affect their emotional well-being. The authors hypothesized a curvilinear relationship between religious coping and depression in 156 spouses of lung cancer patients. Hierarchical regression analyses were conducted with blocks of variables entered as follows: demographic characteristics; cancer stage; perceived control, self-efficacy, and social support; religious coping (linear); and religious coping squared (quadratic). There was a significant association between religious coping squared and depression. Spouses who used moderate levels of religious coping were rated as less depressed than those who used lower or higher levels.